This is the newest special we've looked at for the Peanuts and as of this writing the last new special to appear so far. "Happiness is Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown" came on out in 2011. It was the first new one since 2006 "He's a Bully, Charlie Brown" . Even though ABC currently has (again as of this writing in 2018) rights to the Peanuts specials, this one aired on Fox in 2011 , 2012 ,and 2013. It was released to purchase for home viewing too.
Like the other specials made after Schulz death and some before, this one is mostly based off strips themselves. This was the first special made after the death of Bill Melendez, so it was the first and so far only one made without his direction, his voices for Snoopy and Woodstock were used though as recorded with director Andy Beall doing any extra voices. The voices of the characters continues the tradition of using children as per normal.
Since music is as noted part of the specials, this one uses scores done by the head Mark Mothersbaugh whom you may know did the music for the Rugrats and was the frontman for Devo. He does try to keep it a feeling of jazz so it's off putting. The animation is not CGI they found a Korean animation studio to do the basic 2D hand-drawn animation, but it not done in 4:3 but 16:9 HD so their is one change from past specials.
That's enough background, here's a look at "Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown".
It starts with Woodstock flying past familiar characters doing their familiar things they are known for then it reaches Linus where he digging holes looking for his blanket. This is going to be a flashback special. Linus is playing baseball with his blanket, which does seem to go well, then he 's walking with Charlie Brown who asks him isn't he afraid of what kids think of his carrying around a blanket, but Linus shows him why he's not. Snoopy drags Linus around with the blanket.
Linus that day started a new country/ copyright Peanuts
Now we get a Schroeder playing piano scene and tossing Lucy off the Piano. Linus watches television with his blanket, while Snoopy acts like a vulture targeting the blanket , and he enters the house. (don't ask how, he's magic) Lucy tells Linus it's wash day and she takes the blanket away.
More after the Jump
Charlie brown is trying to fly his kite and failing. Also a fun thing to note : this is the first time in some time where Shermey shows up in a Peanuts special) Lucy is talking to Schroeder about what would happen if they were married , and of course he rejects the notion.
Longest will they or won't they? ever/ Copyright Peanuts
Lucy informs Linus that their Blanket hating Grandma is coming in a week, she wants Linus to either give up the blanket himself or she'll do it for him. Lucy then says that the grandma will cut it up. (kind of extreme) At the familiar wall Linus says he can give up the blanket , but that is hard for him. He asks Charlie Brown for his help, so Charlie Brown suggests some substitutes. Sally tries to convince him to give up his blanket by saying that she'll love him even more if he gave up the blanket but he doesn't care. (Not the best plan) Linus asks Charlie Brown to help him by holding the blanket for him and he says no matter how much he pleads don't give it back, he pleads and Charlie Brown gives it back. Then he tries again, and it happens again. Violet tells PigPen that girls like boys who are clean , then Charlie Brown appears and she tells him there are other things as well. Linus goes to Lucy for Psychiatric help. (Woah , that's different)
Apparently he didn't pay 5 cents though, family discount? /Copyright Peanuts
Lucy though , of course, isn't very helpful, More Lucy tries to talk more about marriage with Schroeder. Later , she takes Linus' blanket to see if he can do without it for at first until dinner. This makes him a nervous mess. Charlie Brown tells Lucy she should give it back because Linus can't handle it very well. This special also brings back the original Patty as well, along with 3,4,5 , and Freida. so we are going for a real back in the 60's angle here.
They secretly pine for the boy /Copyright Peanuts
Hey it's Freida/ Copyright Peanuts
Hey it's 5, and his twin sisters 3 and 4 / Copyright Peanuts
Snoopy has Linus' blanket and Linus is looking for him and he's angry. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown tries more kite flying and Lucy screws it up for him this time. Snoopy lands down with the blanket and he finds out that Lucy has turned the blanket into a kite. (That's just mean) When she explains how she did it , she lets go and the blanket kite flies away. The blanket is flying around the country.
Charlie Brown talks to Lucy and tells her that maybe if she had a blanket she wouldn't be so mean spirited, cranky, and quick tempered. (Which honestly, I think is a time when Charlie Brown actually says that to her) Late one he helps stay with Linus for the night to see him through the night. (C.B is a good friend.) Meanwhile, since this blanket is magic and can stay airborne for so long it's at sea. (It's a ghost in a blanket) Linus explains that his blanket soaks up all his fears and frustrations and he asks Chuck if he has any and we get to see his. There's this one part that recreates the first strip ever as well. The grabs Linus' shirt like a blanket and sucks his thumb.
from the very first comic .though we used the colored version
The Air Rescue service found his blanket in the ocean and they are going to mail to him. Lucy tells him that their "Blanket Hating Grandma" is on her way in one more day. Snoopy has the blanket and luckily he gets it back. During the song "Ode to Joy" Lucy comes and smashes Schroeder's bust of Beethoven and it shatters to the song. Lucy doesn't win though because he has another one.
He buys them in bulk
Lucy says she buried the blanket. So Linus goes on a digging binge bringing it back the scene we saw at the start. Snoopy sniffs around and instantly finds it and tosses to Linus. A little later on Snoopy grabs it and drags Linus around causing havoc around the area. The other kids go and complain to Linus , which then causes him to tell at them, saying that he needs it and asks them which one of them doesn't have an insecurity. Then he calls out Sally, Schroeder , and Lucy's insecurities. Asking them is anyone secure, then Pig Pen shows up just to make a fun answer that doesn't have to be said.
Naddafinger /Copyright Peanuts
The Grandma shows up. He tries to tell her that he needs her that he needs a blanket, but that doesn't work and he hands it over. (Oh I am going to say the blanket is fake)
The art style of the special as mentioned above was done in 2D hand drawn animation. In modeling , the girl characters are back to dresses , Peanuts comics after the 80's had them more wearing pants with dresses thrown in a different times. We also have a lot of 60's feelings to the special like the television set. ( I would say the vinyl , but hey Vinyl is kind of back in style)
I noted above that special had characters not seen in the comics since the 1960's like Patty, 5, and his sisters 3 and 4, who also appeared in the Christmas special in '65 and in the comics but not very much and all phased out by the 80's. Patty around the 70's, 80's and 90's but she was used sparingly and in the specials too but again more as a background character when needed. Shermy was one of the original characters and he didn't make it to the 1970's at all. He did appear in some of the post 70's specials but mostly silent and was in the Charlie Brown and Snoopy show. The were no appearances of popular characters, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, or Franklin. No Rerun either.
This special was an hour long special. Much like most of the post Schulz specials it uses it's ideas from the comics directly. The strips used most directly were ones from October 14th 1957 where Lucy takes his blanket in locks in the closet. (From 10-14-1957 to 10-26-1957) The kite blanket thing is from June 12,1962. Burying the blanket comes from January 3rd ,1961.
There was something I noticed the plot of the special how it subtlety shows off the other characters insecurities before Linus calls them out on it about his blanket. We get the Schroeder ,Lucy scenes, Charlie Brown's kite, Sally wanting Linus to be her sweet baboo , and Patty and Violet on Pig Pen's dirtiness. It does show that Pig Pen seems to be secure and doesn't care what people say to him.
Though I will say Linus' line of saying "Do you want to see me end up like , Charlie Brown?" did seem kind of mean and out place in the special , because he was the one character that really wasn't bothered by the blanket, tries to help Linus, stays with him that one night, convinces Lucy to give it back from the closet, and even calls out Lucy in a way. So the Charlie Brown line seems out of place compared to the other characters who did deserve it.
I did like the special otherwise. There was alot that post Schulz Peanuts specials and media have to live up to in a way because again he's not there and this one not having Melendez ,who was the man Schulz trusted the most with his TV and movies. The sound track by the guy who did the music to my favorite Nicktoon, Rugrats, (name mentioned above) doesn't sound like his other work for that or "Frosty Returns" it's more piano driven but it's not bad. There is some padding to make it fit the 45 minutes (1 hr long tv block) which does make it feel sluggish at points but its not too much.
That's our lookback tune in next time when we scream out everyone's insecurities.
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