A Charlie Brown Watch: It's The Small Things, Charlie Brown

Peanuts

     

    Woah, another new Peanuts special, since that Apple thing exists and they proceeding to make more. Better than us waiting 40 years right?   This is "It's The Small Things, Charlie Brown" (wasn't expecting a Blink-182 reference ) is a Peanuts special that came out on April 15, 2022.  I am happy it's using the name conventions of the classic specials, compared to "For Auld Lang Syne".  

     Since this is one of those streaming exclusive specials and that means it has a unquie run time of 38 minutes, which seems to be the same length as "Auld Lang Syne" it's kind of interesting how that length is shorter than what would fill an hour long slot on network TV, but longer than what would fill a 30 minute slot.   If lengths affect things, I would think that filler would be less happening, there are specials where stuff just happens to fill out time. (Though Peanuts filler is like an extra treat sometimes, minus that birthday special.) 

       The animation of the special has the same look as the other one (I'm not going to keep typing the name) it's a very nice high quality 2D animation. Again , I do wish the feature film had this look. Wild Brain is like yeah were putting money into this.   The backgrounds look less detailed than before, they look like they are going for a simplified look, but a comic strip look, the backgrounds are more detailed than the strips, it's almost like a painted look. The characters are walking through a painted world, it's an interesting design choice. It's moves fluidly too and it feels pretty nice, and not too off putting for media that has been done more stilted ,by nature, before.   The character designs go back to their classic known looks that tends to happen now, so Lucy in the blue dress instead of pants (80's -90's strips and some later specials had her and other girls wearing pants). It's full spirited though.  

       The music is once again done by Jeff Marrow who seems to do an alright job of capturing  the right tone of jazz for the specials, if you are picky about your Peanuts jazz music. It also has grand music like at the start giving it a movie quality sound during the baseball game at the start. 

     

    The special starts with Charlie Brown playing baseball in a large field against Peppermint Patty's team. I can tell it's a dream , because I'm me, and I can tell.  Charlie Brown  is able to throw a pitch so powerful that it makes Peppermint Patty collapse. (You're going to prison for murder, Charlie Brown) Like I said, it's a dream, because Snoopy wakes him accidently, with a water hose. They did change Charlie Brown's voice actor from the last special, and to me, it seems little off, most of the time they've been able to capture the same voice type for Charlie Brown, but this one doesn't seem as Charlie Brown. I'm not going to be mean to kid voice actor; I find it a little off for Charlie's voice though.  Linus' voice was retained from the last special and he sounds like how Linus usually sounds, even when there's been different voices.  

Ahhhh Charlie Brown is heavy/ Copyright Peanuts/ Wild Brian 

   

       Charlie and Linus walk around and Charlie talks to him about the dream we saw. Linus is a realist against Charlie Brown's more up spirit and thinks they don't have the best chance to beat Peppermint Patty's team.  (Also we don't ask the question of how many years directly they've been losing that will hurt your head and time in general will rip apart)  I do like how it fits the characters: Charlie Brown is an optimist and wants to have the spirit that he'll win, Linus is a realist and doesn't go for an outcome that seems far fetched from past data. 

When your baseball team loses/ Copyright Peanuts/ Wild Brain

       This special decided to bring back Shermey into usage, they went deep again. Snoopy comes into the special, like how he's been treated in Peanuts media for years. (wow roar)   They really have Snoopy come in trying to steal the scenes, the special has become sentient.  (help!) Sally shows up and she wants to play in the baseball team, because Charlie Brown made a promise when she turned 5 she would get to join the team.    

Home run?  / Copyright Peanuts/ WildBrain

    Sally has the same voice actress that's been used through out the WildBrain Studios era of Peanuts.  Sally seems to very excited on the idea of playing on the baseball team I don't think it makes sense, Charlie Brown, to give Sally an oversized uniform. (Lucy almost dies, so that's something)  It tries to show that Sally isn't good at baseball, which sure she wouldn't be, Charlie Brown's optimism and care are what is at play here. 

Same/ Copyright Peanuts / Wild Brain

       Someone remembered "You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown" Peppermint Patty shows up on  a motocross bike. (We've won You're a Good Sport bros!)  Her team also shows up on the same kind, minus Marcie is made to suffer. (poor Marcie)  I find it interesting that Thibault is on Peppermint Patty's team and that they decided to use Thibault for something, then again Franklin is on Charlie Brown's team instead of Peppermint Patty's , so, they are going for 100% accuracy here. Also odd to see Peppermint Patty's character be more antagonistic than she normally would be, even with baseball.  There is a difference in her role has been shown and how it was here, but it might only distract a person like me who does too much Peanuts stuff, than a casual viewer. 

it's  a gang! run!/ Copyright Peanuts/ Wild Brain

    Sally also gets to take up the plot, where Sally feels left out and then she meets a flower that's on the pitcher's mound and starts talking to it.  Charlie Brown tries to give his team a pep talk, after they feel bad.   I like that Charlie Brown keeps his spirit and wants to rally his team  to a victory.  Then something happens, the flower plot shows up. 

                

You're watching HGTV....back when we used to do gardening shows/ Copyright Peanuts/ WildBrain

       The team is bothered that Sally is just laying there looking at the dandelion. Sally says that she's not going to move and she's going to protect the flower. No matter what they try. (I wasn't expecting Horton Hears a Who in my Peanuts special) Plan B is to just play around Sally until she gets bored. ( I do wonder where Sally got a book though)  

This is what they mean by dandelion tea/ Copyright Peanuts / Wild Brain 

More after the jump

The Lookback: The Lorax

Dr. Seuss  The Flashback 

              Haven't done a Dr. Seuss themed post in awhile (The Grinch, I guess) and might as well get back into adaptations of his books. I guess, it's time to begin. 

     

          "The Lorax" is a 2012 movie done by... (gets a message whispered) oh, really, are you sure? (whisper) alright, that's actually better news.   "The Lorax" is a 1972 special based off the book of the same , that book came in 1971. That is some turnaround. 

  

        

       This special ,like many other Dr. Seuss animated specials, was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. They made "The Cat in the Hat" in 1971, and would go on to make "Dr. Seuss on the Loose" in 1973.    The special first aired on CBS on Valentine's Day 1972, meaning we missed the direct 50th anniversary.  (Oh well) 

  

         The 1971 book was Dr. Seuss writing about a topic getting steam at the time, the environment. The very first Earth Day had happened in 1970, and media were getting people to try and save the environment. 

The gray grasses are still growing though/ Copyright Dr. Seuss 

      

    The narrator to start the special is Mr. Green Acres himself, Eddie Albert sing about Grickle Grass  and something about the lorax. (roll credits) a boy with black hair, he has no name, so he's just a boy is a walking and meets a guy called the Once-ler, the only parts we see are his gloves, never his face. (It's hideous, and I mean the gloves they  are hideous shade of green) The Once-ler starts to tell a story about the Lorax.  

These aren't gloves uhhh/ Copyright Dr. Seuss 

    

      He says that area was once filled with trees and nature and how he once showed up and saw the pretty colorful Truffula trees. Mr. Bob Holt, voices the Once-ler  you may know him as the voice of Dr. John Doolittle in the 1970's animated series by the same company as this one. (what?)  He also voices the Lorax which makes it fun to see him have two different voices and argue with himself. 

      The Once-ler mentions how he built his factory on the land, and then started cutting down Truffula trees The Lorax shows up and says he speaks for the trees and tells him to stop cutting the down trees. Once-ler tells him he's making thneeds, which apparently can be anything you need.  (Probably should have grown more trees to make more of them things, but getting a head here) 

I'm the Lorax and I thneed to talk to you/ Copyright Dr. Seuss 

  

      Once-ler calls for help from his family to make more thneeds since the market is growing. The Lorax isn't getting any notice, but they don't care.  Trees being killed left and right. (poor trees)   Through the story, there's also the affects of the pollution from the cars and factory causing harm to the animals.  This should be called "Nobody Listens to the Lorax". 

   The area becomes a town for people to live in and the trees are mostly gone now. (not sure that'll  be good for the business)  For all destruction, the music is up beat and fun. (we bought 10 thneeds we didn't need just because of the music) 

Detroit 1950, Copyright Dr. Seuss 

       Eventually, 1,000,000 thneeds have been made and the Lorax shows up to try to get people to...oh never mind.  Oh the Lorax returns to talk the Once-ler and pleads for the trees and the  Bar-ba-loots, creatures, and they are leaving because their resources are going away.   

   

      I think  not seeing the Once-ler's face and most of his body was pretty genius, it gives him a detachment that fits with the story. We haven't been given any indication of what he's fully thinking or his emotions.  After the Lorax pleads to him and leaves, which is also interesting to see him not be aggressive towards the Lorax and allows him to speak, and let's him leave on his own.  We get a moment of the Once-ler having an internal discussion with himself about what's going on.  Mostly justifying it.  

  

    Anyway things are getting worse (this is a timeless statement) the Lorax mentions that more animals are leaving because of the environmental conditions of the area getting worse. The Once-ler says his point is that what should he do? Should he close it down, causing people to lose their jobs? The other thing earlier he says that if he didn't do it, someone else would have.  These are interesting things to spot in the story. 

Look at this! / Copyright Dr. Seuss 

  

       Walking fish. The Once-ler says he understands after more pleas, but the he hears his stocks are up. (And we have like 4 more minutes so...) This makes the Once-ler change his tune back to his normal standing, he tells the Lorax that he's gonna bake his business bigger, and then, the bad news : the last tree. (oops)   Therefore the thing he said would be bad that economics would go south if he shut down, happens anyway because of the tree being gone. (oops) 

This tree was 3 days from retirement/ Copyright Dr. Seuss

       Now it cuts back, to the Once-ler telling his story to the boy that he was left all by himself and a spot that said "unless". The boy wonders what means. Then the Once-ler gives him a tree seed and tells him to plant it, take care of it, grow more trees, the boy takes it , and that's the special.  

Cool! I can't wait to make Thneeds in 40 years!/ Copyright Dr. Seuss

   

       This special (and the book) does it's message very well, it doesn't feel like the message is muddled but it's also very finessed. The Once-ler isn't made over the top and evil, he's normal, to an extent, he's a guy that wants to make money and do something for progress and society, it's not his intentions were to be like "I'm going to kill all the trees" because evil. Also the idea, he wasn't paying attention to the idea that if he wasn't careful, the thing he needed the most of his business could die out anyway. 

        It's not directly telling you what to think, it makes you think though. You can see what could have been done that could have helped both sides and that there is a balance, and not following that balance is a mistake. 

    

   The animation is good,  the coloring is good and you can see how it's being used to as things get worse for the area. The songs are alright, not really catchy , at least to me, but work well. It tells an interesting story all together. 

    I guess, I should address the 2012 film a little. I think, many of the problems of the Dr. Seuss feature film adaptations is that they have to be long and have to add stuff. This is a simple story, it works for the short story and this specials is like 22 minutes long and there's still filler moments.  The 2012 movie didn't want to do that, it instead tries to add in other plots to make it work for a story. It also adds a villain.  I think it hurts the message.  This is not going to be a harp about the feature movie.

       

   I like the special, it works to the story and gives a message about the environment that doesn't feel forced or ham-fisted and that's important.  I think it presents the message that the Once-ler would have benefitted from being more conscious about the environment, while still making money, he could have  planted more trees.  I think showing that he has learned that lesson and telling the boy to not make the same mistakes was good.  It could have been done in a bad way, making it a good guy , bad guy situation , but this doesn't do that, it's more open and that's a way to have the people watching also understand.  

    

    That's it for now, tune in next time when we plant a tree. 

       

Easter: The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise

Easter 🥚 The Flashback

      Once again, it's time for Easter!  This is a holiday that doesn't get a bunch of holiday specials. So, I'm going to something that we don't cover cover really much this is from "The Berenstain Bears" based off the books  by Stan and Jan Berenstain, "The Berenstain Bears" started getting the next step of having TV specials. In 1979, like Peanuts, gets a start on the television medium with "The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree" then eventually , it had a few more specials. The third special is this one.  It aired on NBC on April 14, 1981.  

         This special was written and created by the Berenstains with music conducted by Elliot Lawrence with three original songs. 

   

         It starts in the past. (Woah)  There's a time when winter gets stuck and it seems spring isn't showing up. But first, it goes back to fall ( they re-round too far). The narrator (get used to him) mentions that Brother Bear is an only child. (uhh why did his parents name him Brother?) Even though he has friends like  Bill Bunny  and Finicky Frog. (Maybe being named Brother isn't that bad) Also Fred Firefly. 

 

F is for  doing doing stuff together

   

       Brother goes to Papa Bear (his parents were more presumptive too) and there's sequence about the boy asking questions. Also the first song,  which is about Papa trying to convince Brother that he knows answers to all questions, while Brother is asking a bunch of questions. This is is pretty fun sequence and song.  

Papa, was your name always Papa?

    

    Anyway, it's winter now, the special likes to mention that Brother is lonely because they are really making sure you remember.  (I remember!)  Winter has seemed to hang around for a very long time and the Bears are concerned and Papa says the seasons are stuck. Papa explains Easter, mostly focused on Easter Eggs, candy, and other other  treats associated with the holiday. The more sensible Mama explains more about spring in song form. (yay!)  She's focused on how Easter means new life  and miracles. (on the nose) 

"I'm sorry, I entered the wrong nest" 

      The special doesn't say the P word (poodle?) but it's saying Mama is pregnant. Brother notices that he can't sit on his mother's lap and he's wondering why. The parents don't tell their child this (that's a plan). She does mention an Easter surprise though.  Papa and Mama deflect and decide to visit Boss Bunny. 

They are proud of what they've done 

  

       Boss Bunny has apparently quit. Boss Bunny is apparently the area's official Easter Bunny. (How does one get that job, you have to a Bunny)  They also make a mention of alcohol as a rumor of why he quit. That's something, we aren't saying pregnant, but can mention an allusion to alcohol. Papa Bear is broken up, so is Brother who misses his Easter surprise. (That might be coming anyway) 

  

    Papa gets the idea to try and become the Easter Bunny himself. (Uhhh) He gets a song too. This plan fails.  Brother wanders the forest and Billy Bear shows up to play, and what a twist, but Billy's father is Boss Bunny. (So they do share a last name.)  They go to see the Boss. (They go to see Bruce Springsteen?) He's awoken by the bear's appearance. 

Easter? Bah Humbug

          Boss Bunny says that he's tired and doesn't care about Easter and Spring anymore. (I see)  Brother tries to convivence him , through song, to care about Easter again, and he makes his pitch why he doesn't want to.  The special has like 3 minutes left and decides to send in help: his mind is easily changed by a rainbow and now he's happy and also healed of pain (what?) and he's like yeah let's go make spring and Easter. (So, that's how that works) 

It's still weird the rabbits want to eat the chocolate rabbits

         It's Easter morning, Brother wakes up and remembers his Easter surprise, and he sees all the treats, but the real surprise is that he has a new baby sister. (What's her name?) (Oh, I'm surprised) Thus, this special was actually about the origin of Sister Bear.   

Can I eat this?  

   

              This is a simple special, fitting the simple style of the books, and goes with a celebration of spring and new life as a theme for Easter instead of the more religious themes, which isn't a surprise, but it is to be noted.  It's a fun simple special , you can tell where they they stretch and it keeps its main conflict simple and short, since Boss Bunny changes his mind so easily thanks to the power of a rainbow. (not the oddest thing I've written on this blog)  It does a good job focusing on the fun aspects of spring and how Easter's associated with it and the arrival of new life and rebirth.  

  

   That's it for now, tune in next time when we ask a kid named Killer, has killed.  

            

        

Short Lived Series: Grosse Pointe

Short Lived Series  The WB 

             So this different for  us to, might as well, plus it's a short-lived sitcom from the year 2000, which is now older than it was years ago.  (What?)  The series we're talking about is Grosse Pointe , a series that ran 17 episodes on the WB network. It was created by  Darren Star the creator of  Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Sex and the City, Younger , and more! 

   

   This series was a sitcom that first ran after Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Popular , at least at first.  I'm going to frame this where it seems the WB was doing an older teen block with the Sabrina episodes being her in college, then this show and rounding out the night with "Popular" I can see what they were going for here.

  

      Let's get on with this show. What's it about? The start of the very first episode starts with a "previously on "Grosse Pointe" like you just walked into something and somehow missed it, then it has two teenagers riding in a car talking about the girl's pregnancy, then a crash, she's in the hospital, then it cuts to two people watching what we were watching.   Followed by the theme song which is the Tom Jones song "Sex Bomb" . 

 

   This show is parody of those teenage drama shows like the ones that Darren Star created above, and were on TV alot in the 1990's , kind of still around on the CW, but not as prolific as everyone was looking to create their own "90210".  this show takes place in the behind the scenes of  a teen drama set in Michigan.  And the show airs on the WB network, so it's a WB show about a fake WB show. 

The WB network presents a WB show  about a WB show /Copyright Darren Star

  

      In speaking of "Sabrina"  Lindsay Sloane is in this series, she played Valerie on Sabrina in this show she's playing almost the same character, kind of a loser with low self-esteem. So  Marcy Sternfeld  is just the Sabrina character but in a different person. The first episode introduces a new character , to their world, everyone is new to us named Courtney Scott, who is playing a girl named Laura Johnson who moved to Grosse Pointe , the town,  from West Virginia, the state (this joke is rolling) as she (Laura) is trying to get used to being a TV show set and finding her place and getting a handle on acting.  She's played by Bonnie Somerville, this means this show has someone playing someone who's playing someone else, my head hurts. Somerville's first series role as in a main was this show she later got to play on "The OC"   

What if we made a show about making a show about making a show with a show inside/Copyright Darren Star 

          The show again, is a parody and satire of those teen shows and the stuff that happens behind the scenes. The part where Courtney questions why she has to wear the outfit they pick for her and since the show takes place in Michigan it doesn't make sense.  Anyway, fitting of a teen drama, this comedy series has continuing stories.  At the end of episode 1, Johnny Bishop, played by Al Santos, might be falling for the new girl and making  Marcy, who likes Johnny, worried. So our series has teen drama behind the teen drama series drama. (there's layers to this) 

Why yes  Sarah Michelle Gellar did make a guest role here

      I also like how there's a someone who's whole role is to be a stand-in , of course he wants to be more than just a stand-in.  This show also really works if you liked or (hated?)  and know alot about "90210" they make those in-jokes and more character jokes too, about the genre. Like the Dawson casting, you know where like 30-year-old plays teenager, they do here having, the character , Quentin Barbary King, is balding older man. Also funny his actor Kohl Sudduth, was 25 or 26 when the show was on. 

mmm product placement... 

            Also another adding to the story, from episode 2, the reason why Courtney was added was because the network doesn't want Hunter to screw up, if she does they have a character to replace her with.  Instead, it turns episode 2 where Hunter now wants to get rid of Courtney as well. The plot works to where  Marcy ends up bonding with Courtney finding out that she has a boyfriend. Hunter tries to continue the plan. It really does feel like a teen drama mixed in with being parody.  Like backstabbing and staying on top being used as part of the plot.  

       

         So, my main point takes a teen drama style with it's characters and decides with the behind the scenes stuff and it having drama.  Episode 3, has more of Hunter trying to get things to go her way wit the show by trying to set up stuff  to work out for her.   It also seemed that Dave, the stand-in, might have a thing for Marcy, setting up that it seems.  

      Episode hallmarks seem to be ending with scenes of "coming next week on Grosse Pointe".  This matches up with the cold-opening doing scenes of either from the series or a previously episode. The one thing to also notice in this series is the words where they outright mention things that people might notice in these teen shows and in showbiz overall, it's sometimes noticeable. 

        Episode 4 is probably the most 2000 of the episode where Hunter wants to have a part in a new Oliver Stone film about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, which is something very 2000. Somehow the Lifetime movie reference is still timeless, interesting.   Hunter has to gain wait for the role of Monica and it makes her become slightly nicer. The network people are worried about her weight gain because of the whole how TV networks want thinner actresses.  This is an example of the show pointing out things that happen in show business, especially at the time this show was out.  The people who work on the show seem to adjust a way to write this into their script, but then Hunter finds out she's not getting the part and she turns back into her normal self.  

   

        The episodes very much follow that same idea of having a center plot of slight drama mixed with comedic moments while it satirizes, teen dramas whilst giving some depth to it's own characters they don't feel like blank slates too much, you do get some investment from watching beyond the layer of it being a parody. 

     

       What makes this series work is the idea the series doing a parody doesn't just feel like it's pointing and laughing at what it's parodying. The characters are still interesting, and you get an investment in them. It does help that the people working on the show have experience in the content they are parodying, so they know how to do it. It doesn't feel like it's being spiteful and hateful towards the genre of teen dramas, but kind of pointing out the flaws and making you laugh with them.  There's a lot that makes this show work, if you like "90210" this show works for them and if you don't, it works for those viewers as well. Though, I think it work more for those who like those kinds of shows, due to the in-jokes. 

            Since this is "Short Lived Series" segment, you can guess where this is going. The show premiered as a Friday night on the WB series, between "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" which the WB picked up from ABC. That show was popular, and the WB, had the show be Sabrina be in college and an older teen show, but still kind of family safe.  The next show, being this one is slightly less family safe, and much of that lead-in might have not stuck around for this one, the show after this was "Popular" (that's the title). "Popular" which ironically was a teen drama.  They moved "Grosse Pointe" to Sundays, but the decision was made to end it after 17 episodes. 

        The show was pretty well acted as well, the cast playing dual roles was interesting, especially given the roles of having to cover two characters. The show is well casted, even if they were going for  a parody of mostly 90210, they also hold some distinctiveness. 

   

       Darren Star ended up alright, he was working on Sex and the City at the same time, he later created the TVLand series "Younger" which is like a teen drama but with older people.  (or uhh same age actor people?)  

         I won't say this series was ahead of it's time, it fits in with the time, plus it was in the right hands of someone who knew the genre that was being satired which makes it even better  and probably was the  best way to do it. It seems the people writing the show weren't too afraid to make a little fun of themselves and the business, which is also a good touch.  

               That's it for now, tune in next time when we figure out how to get some characters in our teen drama out of this love pentagon, eh, I guess we could just have them stab each other, that's drama!