Larry Leichliter (2003) and Bill Melendez (1965, 2003)
Producers:
Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson
Creator:
Charles M. Schulz
Original Score :
Vince Guaraldi (1965), David Benoit (2003)
Cast of voices :
Charlie Brown: Peter Robbins (1965), Adam Taylor Gordon (2003)
Snoopy/Woodstock: Bill Melendez
Rerun: Jimmy Bennett (2003)
Peppermint Patty: Karen Mendelson (1965)
Lucy van Pelt: Tracy Stratford (1965), Ashley Rose Orr (2003)
Schroeder: Chris Doran (1965), Nick Price (2003)
Sally Brown: Kathy Steinberg (1965), Hannah Leigh Dworkin (2003)
Violet: Sally Dryer (1965)
Frieda: Ann Altieri (1965)
Linus Van Pelt: Christopher Shea (1965), Corey Padnos (2003)
Pig-Pen: Geoffrey Ornstein (1965), Jake Miner (2003)
Franklin: Jake Miner (2003)
Shermy: Chris Doran (1965)
Little Girl: Kaitlyn Maggio (2003)
Since my review of the
'Easter Beagle' DVD,
I've since found out from the Lee Mendelson interview linked below, the reason for calling
this series 'Peanuts'.
It still defines a timeless series of cartoons about pre-teen life at a time when innocence reigned
and all that could bother you were the basics about trying to get to grips with understanding
who you are, whether it's trying to live without your security blanket or the complexities of being
in love with the little red-haired girl - and all with the most memorable of underlying piano-based
music, which I wouldn't call theme music as it goes all the way through, but you'll know the infectious
tunes when you hear them.
In this first new episode since the passing of creator Charles M. Schulz, I Want a Dog
for Christmas, Charlie Brown, it's Rerun who's after a canine companion.
He doesn't need a security blanket, but he knows his place - for now - and that when the time comes, Linus
and Lucy will realise when they're older just how useful having a younger brother can be.
This is just as cute and insightful as any other Peanuts cartoon, such as when he tells Lucy that
he fancies a girl in his kindergarten class and has promised to take her to Paris... but confesses that
he doesn't know where Paris is. He's then called in to see the head, and told he's been warned for
harrassing her!
It's been nicely updated with more recent phrases from today's culture which makes it more relevant to kids
today, so it proves that for as long as they want to continue making them, they can do this with ease,
although compared to the other episode here, it's not quite as good.
However, we do get to see some of Snoopy's past relatives, and Rerun's best chance of getting a dog is
by inviting Snoopy's brother, Spike, to come and visit for Xmas...
A Charlie Brown Christmas, from 1965, is the other title on this DVD, and Linus sums up
Charlie Brown's downward outlook on life perfectly when he quotes his sister Lucy,
"Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Browniest(!)"
Charlie Brown wastes 5c on psychiatrist session before heading off to direct the school Xmas play - which
involves buying the worst Christmas tree ever and Snoopy enters a Christmas decorations contest. It always
makes me laugh seeing the Peanuts kids sing Xmas carols, all breathing in and out at precisely the
same time every time :)
And, it's interesting to note that in the US, the version of the show broadcast on CBS-TV until 1997 and
older video releases were edited, omitting a scene where the gang throws snowballs at a can on a fence.
The cartoons are in 4:3 fullscreen and the print for the second episode is surpsingly good looking,
clean and clear for footage that's nearly 40 years old, while the first one looks as good as it ought
to. No problems on the sound but it doesn't set the speakers alight.
Still, it's the subtlety of the soundtrack that holds its own virtue.
Sadly, with just a few chapters to each episode and a silent/static menu, there are no extras
to accompany this release. However, there's a 'Complete Series' boxset?
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
This DVD: 
Since my review of the