Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15710 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-09-12
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 147 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Two of the all-time cartoon classics It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) and A Charlie Brown Christmas (a Peabody and Emmy winner from 1965) highlight this three-disc, six-episode set. Although the DVDs contain no extras (good grief!) and could have been combined on a single disc (drat!), the collection looks and sounds wonderful on DVD. The content is the same on the VHS and DVD sets, with two episodes per tape or disc. Accompanying Pumpkin is You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, a cute spin on politics that has aged very well since its 1972 release. Christmas sports a lackluster sequel of sorts, It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown (1992) that has Sally dwelling on getting (instead of giving), Charlie Brown facing a spending dilemma, and everyone suffering stage fright before the annual school play. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) also won an Emmy but is not as well known as others; it also suffers from not having the original cast. Snoopy is foremost in helping to put on an impromptu feast (toast and popcorn) as the gang keeps forgetting the true meaning of the holiday. Also on the disc is a better Thanksgiving venue, The Mayflower Voyages (1988), part of the This is America, Charlie Brown series that breathed new life into the franchise. Mostly narrated by Linus, the show traces the Pilgrims' plight and doesn't talk down to youngsters on the hardships they faced. It's a treasure of a gift (for others or yourself), all nicely packaged. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

A few Holidays short of a Collection
Finally, a few of Charles Schulz' classic Peanuts holiday specials have arrived on DVD...and I do mean *few*. This 3-disc set is very nicely packaged in a colorful gift box, and the audio and video quality of the discs is excellent. However, I am somewhat disappointed that each disc features only 2 twenty-five minute programs, and nothing in the way of extras. This being the 50th anniversary of Peanuts, it would have been nice to see some special features worthy of the occasion - e.g., some old Charles Schulz interviews, production notes, or perhaps even a gallery of strips. And couldn't they fit at least 4 or 5 specials on each disc? What about "It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown," "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown," "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown," and "It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown" (...just to name a few)? What's a "Holiday Collection" without Valentine's Day and Easter? Of course the set is a must-buy -- it's Peanuts on DVD! But it's kind of a shame we aren't getting our money's worth.

Where would the holidays be without Peanuts?
I've grown up with the Peanuts gang. I've been a fan of the comic strip for as long as I can remember, and I've watched A Charlie Brown Christmas every year as well. It's a required Christmas tradition with me. Over the years, I've watched other specials, too.

This collection brings three of their holiday classics to DVD: Great Pumpkin, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Also included are three bonus programs, You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown; The Mayflower Voyages; and It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown. These programs aren't nearly as good as the headliners, but do still provide some fun moments.

The biggest disappointment for the DVD fan is the lack of bonus material. As others have said, this collection could have been put on one DVD, and there are no bonus features. On the other hand, I don't remember these specials looking or sounding so good on TV.

If you're a Peanuts fan, you'll enjoy having these DVD's in your collection to enjoy at your leisure every year. Hopefully, Paramount will be smarter with future releases and include more programs and bonus material per disk.

Three holiday classics together on DVD
Three holiday classics come together in this Peanuts Holiday Collection DVD Gift Set. The features: "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving", and "A Charlie Brown Christmas". All three make their DVD debut indivdually and as part of this 3-disc set, which seems like one of the ideal gift ideas of the fall. The timeless Peanuts characters can now be seen in all their glory in this Paramount box set. All are fullframe, 1.0 mono sound releases, which juding from Paramount's track record, should receive pristine video transfers. Now that there are no new Peanuts comic strips, we can only rely on the old strips and TV specials like these to enlighten us with the unique and endearing wisdom and wit of Charles Schultz. Enjoy these classic tales with your families this holiday season.

Also included on these discs are three lesser-known specials which are in some way related to the main title of the disc.