The Story:
A lot has changed since the original A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired nearly 40 years ago. For one, all the kids have different voices…something I don't think I'll ever get past, but, I work with it as best I can. Also, there's a new kid in town. Lucy and Linus have a little brother named ReRun, and all he wants for Christmas is a canine's two front teeth.

Aside from the voice changes, I have to overlook the little brother's name, because, having grown up in the 70s, there will always be only one ReRun as far as I'm concerned. But anyway, this new, young, Caucasian, cartoon ReRun happens to be the star of this new Peanuts Christmas special. Therefore, we get plenty of introduction to him establishing that he's the little brother of Linus and Lucy. How could we not guess? He looks exactly like Linus, only smaller, and his voice is different (but then again, so is Linus's). At times, I didn't know if it was ReRun or Linus on screen. The resemblance is uncanny.

Anyway, it's nearing Christmas, and ReRun is lonely and wants a dog. But his mom doesn't have any intention of getting him one. So he starts hounding Snoopy to come out and play all the time. But self-involved Snoopy tires of the needy young child's attention quickly. But that's okay, because ReRun learns Snoopy has siblings, and that his cousin Spike, who lives in the desert and looks like a thin, whiskered version of Snoopy with a hat, is coming to visit for the holidays! So ReRun gets his hopes up about finally having a dog of his own as he prepares for Spike's arrival.

Kids will totally relate to ReRun's obsessive "I want, I want, I want" syndrome (ah…those were the days. Oh, who am I kidding? It still is those days), and the Peanuts gang is as much fun and as funny as ever. As a long time fan of the specials, I enjoyed this one, but it wasn't a classic, nor so much a Christmas episode. They say the word enough, and there's an occasional wreath on a door, or decorated tree in the corner of a room, and there's snow on the ground, but it's not a very festive episode. There's no holiday music. Christmas is incidental rather than a focus. The gang is in it, but really, ReRun is running the show. There is a quick stint with Snoopy in his World War I fighter plane, and there's a side story of Lucy harassing Schroeder at his piano, but there's no Charlie Brown and Linus at their therapeutic wall at the end! Bummer. Even so, it's always good to see the Peanuts gang back in action, and even if adult fans don't get a total sense of comfort from this show, they will still get enjoyment out of watching it with the kids.

The DVD

Video:
This is a full screen format, its original aspect ratio considering it was made for television. But what I love about cartoons is that even on widescreen TVs, they never really look stretched out. The image quality is crisp and clear, with no dust or dirt. The colors are rich and vivid. However, periodically, I noticed the screen would jitter up and down like it was experiencing a minor earthquake. Rather annoying, and I don't know if that was just my copy or to be expected in all pressings.

Sound:
The audio track is Dolby 2.0 stereo, but there's Pro Logic decoding programmed into the disc, because it kicked in automatically on my surround system. The result was left/right/center and mono rear sound. There was really nothing incredible about the surround sound. The stereo was nice, but not of main concern to me in a cartoon.

Extras:
There are several extras & bonus features: Subtitles—you can turn on English subtitles. Previews—although they begin immediately when you pop in the DVD, the previews can be skipped, and are selectable from the menu. Features previews for an assortment of cartoons, including Candyland, Tonka Tough Trucks, Peanuts DVDs, Charlotte's Web 2 and more. About 8 minutes total.

Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales—these are short little vignettes, each focusing on one main character—Snoopy/Linus/Sally/Lucy/Charlie Brown—as they prepare for the holidays, from getting a tree to making out Christmas cards. Each short tale is not particularly connected to the next, but they all have the classic Peanuts humor and charm. Also, there are quite a few references to the Bible, so be warned if you are not a fan of faith-based messages. Total time is about 18 minutes.

Making of A Charlie Brown Christmas—old school! This is a 16 minute documentary on the making of the original Christmas episode, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. The Christmas episode was the first Charlie Brown special, and this documentary covers the whole history of how the gang made it to television, covers the animation process, and how the Vince Guaraldi music became so recognizable. Also, there are short interviews with all the kids—now adults—who were the original voices of Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Sally!!!

Final Thoughts:
I Want A Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown is a very different kind of holiday special for the gang. Christmas takes a back seat, and it feels more like the main storyline happens to take place during the holiday season. The focus is on ReRun, younger brother of Linus and Lucy, who so desperately wants a dog. The rest of the gang appears in small subplots, and it's nice to see them getting work again, even if it is just bit parts. Although not a holiday classic by any stretch of the imagination, kids and grownups will enjoy this one, and the DVD is a high quality presentation with a nice amount of extras, including bonus Peanuts cartoons and a good documentary on the gang.