The Movie:

One of the most enduringly popular Halloween specials (or holiday specials in general) of all time, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown originally aired over forty-years ago back in October of 1966. The fact that it's just as well known now as it was back then is testament to the incredible popularity of Charles Schulz's comic strip and the various spin-off cartoons that have been created over the years. It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, however, remains debatably, the most popular of all the Peanuts cartoons (some might argue that the Christmas special wins out, but I digress).

For the one or two people reading this who haven't seen the cartoon by now, much of the story revolves around Linus who holds to the belief that each night on Halloween the Great Pumpkin will visit the nearby pumpkin patch. Though the other kids all make fun of him and plan to go trick or treating with or without him, Sally accompanies him to the patch that night where the two of them wait for the mythical Great Pumpkin's arrival with baited breath. As the night grows longer, Linus' faith in the Great Pumpkin starts to unravel.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang don their costumes and head out to get some door to door candy action. Charlie Brown, dressed as a ghost with eyeholes cut out all over this sheet and looking ridiculous, continually gets rocks instead of candy. After some trick or treating, the kids head to Violets place for a party. During all of this, Snoopy imagines himself once again as a WWI flying ace, only this time he's shot down over France where he has to find safe haven from the German pilot, The Red Baron, who is in the area looking for him.

Interesting in the way that it so obviously compares Linus' belief in the Great Pumpkin to the normal children's belief in creatures like the Easter Bunny or to a larger extent, Santa Claus, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is something that everyone can relate to. While Linus is continually ribbed about his steadfast belief in a creature no one else believes in, even going so far as to give up trick or treating all together to spot a glimpse of the Great Pumpkin, it's easily compared to that one kid we all knew who just didn't want to stop believing in Santa Claus even if the other kids in the class would make fun of him or her for it. It's all the more touching if you happened to be that kid!

The third Peanuts cartoon special to have been shown on TV (it was preceded by 1966's Charlie Brown's All-Stars and 1965's A Charlie Brown Christmas), it's as fun and enjoyable now as it must have been back then. Kids have a lot more options for holiday viewing these days than ever before and the fact that kids (of all ages) go back to this one time and time again really does attest to it's timelessness.

The Video:

Everything on this disc shows up in 1.33.1 fullframe, just as it should be. The quality is pretty good and it appears that It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has been restored to a certain extent as it's cleaner and better looking than it previously was on DVD. Colors look nice and bright without appearing overcooked and there are only minor instances of any noticeable serious print damage (just specks here and there). Some mild grain is visible in some spots but that's completely forgivable, it just looks more film like. There aren't any problems with compression artifacts or edge enhancement to complain about and overall the material looks quite good.

The Audio:

The English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtrack is clean and clear and as simple as it's always been. Dialogue is always nice and easy to understand and there aren't any problems with hiss or distortion. Levels are properly balanced and everything sounds fine. Optional 2.0 Mono dubs are available Dolby in Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish while optional subtitles are supplied in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai.

The Extras:

The biggest supplement here is the inclusion of a bonus cartoon, It's Magic, Charlie Brown, from 1981. In this cartoon, Snoopy snags Charlie's library card, takes out a book on magic, and proceeds to re-brand himself as 'The Great Houndini' and perform a bunch of magic tricks to varying degrees of success and failure. One of the tricks that works is Snoopy's attempt to turn Chuck invisible - only once it works, it starts to rain and Snoopy calls of the show and leaves Charlie Brown invisible.

This episode isn't quite as enticing as the Halloween special was but it's still a lot of fun in the grand Peanuts tradition. The same mix of genuinely funny moments, loveable characters and genuine sweetness that has made the series so beloved around the world is on display here and anyone who enjoyed Great Pumpkin will want to check out this lesser known entry in the Peanuts cannon as well.

Aside from that, also worth checking out is We Need A Blockbuster, Charlie Brown which is a fourteen-minute examination of how the Great Pumpkin special came to be by way of some interviews with producers Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson as well as Charles Schulz's widow, Jeannie Schulz and their son Monte in addition to a few Peanuts experts. It provides some nice and very welcome background information on the special and lends some insight into how and why it's stood the test of time and remained such a popular classic.

Aside from that, there are previews for a few more Warner Brothers remastered DVD releases like Jack Frost as well as for a couple of other Peanuts holiday specials in addition to static menus and chapter selection. An insert inside the case provides a pair of free iTunes downloads for the Great Pumpkin Waltz and Oh, good Grief - a nice touch!

Overall:

Even with the two specials and the featurette included on the DVD, it's a little on the short side. That said, the restoration and added content make this worth considering as a double dip for those who own the previous release. Those who don't? Well, they can consider It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown heartily recommended with the caveat that there is a collection of Peanuts specials coming out a little closer to Christmas this year....

Ian lives in NYC with his wife where he writes for DVD Talk, runs Rock! Shock! Pop!. He likes NYC a lot, even if it is expensive and loud.