“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” DVD Review

I remember watching Charlie Brown when I was younger, especially around the holidays.  I was excited to have the opportunity to review It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on DVD and Blu-ray and share that experience with my 3 boys.  They enjoyed watching it as well, and it initiated the excited for the upcoming “pumpkin holiday!”  This is the first time the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-nominated classic will be available in Blu-ray format – in a deluxe re-mastered edition.  It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 7th, 2010 by Warner Home Video.  You can purchase the DVD in stores and online, retailing for $19.97 or the Blu-ray combo pack (including a Blu-ray and DVD) for $24.98.

SYNOPSIS

Will this Halloween be the one when the Great Pumpkin comes?  Long-time believer Linus thinks so – and keeps watch all night in the pumpkin patch to welcome him.  Charlie Brown gets into the spooky spirit too, dressing up as a ghost with more eyeholes than needed – but not scaring up the usual kinds of Halloween loot when trick-or-treating.  Never fear, World War I fighting ace Snoopy is here to battle the Red Baron – and in doing so, crash Violet’s Halloween party and Linus’ vigil as well.  Your whole family will be glad it crashed this party.  Good grief, you can’t help but have a Happy Halloween!

Originally broadcast in 1966, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown earned an Emmy Award® nomination and since then, has become a critically-acclaimed classic which airs on television annually. In addition to its new availability on Blu-ray, the special will also feature updated packaging, a bonus episode and documentary.
 
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

– It’s Magic, Charlie Brown– This bonus episode finds Snoopy putting on a show after he checks out a book on magic tricks from the library. With Marcie and Sally as his assistants, he performs many tricks (some that work and some that don’t) before an audience. The grand finale features the biggest trick of all, making Charlie Brown disappear.  To everyone’s amazement, Snoopy makes him invisible but doesn’t know how to bring Charlie Brown back. Will Snoopy find a way to reverse the trick?
 
– We Need a Blockbuster, Charlie Brown – Documentary featurette that focuses on the myth and tradition of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, which through the decades has grown to become a staple in Halloween season television programming. Through interviews with members of the Schulz family and producers, the documentary examines the challenges and pressures that arise when they attempt to follow-up an underdog hit with a bigger and better TV special.

MY THOUGHTS

I was really excited to have the opportunity to review It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown  and add it to my DVD collection.  My boys loved it as much as I hoped they would.  If you haven’t experienced this classic, I encourage you to check out as soon as you get the chance!  A special thank you to Warner Home Video for this review opportunity!

I received a copy of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on DVD from Warner Home Video to facilitate this review.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.