Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (DVD, 2011)

Growing up was never as bittersweet, & as thoroughly enjoyable as doing it along Linus, Snoopy, good ole' Charlie Brown, & the rest of the gang!

First, I'll get all the good stuff out of the way. I love the animation. They retain most of the elements that make the Peanuts specials look the way they do. They enhance the style with a few things that are truly spectacular. There are far more shots the utilize a greater sense of perspective. The animation for talking is much more realistic, and Snoopy has some really great animations, making him a little less human, and a bit more dog. This makes him more endearing. Seeing the Peanuts universe in widescreen adds a lot of depth to the experience. Combined with the absence of adults (none of the story takes place at school) there's a greater sense of the world that the kids live in. There are some very enjoyable gags recreated for the story, including the first strip. The story seems a little more adult. While there's a whole lot of jumping around from vignette to vignette, the overall story deals with security, and Linus has a spectacular monologue near the end where he points out the reliance of most of the other characters on their crutches. While this is not of much interest to kids, it seemed surprisingly powerful material for adults.

As a comic-strip fan I appreciate attention to detail. The "classic" effect obtained through the retro animation worked out pretty well, bringing some nostalgia. The story development was somewhat modern, deeper, beyond previous attempts, and yet kept all the action faithful to the Peanuts world and spirit. The gags were delightfully funny, they cracked me up quite a few times. I simply loved the use of one of the most famous Beethoven symphonies, but I won't spoil it for you. Not only the music, but the way they managed to create a matching animated treat, was indeed a creative highlight.

Lucy was a bit mean and even rude. At some point the rudeness of the characters made me put the show on mute. We are living in a mean spirited age where writers think its okay to speak like this. If Mr. Schultz was living he wouldn't approve. I hope my granddaughter wasn't watching.In the past the characters seemed to show a sense of concern and caring for the producers to make this a hour long show was staggering. Thank you that the characters remained in tack. I guess because of the copyright restrictions, nothing could be done to change this. I did get a feeling by the nature of the voices that this was an updated version & when I saw 2011, I knew something was amiss. Don't mess with perfection. The plot might not be complex, however, by using the well-known blanket attachment issues Linus has, they address the insecurity most of the other characters have, their human weakness, which is not to plainly be criticized, but rather accepted as a natural part of life.

The color tones used according to mood, the "reaction" of some cards to Linus' feelings, & flashbacks to the very first specials truly shone. The voices aren't quite right. For most of the characters, it doesn't seem too bad. Lucy seemed notably off, though. Lucy seems more cruel than usual. Most of the time, I don't mind this, but one instance really was annoying; we see Lucy playing checkers with Violet. Then the action follows Linus outside. We see Lucy skipping rope past him. Then the shot switches back to Lucy being back inside, still playing checkers. Overall, I'd say this was a test of time for me.

excellent movie..my 3 yr old lovs charlie brown and peanuts....this moive reminds me so much of him with his blanket..only thing is his stays home not in publuic..lol

Very good Charlie Brown Movie that continues the legacy of great movies. It stays in the same format as any other Charlie Brown Movie.

i think every one has to agree there are lessons learned with the penuts character's my boyfriend always told me I was always right and that sounded like i was lucy but i am not right

My son and I love the snoopy movies. We have purchased almost everyone they have put out. Very sweet movie.