It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Director: Bill Melendez Bill Melendez

Overview

It's Halloween in Peanuts land. Charlie Brown is thrilled that at last he's been invited to a costume party. Snoopy's costume choice consists of the goggles and scarf of a World War I flying ace, who is ever in search of the elusive Red Baron. And Linus makes preparations for the arrival of The Great Pumpkin, whom he believes will rise from the pumpkin patch and deliver presents to all the good little boys and girls. At episode's end, Charlie Brown finds himself with a trick-or-treat bag full of rocks; Snoopy once more fails to bring the Red Baron to heel; and Linus spends the entire night in the pumpkin patch, waiting in vain for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin ("But just wait till next year!") The second of Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez' animated Peanuts specials, the 30-minute It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was first telecast October 27, 1966.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/26/2017
UPC:	0883929600908
Original Release:	1966
Source:	Warner Home Video
Format:	Blu-ray

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Scott Trotter

Conductor

Technical Credits

Charles M. Schulz

Bill Melendez	Director,Producer
Vince Guaraldi	Score Composer
Lee Mendelson	Executive Producer
Charles M. Schulz	Screenwriter
John Scott Trotter	Musical Arrangement

Editorial Reviews

This wonderful half hour show, originally shown on CBS in 1966, is the pinnacle of Peanuts specials, an exercise in gentle humor and subtle satire depicting one boy's quixotic crusade and a dizzying trek across no-man's land by a beagle. It's Halloween, and everyone dresses up in costumes to go trick-or-treating. Charlie Brown, in a sheet with holes cut for his eyes, declares himself a ghost, but looks more like a potato and winds up collecting a bag full of rocks. The only person who doesn't go trick-or-treating is Linus, who, hoping to prove that the Great Pumpkin really does exist, sits alone in a pumpkin patch all night awaiting the mythical mega-gourd's arrival. Snoopy, meanwhile, boards his trademark Sopwith Camel to fight the nefarious Red Baron, only to be shot down. Lost in an imaginary war-strewn countryside, the intrepid dog must wander his way back home. (Snoopy's odyssey seems so monumental that it wouldn't be surprising if one of its effects on impressionable young viewers is sowing seeds of later wanderlust.) For the first time, Charlie Brown isn't the focus of the special, although his trick-or-treating failure provides some memorable laughs. Linus's singular faith in the Great Pumpkin is at the heart of the show and is both touching and meaningful, reminding us that no matter the occasion, there are stronger feelings in this world than the want for candy. The restored DVD includes the equally autumnal special, You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown.

Barnes & Noble - Pete Segall

The second Peanuts special, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is one of the finest in the series. A Charlie Brown Christmas had, in some ways, been a rush job, and that occasionally shows in the finished product. With a little more time (and the experience of having one show under their belts), Bill Melendez and company are able to concentrate on making a more polished product. They're still finding their way -- there are some continuity glitches and the animators seem to have some trouble with Lucy's profile -- but, on the whole, the visual presentation is excellent. Especially noteworthy are the backgrounds, especially the night skies filled with textured charcoals and purples and a brilliant moon that sometimes takes up half the screen. There's also superb character animation for Linus and Snoopy. The script is also one of the strongest in the series. Many of the specials make extensive use of dialogue and situations lifted directly from the strips, and, at times, this results in a somewhat disjointed narrative and timing that occasionally feels awkward when lifted from its four-panel original form. Pumpkin features a great deal of direct-from-the-strip sequences, but they're presented in a smoother, more organic method here, and the basic story is very sound. Add to this a number of excellent gags, some exceptional Vince Guaraldi scoring, and vocal performances that are quite engaging and you have a classic that will delight adults and children.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler