There are fewer more touching moments in a child's life than spending Christmas around a Christmas tree surrounded by the ones he/she loves. Unfortunately though, people grow up, things change, things must be done, and the older you are, the harder it is to have that bond on that special night. Then there are things that take you back to the good old days, moments that will spew memories and heartfelt incidents of the past that can bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eye. One of these "things," is A Charlie Brown Christmas. With a message that holds just as strong today as it did back then, when it first aired to surprising controversy, the first Peanuts special remains the most special, the highest-acclaimed, the most popular, and indeed the best one of the bunch. Airing every single year since 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas rose from surprise award-winning success, to an American tradition.
Despite the technical hiccups, despite the obvious errors, despite the choppy animation, extremely small budget, and also the bad sound mixing, the message in this Christmas special is strong, the content is funny and light-hearted, and overall its absolutely perfect for any family. To this day, the only thing that has changed is the Coca-Cola product placement, which was scattered throughout the cartoon. Everything else remains intact, even after over 40 years, at the request of the late Charles M. Schultz, who was able to put his magical touch to the production, and also was the man behind the most cherished moment of the cartoon, Linus reciting the Bible. Funny how such a successful cartoon had so much skepticism surrounding it prior to its first appearance on television; CBS was afraid of its Biblical undertones, lack of a laugh track, and lack of professional actors. Meanwhile, the executive producers were sure it was going to flop.
Based off the world-famous comic strip Peanuts, and written with a flawless jazz score by the now-legendary Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas follows Charlie Brown as he searches for the true meaning of Christmas. After revealing his depression, Lucy offers a job as director for the Christmas play. As director though, the other kids are sure he's not meant for the job, not even Snoopy, his pet approved. Then upon choosing a broken Christmas tree, he becomes ridiculed. In the meantime, he is trying to shun off the commercialism that has invaded the neighborhood, including his sister and even his dog Snoopy. You should know the rest of the story. Otherwise, I pity your childhood.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is an example of substance totally overpowering the style. It was choppy, it was poorly edited, there was obviously no money around to fix it. But, its simple, rough style made it a hit with kids and adults. For the kids, it was the world's most popular comic strip at the television, with all the humor and excellent content from the newspapers. We see Snoopy dancing, Lucy flirting, Linus with his blanket, Schroder playing the piano, and good ol' Charlie Brown making unpopular decisions. As for the adults we have the style of animation that they grew up with; very simple, very rough-edged, very cheap, and with enough adult and pop-culture humor to work.
This wonderful blend of humor is something not seen in most children's programming, it was usually aimed at kids, and only at kids. A Charlie Brown Christmas follows the formula of The Flintstones, and the technique works like a charm. It wasn't tasteless fun, it was sugar-sweet and totally clean for everyone to watch. Clocking in at a short 25 minutes, it never drags, and then to top it all off, we have one of the best jazz scores ever composed for television. Containing the now-popular "Linus and Lucy" theme, and a constant laid-back, smooth, underwhealming jazz score throughout, A Charlie Brown Christmas cannot only be seen, but can also be heard in radio stations across the nation playing Christmas music.
Commercialism has indeed taken over the world, and the true meaning of Christmas is dead in this day and age. There is the battle to get the latest toy, to get the latest stuff, to earn cash, to have the prettiest tree and the nicest lights. The bitter and harsh social commentary from the cartoon and Charles M. Schultz stands true today, but back then it was Schultz treading on thin ice by doing whatever he can to deliver this important message. After much debate and arguing, the true meaning of Christmas is revealed, the Bible is quoted, the moral is delivered, and the deed Shultz all along had wanted to accomplish, was done. Where is Baby Jesus in Christmastime nowadays? Back then, this subject was totally taboo. Nowadays, it's a message constantly pressed-on by movies and television shows. But, the original Christmas special that started it all did not shove the message down your throat, it was presented calmly, towards the end, after all the humor is settled and the climax is reached. The timing of Linus' monologue could not have been any better.
Bottom Line: Prior to a Charlie Brown Christmas, all Christmas specials were aimed at kids, did not have a moral, and just told a fictatious story about Santa Claus or Rudolph or Jack Frost. A Charlie Brown Christmas single-handedly broke all the rules, forever changed the genre of Christmas specials, and delivers one of the strongest messages and commentaries in a television production ever. Everything technical about this feature was off and could have been more polished; but the content, the delightful cast of characters, the magnificent writing, realistic voice work, and the classic moments overcasts the technical shortcomings, and brings us the true meaning of Christmas. Its not just a special, it has become a part of television history, a part of the Christmas season, and should forever be watched by generations of families for years to come.
Despite the technical hiccups, despite the obvious errors, despite the choppy animation, extremely small budget, and also the bad sound mixing, the message in this Christmas special is strong, the content is funny and light-hearted, and overall its absolutely perfect for any family. To this day, the only thing that has changed is the Coca-Cola product placement, which was scattered throughout the cartoon. Everything else remains intact, even after over 40 years, at the request of the late Charles M. Schultz, who was able to put his magical touch to the production, and also was the man behind the most cherished moment of the cartoon, Linus reciting the Bible. Funny how such a successful cartoon had so much skepticism surrounding it prior to its first appearance on television; CBS was afraid of its Biblical undertones, lack of a laugh track, and lack of professional actors. Meanwhile, the executive producers were sure it was going to flop.
Based off the world-famous comic strip Peanuts, and written with a flawless jazz score by the now-legendary Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas follows Charlie Brown as he searches for the true meaning of Christmas. After revealing his depression, Lucy offers a job as director for the Christmas play. As director though, the other kids are sure he's not meant for the job, not even Snoopy, his pet approved. Then upon choosing a broken Christmas tree, he becomes ridiculed. In the meantime, he is trying to shun off the commercialism that has invaded the neighborhood, including his sister and even his dog Snoopy. You should know the rest of the story. Otherwise, I pity your childhood.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is an example of substance totally overpowering the style. It was choppy, it was poorly edited, there was obviously no money around to fix it. But, its simple, rough style made it a hit with kids and adults. For the kids, it was the world's most popular comic strip at the television, with all the humor and excellent content from the newspapers. We see Snoopy dancing, Lucy flirting, Linus with his blanket, Schroder playing the piano, and good ol' Charlie Brown making unpopular decisions. As for the adults we have the style of animation that they grew up with; very simple, very rough-edged, very cheap, and with enough adult and pop-culture humor to work.
This wonderful blend of humor is something not seen in most children's programming, it was usually aimed at kids, and only at kids. A Charlie Brown Christmas follows the formula of The Flintstones, and the technique works like a charm. It wasn't tasteless fun, it was sugar-sweet and totally clean for everyone to watch. Clocking in at a short 25 minutes, it never drags, and then to top it all off, we have one of the best jazz scores ever composed for television. Containing the now-popular "Linus and Lucy" theme, and a constant laid-back, smooth, underwhealming jazz score throughout, A Charlie Brown Christmas cannot only be seen, but can also be heard in radio stations across the nation playing Christmas music.
Commercialism has indeed taken over the world, and the true meaning of Christmas is dead in this day and age. There is the battle to get the latest toy, to get the latest stuff, to earn cash, to have the prettiest tree and the nicest lights. The bitter and harsh social commentary from the cartoon and Charles M. Schultz stands true today, but back then it was Schultz treading on thin ice by doing whatever he can to deliver this important message. After much debate and arguing, the true meaning of Christmas is revealed, the Bible is quoted, the moral is delivered, and the deed Shultz all along had wanted to accomplish, was done. Where is Baby Jesus in Christmastime nowadays? Back then, this subject was totally taboo. Nowadays, it's a message constantly pressed-on by movies and television shows. But, the original Christmas special that started it all did not shove the message down your throat, it was presented calmly, towards the end, after all the humor is settled and the climax is reached. The timing of Linus' monologue could not have been any better.
Bottom Line: Prior to a Charlie Brown Christmas, all Christmas specials were aimed at kids, did not have a moral, and just told a fictatious story about Santa Claus or Rudolph or Jack Frost. A Charlie Brown Christmas single-handedly broke all the rules, forever changed the genre of Christmas specials, and delivers one of the strongest messages and commentaries in a television production ever. Everything technical about this feature was off and could have been more polished; but the content, the delightful cast of characters, the magnificent writing, realistic voice work, and the classic moments overcasts the technical shortcomings, and brings us the true meaning of Christmas. Its not just a special, it has become a part of television history, a part of the Christmas season, and should forever be watched by generations of families for years to come.