It’s so refreshing to see some classic holiday animation coming to Blu-ray. Until now, there hasn’t really been any classic animation on the format from anyone but Disney, but Warner Bros. is showing their support in a big way recently. All at once they dropped A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Horton Hears a Who! on Blu-ray. Sweet.
A Charlie Brown Christmas doesn’t really need an introduction, and it’s been written about so many times online. This is the first time it’s been available in high-definition though, and it looks amazing. I didn’t think a Peanuts special would look this good in HD, but I’m pretty sure that this is about as accurate of a reproduction of the original cels and painted backgrounds that you could get.
The special itself looks great. Normally, when I watch something 4:3 on my TV, I stretch it out to reduce the chance of burn-in on my plasma, but this looked so good I finally got over my paranoia (this article helped too). The colors pop and the familiar designs we’ve come to adore for decades look better than ever.
Included in the set is It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown in HD, which is a plus or not, depending on what you think of the 1992 follow up to A Charlie Brown Christmas. The real draw in the bonus features is the 16 minute, surprisingly in-depth documentary on the making of the special.
Other than the documentary and the bonus special, there is a DVD copy (as if we don’t own it three times over already), and a digital copy.
A Charlie Brown Christmas + Blu-ray = pure awesomeness, so get yourself a little something extra this year and pick it up, it’s available now.
Disclaimer: This review is based on product provided by Warner Bros.
