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.

I’ve gotten a late start to the holiday season this year, but Warner Bros. is helping find my Christmas spirit with all their awesome DVD and Blu-ray releases of late. Following up on the 1960s and 1970s collections, today I’ve got my hands on I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown in a deluxe edition DVD.

This Peanuts special is a rare beast. It’s a modern production (2003), and it’s very enjoyable. It revolves around Linus and Lucy’s younger brother Rerun trying desperately to convince his Mom to buy him a dog for Christmas. She doesn’t budge, so he settles for spending some quality time with Snoopy. Snoopy’s brothers make appearances and there is a lot of genuinely funny dialog.

Read More

It’s hard to believe, but Christmastime is almost here, and in honor of the nostalgia-filled holiday, here’s a Charlie Brown Christmas desktop wallpaper. You can download it in the following sizes:

• 1920 x 1280
• 1920 x 1080
• 1600 x 1200
• 1024 x 768

I’m excited to be able to start posting Christmas-related stuff here on THS, and this Charlie Brown Christmas wallpaper was made using the awesome Blu-ray that I’ll be reviewing pretty soon.

Read More

Previously on SMC, I told you about the cool Peanuts 1960s Collection Warner Bros. released. Well, after that set’s success they’ve released the new Peanuts 1970’s Collection: Volume 1. On two discs it collects the first six television specials from the 70s, all remastered and fancied up.

Read More

I love the Peanuts. The TV specials are classic, and one of the most rewarding nostalgic cartoons to re-watch in adulthood. I own the Peanuts Holiday Collection, but have always wanted the complete collection of Peanuts specials. I was delighted when I received my copy of the Peanuts 1960s Collection.

Warner Brothers has taken all of the specials from the 60s and packaged them in a two disc set that contains:

• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
• Charlie Brown’s All-Stars (1966)
• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
• You’re in Love, Charlie Brown (1967)
• He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968)
• It was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969)

Read More