Finally, as I’ve first
mentioned at the beginning of the year [Link
to the first post of the year], I’m starting on the Peanuts holiday specials series. And let me tell you, rounding them
up was not an easy feat… at first. I first took a gander at Wikipedia, and got
instantly overwhelmed. I then did a second search, and made it to this article, which did a
nice “Year of Peanuts” compilation. I then hunted down these videos on the
Internet, and reviewed each as such.
Without further ado,
the first Peanuts to watch this year…
Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!
The story starts with
Charlie Brown’s teacher assigning a book report over Christmas break at the
very last second. She assigns the book War
and Peace. Yes, that War and Peace.
I could easily trigger-type
and grandstand about the horrors of school, the ineffectiveness of its
education, the stress levels it puts on adolescents, the overbearing structure
which stunts children’s growth, the vulnerability of students who don’t conform
to classroom status quos, and how cruel it is to suddenly assign elementary
school students a book that most adults struggle to read. But I won’t. Mainly
because scenarios involving children reading War and Peace is actually hilarious. So let’s go back to a simpler
time, when humour was not (completely) offensive.
Charlie Brown
struggles with reading this (obviously), but Linus kinda guilt-trips him with a
story of how Mrs. Tolstoy had to hand-copy the book seven times for Leo.
Is there such
a thing called death by carpal tunnel syndrome?
I can’t even
handwrite notes at a meeting anymore, I’m too slow
and have no
stamina. Sometimes I don’t even want to type.
Peppermint Patty then
invites Charlie Brown over for her New Year’s Eve party. (That should be fun,
seeing as how they still look and sound young enough to have an early bedtime.)
Charlie Brown is reluctant, even though his friends are going. Sally hopes to
dance with Linus at the party, and Lucy wants to dance with Schroeder. The
gang, except for Charlie Brown, gets enrolled in dance classes.
Charlie Brown sees
that his book report is going to be even more difficult than he first imagined,
so he tries to find a non-book version of War and Peace. There isn’t any, of
course, so he returns home to try to read. To cure his boredom, he goes down to
the dance studio to watch his friends.
Okay, the
dancing here is NOWHERE CLOSE
to that in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Although Charlie Brown
tries to read, Peppermint Patty convinces him to dance with her. Charlie Brown
then returns home to read some more. The rest of the gang is all abuzz about
the party, especially Peppermint Patty, to Charlie Brown’s chagrin. Charlie
Brown then decides to invite the little red-haired girl, to Peppermint Patty’s
chagrin.
Apparently,
that child’s name is Heather. Forgot that.
While delivering
Heather’s invitation, Charlie Brown gets stuck in the mail slot, as he feared.
That night, he frets over his embarrassment and the party.
The next night, the
party happens, and everyone there is having a good time, Charlie Brown arrives
at the party, hoping to read some more, and hoping Heather will arrive. As
midnight approaches, Charlie Brown tries to sneak outside to read some more.
Peppermint Patty follows him outside and talks to him. Then, the countdown
starts, and Peppermint Patty returns inside. Charlie finally starts again on
his book, but falls asleep reading it, missing both the New Year Countdown and
the arrival of Heather (and dancing with her). Charlie Brown wakes up too late
for it all.
Charlie Brown finally
finishes reading War and Peace and writing the report about it the morning of
the first day back at school. He gets a D- for it. (Not bad for an elementary
school kid reading War and Peace.)
His troubles are not over, as the first assignment of the New year is … drumroll…
Crime and Punishment.
Welp, can’t
be any harder than War and Peace!
This was a cute little
short film, that’s just right for the New Year, as it combines the anxieties of
the New Year approaching, the hurry to wrap up the old year, and trying to find
some fun in between. Plus, it’s Peanuts… you cannot really go wrong. There were
tons of filler material, but that’s to be expected with these films, and for
the most part, they add to the story, rather than detract from it.
By the way,
if you happen to major in classic Russian literature,
maybe don’t
send your resume to elementary schools. Just saying. 😊
That’ll about wrap it
up for this month! I know you think I’m going to do the Valentine’s Day
specials next… hold your horses. There is at least one “holiday” before Valentine’s. 😉
Plugging time!
What’s your favorite
novel?
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