CartoonClack – Happiness is a warm blanket, Charlie Brown

Interestingly enough, I didn’t hear about Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown until just recently. A brand new Peanuts adventure to help usher in the holidays? Neat!

But what really got my interest in this piece were two factors I needed to find out about: The use of retro-styled imagery (the animation was reputed to be done in an early-1960s style) and the soundtrack realized by none other than Mark Mothersbaugh, founder and lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Devo.

Both factors were nothing less than sheer delights. I found myself harkening back to the days of old when I didn’t watch Peanuts specials on television, but read them over and over and over again. And there was a lot in this program that came to life right off those pages I read. That really, really round-headed Schulz style of drawing Charlie Brown was plainly evident as was the squishy and elongated head and hair of Sally. Given an update over past specials was the fact there was dimension in the drawings, three to be exact — in the television set, the couch, Snoopy staked out as a vulture in a tree, the landscapes. So while it was nice to see these things incorporated into the mix, I was equally pleased at the old school style of animation.

Mark Mothersbaugh’s score, I’m happy to report, fit in seamlessly with previous Peanuts efforts. Mr. Mothersbaugh has a knack for tickling the ivories (he was classically trained, after all) and he used the music of past classics as a control to great effect in coming up with the score. If you closed your eyes (and I did, several times) you were whisked away to It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas without any trouble at all. I was mightily pleased with the music.

The story, on the other hand, I wasn’t too pleased with. There was an underlying meanness inherent in just about everyone — including the main antagonist, Linus — that left a bad taste in my mouth. The story revolved around Linus’ grandmother coming for a visit. She doesn’t like the fact Linus coddles a security blanket, you see, and Lucy does her best to intervene. (Of course, there are plenty of shenanigans from Snoopy as well.) In the end, Linus pulls a fast one on grandma and dupes her with a dish towel, but throughout the hour of show (which was way, way too long by the by) there was sniping and snapping and downright vehemence from many of the characters we’ve come to know and love. Particularly disconcerting were the mean-spirited comments and outright yelling from the likes of Violet, Lucy, et al at Linus: “When are you going to give up that stupid blanket?!?” Even Linus gets in on the act atop his metaphorical soapbox (Snoopy’s doghouse) to spew vitriol back at the gang, yelling at them that even they aren’t immune to harboring insecurities. The thing that mitigated this vexing, brow-furrowing portion of the show was the appearance of Pig-Pen: Linus asked everyone who among the group didn’t need something to console them, calling out individuals along the way … and into the frame comes Pig-Pen at the conclusion. Nice to see him finally win the day on a Charlie Brown special.

I grew up reading and watching Peanuts specials. While it was nice to see this one come about with its interesting productions, it wasn’t aimed at me. It was aimed at a generation who may not be familiar with Schulz’ characters as intimately as I am. So while this new Charlie Brown special may not have tripped any of my triggers, it may quite possibly be fine for the unfamiliar set or those who simply enjoy Charlie Brown and Company no matter what.

(This post was warmly and sincerely dedicated to Debbie McDuffee who I really, really believe has a soft spot for Snoopy … especially when he comes up out of the apple bobbing tub and smooches Lucy right on the kisser in It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.)

Clacked by Michael Noble
on Nov 25, 2011 @ 13:06 EST5EDT