Peanuts By Schulz

Premiered in the U.S. May 9, 2016.

Hi again everyone, I haven't posted in a while, I've got several reviews in progress that will be posted in the near future.  Until then, here's a short review of "shorts."

Back in 2014, a new series of Peanuts shorts, titled Peanuts by Schulz premiered on French television.  This series premiered in the states earlier this year on the Boomerang network and Cartoon Network.

Peanuts By Schulz is somewhat slight compared to the classic specials of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.  The episodes are only seven minutes long, sometimes they're shown in fifteen minute blocks.  The series' content is very similar to The Charlie Brown And Snoopy Show, which featured several short stories each episode.

This series consists of adaptations of classic comic strips.  Sometimes we even see borders that are seen between panels of strips.  Peanuts By Schulz features beautiful animation that looks like a combination of watercolors and newsprint.

The voice actors are all well cast.  While the French version used adult actors, the American version used child actors who auditioned for the Peanuts movie but didn't make the cut.  

I don't plan to review every episode, but I give these shorts a solid recommendation and encourage all fans of Charlie Brown to seek out the series.

Some long-time fans of animated Peanuts were put off by the computer-animated look of the characters in the Peanuts theatrical film.  I liked that movie, but Peanuts By Schulz shows that traditional Peanuts cartoons are alive and well.

Those who don't get Boomerang or Cartoon Network will be pleased to learn that the series will be released on DVD on January 24 on a 2-disc set titled Peanuts:Snoopy Tales.

You can watch a 2-minute "minisode" from Peanuts By Schulz in this video:

That's all for now, check back in early 2017 for some new reviews of Charlie Brown specials, thanks for stopping by,

J.A.

You're In The Super Bowl, Charlie Brown.

Premiered January 18, 1994.

Marcie:I'm not sure I'd want to go to the Splendid Bowl, sir.
Peppermint Patty:Super Bowl, Marcie!

The Animal Football Legue (AFL) season is winding down.  Snoopy (Bill Melendez) is coaching his Bouncy Birdies in a game that will decide the winner of the AFL's Eastern Division.

The Birds easily defeat a team of cats.

Coach Snoopy is rewarded with the Division Championship trophy and a bath of Chirpade!

Later, Lucy (Molly Dunham) is trying to get Charlie Brown (Jimmy Guardino) to fall for her "kick the ball" gag.  Peppermint Patty (Haley Peel) arrives and interrupts them with some exciting news.

She's learned of a Punt, Pass and Kick skills contest.  The winner will receive a new bicycle and a trip to the Super Bowl.  Chuck and the others are excited and decide to enter the competition.

While practicing for the contest, Linus and Charlie Brown, meet a girl named Melody Melody (Crystal Kuns) and invite her to join them at an ice cream parlor.

It's obvious that both Chuck and Linus are both smitten with Melody.  She tells the boys she has confidence in them and will be rooting for them during the competition.

Later, during halftime of a football game, it's time for the Punt, Pass and Kick contest.  The boys see Melody in the crowd.  Linus thinks she's come to watch him, while Charlie Brown presumes she's there to see him.

All the kids are representing different NFL teams and wearing their helmets.

Lucy is the first competitor, wearing a Raiders helmet.

Next up is Franklin, representing the Houston Oilers...

...followed by Peppermint Patty, representing the Broncos.

Pigpen competes in a Green Bay helmet.

Marcie wears Washington's burgundy and gold.  She does okay with passing, but feels kicking the ball would be cruel.

Charlie Brown, showing off his 49ers uniform, does great and takes the lead in the contest.

Peppermint Patty believes Chuck has won, but Linus, wearing a Rams helmet, beats his friend by a few inches.

Linus thinks he's won a trip to the Super Bowl and a new bike, but it turns out there's one more surprise competitor.

Meanwhile, Coach Snoopy is preparing his Bouncy Birdies to face the Beastly Bisons in the Animal Football League championship game.

The Birds come out fired up and take a 14-0 lead.  Lucy isn't impressed and suggests Snoopy should call more "modern" plays.

Who will win the Punt, Pass and Kick contest?  Can Snoopy's team of birds defeat the Bisons and win the championship?

Review:
I had not seen You're In The Super Bowl, Charlie Brown until now.  It's a decent special built around a sporting competition, even if the story is a bit thin.  The animation looks great, especially during the Punt, Pass and Kick contest.

While Charlie Brown doesn't win, it's somewhat refreshing to see him depicted as a good athlete.

In real life Punt, Pass and Kick competitions, kids wear official NFL team.  So their inclusion adds a bit of realism to the special.  It's interesting to note that Franklin wears the colors of the Houston Oilers, a team that doesn't exist today.  They've since moved to Nashville and changed their name to the Titans.

Lucy represents the Raiders in the contest.  Historically, the Raiders have been considered by some to be a "bad guy" team, so it makes sense that Lucy wears their colors.

During the football games, the bird players are given humorous names.  When the birds play the dogs, the announcer mentions players named Unitas, Namath and Csonka, which are names of Hall Of Fame football players.

The bird players are given Presidential names like Tyler, Fillmore and Van Buren when they face off against the Bison.

The football game scenes in this special are entertaining and they contain lots of action.  But the game portions rely on lots of recycled animation.  The opening game against the Cats re-uses the same footage at least four times.  In fact, all three games feature the same footage, with  different animal opponents added. Such overuse of animation gets distracting and a bit annoying after a while. I also recognized footage of cheerleaders that was taken from It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown's previous gridiron-themed special.

But the biggest problem I had was the ending.  You're In The Super Bowl just sort just...ends.  I found myself saying "is that it?" the first time I watched the special.  It even feels unfinished.  But I don't think it's a bad special, just sort of middling.

The voice actors are all good, they "sound like" their characters should sound.  Jimmy Guardino is especially convincing as Charlie Brown.  This special is Guardino's only acting credit, it's a shame he didn't voice Charlie Brown in future Peanuts productions.

During the football scenes, the action is described by a sports announcer voiced by Steve Stoliar.  In addition to some voice-acting work, Stoliar has written for television series and produced documentaries. He first gained notoriety when he worked as Groucho Marx's secretary and archivist during the legendary comedian's final years.  Fans of Groucho should read Stoliar's book Raised Eyebrows (I highly recommend the book) and visit him online at stevestoliar.com.

The Birds celebrate a fumble recovery!

Music:
David Benoit provides the score here, it's all newly recorded versions of Vince Guaraldi's classic tunes.  Guaraldi's "Charlie Brown Theme" is performed in a nice up-tempo horn-based arrangement, which makes it sound like a football fight song.  "Peppermint Patty's Theme" is used to accompany Linus and Chuck's football practice. Slowed-down performances of "Charlie Brown And His All Stars" and "Surfin' Snoopy" serve as the soundtrack for the Punt, Pass and Kick contest.  Nice work by Benoit.

Availability:
This special has never been released on DVD.  That's likely due to the inclusion of real NFL team logos.  Current rights holders would need to make a new deal with the league for any possible reissue.  However, you can still find copies of the VHS at libraries (which is how found my review copy) and you can buy used copies from online vendors.

Lucy gets a bath of Chirpade!

You're In The Super Bowl, Charlie Brown is a decent special with some entertaining action.  If you're a Peanuts fan who also enjoys NFL football, it's worth watching at least once.  But its overdependence on recycled animation and thin plot keep it from receiving a higher rating.

J.A. Morris' rating:

.5

 2 and a half Sparkys.