Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!
| Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animation |
| Format | Cartoon |
| Created by | Charles M. Schulz |
| Written by | Charles M. Schulz |
| Directed by | Bill Melendez |
| Voices of | Chad Allen Jeremy Miller Melissa Guzzi Elizabeth Lyn Fraser Aron Mandelbaum Jason Mendelson Kristie Baker Desirée Goyette Bill Melendez |
| Composer(s) | Ed Bogas Desirée Goyette |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates |
| Camera setup | Nick Vasu |
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS (1986–1988) ABC (2008–present) |
| Original airing | January 1, 1986 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown |
| Followed by | Snoopy!!! The Musical |
Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! is the 30th prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on CBS on January 1, 1986. It aired annually on CBS from 1986 to 1988, and has been airing annually on ABC since 2008.
This is a semi-musical program, following the lead of It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
It's the last day of school before Christmas Vacation and Charlie Brown is excited...until the teacher gives a mammoth homework assignment to the class to do over the holidays (and causes Charlie Brown to faint at his desk): a huge book report due on the first day back from the break. The book: War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. Charlie Brown struggles to find time to read the book but keeps getting distracted, first by dance lessons, then by a New Year's party that all his friends are attending. At one point he goes to a store and unsuccessfully tries to buy the book in comic book form, then as a "tape or cassette," a computer game, and finally a film strip.
Things get worse for Charlie Brown when he tries to invite the object of his desires, the Little Red-Haired Girl, by getting his hand caught in the mail slot while delivering an invitation to her house (to which she doesn't respond). At the party, during a game of musical chairs, he and Peppermint Patty are the only ones left; but at the very last second, she beats him. He leaves the party and sits on the front porch of the host's house to read his book, but falls asleep while everyone is watching the Times Square Ball drop on TV and singing Auld Lang Syne.
He is awakened after midnight by an indignant Peppermint Patty and Sally, Patty because Charlie Brown did not dance with her and Sally because Linus danced not with her, but with the Little Red-Haired Girl, who had arrived while he was on the porch. Marcie makes it all better though by kissing him on the cheek and whispering, "Happy New Year, Charles!" Then, Snoopy's friends come in with signs that read "NEW", "HAPPY", and "YEAR!", with Snoopy growling at them to get the phrase right; it mixes "HAPPY" and "NEW" into their proper positions.
Charlie Brown eventually finishes his book report - on the last day and night before Christmas break ends. He hands it in to his teacher, and receives a grade of D-minus (the teacher says that "it looks like it was written on the very last night of Christmas vacation", which in fact it was). It looks like things are finally going to get back to usual for Charlie Brown...But then the class is given another mammoth book report assignment: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky! Once more, Charlie Brown faints in his desk.[1]
[edit] Notes
- This show contained one of the few appearances of the Little Red-Haired Girl, who does not appear in the comic strip. However, her appearance is not the decision of Charles Schulz (although he did write this episode [2]). And, as in It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown, she is named Heather.
- This special was based on a comic strip story Schulz made at the end of 1964 and the beginning of 1965, except the book Charlie Brown's class had to read was Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. According to Schulz's son Monte, War and Peace was Schulz's favorite book.
- The version of War and Peace that Charlie Brown reads is the classic translation by Constance Garnett.
- Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! was dedicated "To The Loving Memory of Bernie Gruver", a designer of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" who was killed in a car crash prior to the release.
[edit] DVD release
Warner Home Video has announced a DVD and high definition Blu-ray Disc release for October 6, 2009 as a bonus feature for the Remastered Deluxe Edition of I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown.[3]
[edit] ABC Telecast
Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! returned to television for the first time in several years on December 30, 2008, paired along with Rankin-Bass's Rudolph's Shiny New Year, on current Peanuts rights holder ABC. In order to save room for Rudolph's Shiny New Year, ABC made edits to the show:
- Some parts where Charlie Brown's voice is heard while reading "War and Peace" were muted out.
- A trip to a store where "War and Peace" products are "sold" was muted out.
- The final minutes were muted out entirely.
In a 2010 airing, it was paired with She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown.
[edit] Cast
- Chad Allen: Charlie Brown
- Jeremy Miller: Linus van Pelt
- Melissa Guzzi: Lucy van Pelt
- Kristie Baker: Peppermint Patty
- Elizabeth Lyn Fraser: Sally Brown
- Bill Melendez: Snoopy and Woodstock
- Aron Mandelbaum: Schroeder
- Jason Mendelson: Marcie
- Desirée Goyette: Singer ("Slow Slow Quick Quick")
[edit] Production credits
- Executive Producer – Lee Mendelson
- Produced by – Bill Melendez
- Directed by – Bill Melendez and Sam Jaimes
- Written by – Charles M. Schulz and Warren Foster
- Music by – Desirée Goyette and Ed Bogas
