Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki
I find this to be very calming, relaxing, almost meditative. It is a pure, uncluttered plot, subtle, almost muted, and most importantly, it makes its points without getting preachy. The animation is perfect, it has a child-like innocence about it, not perfect or polished, but only slightly unrefined and rough around the edges. The same can be said about the child actors supplying the voices, the all have a sincerity to them. The lisps, stutters, difficulty in getting some of the words out, all seem genuine, and that probably would not have been, if adult actors had done the voices. Vince Guaraldi's jazzy score is one of the best scores I can think of. I can listen to the score by itself anytime.
gavin6942
Repelled by the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins) tries to find the true meaning of Christmas.The story goes that when this cartoon was first made, it ran into issues because of the lack of canned laughter and the religious overtones. Despite some apprehensions, it went forward as planned. And guess what? It became one of the most successful Christmas specials ever aired.I could not even imagine this with laughter. I mean, Charlie Brown is something of a sad sack -- we should not be laughing at him, but feeling sympathy for him. And how can we not appreciate his message of commercialism gone too far? I was not alive in the 1960s, but I think it would be a fair assumption to say that the commercialism of Christmas has not decreased... not one bit.
SnoopyStyle
Every year, I inevitably watch part or all of this special. Charlie Brown's search for the true spirit of Christmas always has resonance at this time of the year. It's no wonder that this is a Christmas classic. With the constant commercialization of the Holidays, Charlie's plight and Linus' speech is a great antidote. "My own dog gone commercial. Arg!" Now that say it all.It's always poignant when Linus takes center stage to explain the meaning of Christmas. It is something beyond a simple TV show. It transcends mere entertainment. Beside the big Linus speech, there is an innocent humor about the show. Many of the jokes leave me with a smile. And a scrawny tree is forever known as a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It's a cultural touchstone.
bayardhiler
Anyone who loves Christmas as much as I do knows that the number of TV Christmas specials out there is infinite, be it series having their own special episodes or stand alone events. Many of these specials are good but there are a select handful that rise above all the rest and one of these is 1965's "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Written by the legendary Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz himself, it follows Charlie Brown being down in the dumps (As usual) during what should be the happiest time of the year. He tries to find out why this is and through a series of events (Including a "therapy session" with Lucy) ends up the director of the school's annual Christmas pageant. The problem is, Charlie just doesn't know what in the world Christmas is all about and worse nobody seems to respect his authority since they go about dancing to that iconic Peanuts theme. In an attempt to set the right mood, Charlie gets that famous loopy Christmas tree and of course, everybody only mocks poor Charlie (Again, as usual). But just as it looks like all is lost, a wonderful miracle happens: people come to their senses and realize what Christmas really means. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" will go down in television history for many reasons, including its comedy, sarcasm, truth about human nature, commercialism versus the true meaning of the holidays, and splendid animation were the colors seem to just jump out at you. But above the show deserves to be celebrated for its truth; unlike many similar specials, Mr. Schultz is not afraid to bring in what Christmas is really all about, the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. For without him, this thing called Christmas would never be and we should never forget that. Of course, it always helps to have that adorable Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang around to add some much needed comedy. Credit should also go to Vince Guaraldi for that lovable theme and beautiful "Christmas time is here". It all combines everything to form a special that never fails to make me laugh and cry just a little bit at the end. So gather around folks and watch this Christmas classic. Oh and before I forget, Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!!!!!
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