Woodyanders Review of It's Magic, Charlie Brown

It's Magic, Charlie Brown (1981 TV Short)

Another highly enjoyable Peanuts TV special

[8/10 · 8 October 2009]

Charlie Brown encourages Snoopy to learn some kind of skill. Snoopy reads a book on magic and decides to put on a magic show as the Great Houndini. Although a fair share of the magic tricks don't work, Snoopy does succeed in making Charlie Brown invisible, but has trouble figuring out how to reverse the spell. Charles M. Schulz's typically warm and witty script milks the nifty premise for several very strong and sidesplitting belly laughs: Among the hilarious comic highlights are Linus fainting when Snoopy cuts up his beloved blanket, Snoopy smearing mud on Charlie Brown, Snoopy putting a white sheet, a belt, and shoes on Charlie Brown which makes him look like a ghost, Charlie Brown finally getting to kick the football while invisible, and Snoopy levitating the ever-snarky Lucy and leaving her up in the air. Another cool moment occurs when we get to see the inside of Snoopy's surprisingly spacious and swanky doghouse. The animation is bright and colorful. The supremely funky'n'jazzy score by Ed Bogus and Judy Munsen keeps things bubbling throughout. Best of all, there's a sweet and simple good-natured quality to the whole show that's impossible to either resist or dislike. An extremely funny and entertaining riot.