While I definitely feel like I've been talking about too many short films lately, I decided I couldn't just skip over this. While not really a short, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving still has a small enough running time to be watched by me basically every Thanksgiving. My honest opinion on this program is that I consider it the weakest of the three classic Charlie Brown holiday specials. The Christmas one is great (nobody can really deny that). The Halloween one is also great, and this one is just above average. While I personally believe it's the least best, it still has that classic Peanuts atmosphere for me, and I'll put it in on Thanksgiving no matter what year it is. The story in this concerns a tomboy named Peppermint Patty who invites herself to Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving dinner. Little does she realize, "Chuck" (as she calls him) isn't going to be home during the time she is supposed to show up for dinner: he'll be at his grandmother's house. Firstly, as is tradition, Lucy baits Charlie into trying to kick a football and promises not to pull it away because it's a national holiday. She pulls it away regardless, commenting how strange it is that some traditions just fade away. Soon after, Charlie gets a call from Peppermint Patty, who is the type of person to never let you get a word in during a conversation with her. She says she wants to show up to his house for dinner, and insists her friends Marcie and Franklin attend as well. Linus tells Charlie a solution to this is to just have two dinners. He'll cook one for Peppermint Patty and the others, and then go to his grandmother's to have the second. The one responsible for cooking all the food isn't a human at all; it's Snoopy. He and Woodstock, a small yellow bird, cook probably the last edible items to come to anybody's mind when you think of Thanksgiving. This includes jelly beans, pretzels, toast and popcorn. Snoopy and Woodstock dress up as pilgrims, set the table, and then Peppermint Patty and the others show up. Linus sits at the head of the table and says a prayer reminiscent of what was said during the first Thanksgiving dinner of 1621. Once the food is served, Peppermint Patty looks incredulously at what sits on the plate in front of her. She starts yelling at Charlie Brown, indicting him of not knowing anything about proper Thanksgiving dinners or what you're supposed to cook for the occasion. A depressed Charlie gets up from his chair and leaves the table. Marcie tells Peppermint Patty she got carried away with how she reacted, and says she is only here because she chose to come. Charlie didn't invite anyone. Peppermint Patty sends Marcie to Charlie Brown to apologize in her place, but soon apologizes herself. Charlie Brown realizes it's already 4 o'clock and he's due to be at his second dinner in half an hour. He calls his grandmother who says all his friends are invited for dinner at her house. They all get in the back of a station wagon and ride off. Meanwhile, Snoopy and Woodstock cook a way better dinner than the one they did for Charlie and eat it together. They pull a wishbone, and Woodstock gets the larger piece. While not a particularly amazing special, I found this one to be just as worthy of the title of classic as The Great Pumpkin or A Charlie Brown Christmas. There's still some things that are off putting, such as the song "Little Birdie" that plays when Woodstock makes his first appearance. It just sounds too jazz influenced for something like this. Overall though, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving doesn't overstay its welcome and remains probably the only Thanksgiving related thing I can think of when it comes to film (along with March of the Wooden Soldiers).
Review of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
