Originally I was going to review the Charlie Brown cartoon that came out after the Christmas Special, "Charlie Brown's All-Stars" before I would review the “Great Pumpkin”, but I decided to skip a special and review it in the spirit of the holiday. On top of it (and this may shock some of you), I've never watched the whole entire Special before. I know the story, and I have seen many of the iconic scenes that the Special is famous for. But in terms of actually seeing it from start to finish is something that I have yet to experience, until now. Did I truly miss out on something great after all these years; ON WITH THE REVIEW!
The premise (much like the Christmas Special) is as basic as it gets. Only instead of the story focusing on Charlie Brown, it’s instead focused on his close friend Linus. All the kids in the Peanuts gang are celebrating "Halloween", except for Linus who waits at a Pumpkin Patch for a Halloween mascot that he made up called "The Great Pumpkin" that flies around and leaves presents in the Pumpkin Patches. Everybody around him laughs at him for his beliefs, but Linus keeps his head high no matter what the other kids say to him. Unlike how the Christmas Special was centered on a heartfelt message that leads to an iconic happy ending, this is a little more downbeat. It doesn't reach to the point where it gets too mean spirited, or makes you feel depressed when it’s over, since there is plenty of humor and cute moments to prevent it from being too harsh and sad. But when you really analyze it, it's actually a pretty sad story. Linus is missing out on all the fun for something that clearly isn't real, while Charlie Brown is constantly getting picked on by kids and even adults as he joins in on the fun. But as you feel bad for them, you can’t help but laugh at them. I mean seriously, a kid thinking that there's a Halloween mascot who behaves like Santa Claus, is pretty hysterical. Too bad for Linus that Jack Skellington wasn't around yet. What I also find to be very interesting about the story is its religious allegories centering on the believer who will keep on believing no matter what, even if he has to miss out on the fun activities that the others around him are taking part. It isn't criticizing religion (there's no way that a "Peanuts Special" can ever get away with it), it's just simply observing how a believer of something that isn't seen or believed by some people (or in Linus' case, all people) behaves. Which is just as ballsy as the themes and morals in the "Christmas Special", that also feels like its treating its young audience like adults, while still keeping them enjoyably entertained by cute and comical characters.
As you can already guess by this point, the other stuff that we loved and admired from the Christmas Special is all translated here, just with Halloween being its Holiday. Just like how we saw them take part in things related to Christmas, we see them take part in things related to Halloween and the Fall such as Trick-Or-Treating, going to Halloween parties, carving pumpkins, and raking leaves. The Special also contains a handful of memorable and iconic scenes just as much as their first Holiday Special. The most iconic ones is the opening scene, Lucy holding the Football for Charlie Brown to kick, Snoopy pretending that he's a World War 2 fighter pilot, and the last scene that Linus and Lucy are in together. Most of the gags and things they do don't further the plot, but just like how the gags and activities didn't move the plot forward in the "Christmas Special", we overlook how pointless they are since they capture the spirit of Halloween so authentically, as well as the scenes themselves being fun and adorable. The music still carries that laid back jazzy score that we’re all familiar with when we think about the Peanuts. And unlike how the Peanuts Theme Song was played like twice in the first of the franchise of Holiday Specials that starred these characters, this Special plays it a little more often, where it doesn't reach the point where it sounds old and repetitive. The kids voicing the gang still sound wooden, and the animation is still cheap and basic, but it all still adds to the charm of the world and its tone. The animation while being nothing special still looks visually interesting with its color, designs, and style. And the kids voicing the characters not only help make the characters charming, but it's also pretty cute and at times funny to hear these kids talk like adults and use advance words in their vocabulary from time to time.
After finally watching a "Halloween Special" that I've never seen all the way through before, I can't believe that I missed out on something so great! It's definitely one of the essential Halloween films and TV Specials that's a must see for those who haven't seen it yet!
RATING 5/5
Oh and be sure to check out the "Robot Chicken" skit that makes fun of this Special, by making the Great Pumpkin into a horror monster who goes after Charlie Brown and the gang. If you love the Halloween Special or the Peanuts in general, then you're grantee to get some good laughs out of it.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!!
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