Andrew Adores It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

"I got a rock."

Hello, everyone! And Happy Halloween!

Since you've seen the logo of the special I'm taking a look at today, I'm not gonna spring out a long, drawn-out prefix and monologue on you. Consider this my treat.

Now, this isn't like one of my usual reviews where I recall the plot in my own way, because we all know the plot like the back our hands from our many yearly viewings over the decades in our lives. Instead, I'll just give you my quick thoughts on pretty much every scene and on some characters.

It's... It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Scenes:

Opener -

The special's introduction perfectly encapsulates the individual personalities and sibling relationship of Linus and Lucy. The latter's bossy attitude (demanding Linus to pick the best pumpkin and carry it home), self-centered nature (notice her looking at her fingernails in an Aristocratic way) and quickness to anger and verbal spats (when she sees Linus in front of her) and the former's sweet demeanor, goofy actions (while taking-- or rather, rolling the pumpkin home and his failed attempt to stop it when close to the front door) and good nature (crying when he bares witness to his sister slicing open the giant orange gord, thinking it's getting killed - when it's already dead) are brilliantly displayed without any dialogue, and even more so when Linus speaks the first line and joke.

"Ohhh, you didn't tell me you were going to kill it. WAAAAAAHHH!"

Intro -

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown continued Vince Guaraldi's iconic jazz-based musical accompaniments to the Peanuts television specials with this chilling and spine-tingling yet smooth and unbothered piano-commanding composition with winds and strings also making appearances. As for visuals, it features most of the Peanuts gang going out trick-or-treating but are spooked by the usual images of Halloween - ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, dancing skeletons and etc. Before hiding in the pumpkin patch. While it's not my favorite intro of all the Peanuts specials (that of course is the one to A Charlie Brown Christmas), this is a razor-thin close second.

Charlie's Invited -

Seeing Charlie get invited to the Halloween party made me both smile and laugh. Also, his costume is weird and making it is sloppy, but it's his first party so it can be passible and admirable.

Linus' Plans -

Seeing and hearing Linus speak in such a joyous tone about The Great Pumpkin is such a wonderous sight. It's also funny too, because it's made obvious that it's nothing more than a myth (and Lucy certainly makes it so). So much so that I wish it was a thing so that Linus will be vindicated in its existence. It's also sweet to see Charlie's little sister Sally wanting to go along -- mostly based on her crush on him.

"I GOT A ROCK." -

Now to one of the two most iconic and beloved scenes of this equally iconic and beloved special. Charlie not getting candy like the other kids and instead getting a rock from all of the neighbors started out funny, but it got sad and depressing soon enough. It really makes you wonder how and why all of the adults in the neighborhood would give this same one kid a piece of the Earth instead of sweet edible food. Because of his costume? Because he's Charlie Brown? That's some terrible reasoning from horrible people. Also some trivia: after the special originally aired, kids across the country sent some candy to Charlie out of sympathy and love. That is very sweet.

Snoopy, the WW1 Flying Ace -

"CONTACT!" he shouts. 

And now, the other iconic and beloved and my favorite parts of the special -- involving Snoopy as a flying ace fighter pilot facing off against the Red Baron during World War One. From the first time I saw this scene, I was blown away by the animation (which almost never leaves the shot of Snoopy on top of his doghouse pretending to fly a plane and fight in the war); use of rich, brash colors to express; the surprisingly dramatic action and emotion; impressive edits and mixing. The aftermath focusing on Snoopy's escape from his plane and entry into an abandoned house was just as great and powerful, with a woodwind-based track setting the scene perfectly.  All elements of this scene were well-made, strongly-emotive and carefully crafted. I usually watch the special on television every year, and the one scene I would always anticipate is this one. No matter how many times I've seen Snoopy's valiant effort as flying ace, I never get tired or unimpressed by it.

Schroeder Plays the Hits -

Don't you just love when Schroeder plays his piano? This time around, he tickles his ivor-- I mean, rocks the 88 at the request of Flying Ace Snoopy, and the choice in songs (and their tones) and his reactions -- from dancing merrily to sobbing uncontrollably is supremely hilarious. It's as if Schroder is trolling Snoopy and his emotions with the quick changes in tunes, and Snoopy took the bait.

Pumpkin Models & Apple Bobbers -

As much as I always feel sorry for him, there are some moments made at Charlie's expense that make me laugh. This moment - where Lucy asks him to be a model for a jack-o-lantern design, and she uses his big, bald head as the drawing board - is one of them. Not to be outdone, the next moment shows I will laugh at Lucy when the opportunity presents itself. Lucy wants to go bobbing for apples - and before doing so, another girl says "You're great for this game, Lucy. You have the perfect mouth!" She deserves that. And she also deserves this: after she bobbed a good apple, who else but Snoopy arises from the bucket to bob the same apple. Gross but hilarious, as is their reactions.

Linus & Sally Await The Great Pumpkin - 

This scene of Linus' explanations of the Great Pumpkin to Sally, is sweet and special. He was very happy to share this evening with anyone, and Sally was very happy to share hers with him (but not too happy enough for him to get fresh with her - even though he has zero intention to). Unfortunately, both their happiness are cut short: Linus' when he misses the Great Pumpkin (who turns to be Snoopy hiding from Lucy after sharing a bobbed apple with her earlier), and Sally's because she missed out on trick-or-treating. Her anger is palpable, and her shout of "YOU OWE ME RESTITUTION!" is one of the best jokes in the entire special. When Linus asks Charlie if he's seen a woman scorned (to which the latter says yes, knowing he deals with Big Bitch Lucy and the other snooty broads every day) and then when a woman is scorned after she doesn't get candy, I was laughing hard. His asking everyone else if they'd like to watch for TGP with him, his "if" comment and his feverishly asking where it is is so darn funny.

Time to Pick Up the Blockhead -

While Lucy is a known jerk to everyone (especially to Linus and Charlie), this scene here shows her sweet side. The morning after Halloween, Lucy wakes up to check on Linus (who isn't in his room). So she sets out to go to the pumpkin patch, pick up her blockhead brother and take him back home to his warm dry bed. This has to be the nicest, kindest, courteous thing she may have ever did across all Peanuts media (at least as far as I'm aware). She could've left him out in the cold, but she actually wouldn't do that to her brother. I also love this scene.

Characters:

Linus Van Pelt:

While he was the breakout in A Charlie Brown Christmas with beautiful rendition of the story of David from the Holy Bible, this special increases his popularity by making him the focal point, and honestly, he fits as it. His admiration for The Great Pumpkin is both charming and hysterical.

Charlie Brown:

While taking a backseat to Linus as the main character, Charlie still has a hand (and a rock) in the plots. His moments were memorable on their own like "I got a rock", his excitement at being invited to the party and the pumpkin model scene.

Sally Brown: Like Linus, Sally also gets more screen time by joining her sweet baboo at the pumpkin patch to wait for the great pumpkin. While she's known for being sweet and naiive, she has some great moments when she gets pissed.

Other Characters: While I don't like most of the other characters for their treatment of Charlie (see their reactions to him being named Christmas play director and the tree, and the song "Failure Face"), I admittedly found it nice that they got candy... even if Charlie got rocks instead. You know what, I should hate this.

Snoopy: Our favorite humanoid beagle is always at his most awesome, but his work at the WW1 Flying Ace is one of his most legendary and everlasting. I don't think I can say anymore about that CONTACT! scene, so you have to watch it for yourself. Snoopy in this special is much better and much more awesome to me than in ACBC and some of the other specials.

Lucy Van Pelt: Queen of the Big Mouth Jerks, thy name is Lucy. She's on par here with Christmas, but the things she says and does are both rude and nice. There's a reason her waking up early in the morning and taking Linus home from the patch is one of her best moments.

I must say that, just like 1965's A Charlie Brown Christmas, the cast of children voicing the Peanuts gang were phenomenal. Despite their ages and voicing characters based on those of the comics, they found the right ranges to fit the characters and their personalities. Learning that they read their lines phonetically (just listen to tbeir voices as they speak with a brief pause or hard cut between lines), it surprised me. That just makes then more talented too.

Conclusion:

As you can tell, I just love this special (and the rest of the Peanuts specials I've watched since childhood). It perfectly encapsulates the whimsy, wistful and charm of kids going trick-or-treating and to parties on Halloween. Even if you remember every line and scene, watching this special at this time every year feels like watching it for the first time, and when it's over you can't wait to watch it again next year. 

Thank you for joining me, everyone, for my thoughts on/review of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I hope you love this special as much as I do. And if you love it even more, I'm even happier. This special is worthy of the name, and 60 years after it's debut airing, it still holds up strong, and even after moving from TV airings on ABC and airings on PBS (after decades on CBS) to streaming on Apple TV+, it still is a hot commodity for viewers of all ages. Everything about it proves it.

Take care and have a great safe Happy Halloween. And stay away from rocks.