Voices of Brad Kesten, David T. Wagner, Jessica Lee Smith, and Jeremy Reinbolt
Directed by Sam Jaimes
Music and Lyrics by Clark Gesner
The first musical based after the Peanuts comic strips debuted off-Broadway in 1967. It was a sensation there, enough to be adapted for TV as a live-action Hallmark film in 1973. It remained the domain of regional theaters until Bill Melendez animated it for this special, released at Thanksgiving. By this point, the Peanuts animated specials were an institution. Adults and kids alike looked forward to seeing Charlie Brown wrestle with that kite and dodge the Little Red Haired Girl, Snoopy and his supper dish, Lucy order the others around, and Linus dispense sage wisdom, even while carrying his blanket. How well does the cartoon reflect the original show? Let's begin with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts as Charlie laments his "loser" status and find out...
The Story: A series of vignettes revolving around the Peanuts and their everyday lives. Schroeder dodges Lucy's advances while playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" and dreams of visiting the country like his hero. Charlie Brown tries valiantly to get his kite in the air and rallies his baseball team to do their best, even if they keep losing. Snoopy dreams of being a wild animal and dances ecstatically when Charlie Brown brings his supper dish. Lucy teaches Linus about everything she knows, but Charlie points out she's not as brilliant as she believes. The kids write a book report in their own unique styles, Schroeder attempts to get them to sing together for a school assembly, and they all exchange Valentines. In the end, it's Lucy who reminds Charlie that, for all his insecurities, he really is a good kid.
Animation: Par for the course for the Peanuts specials of the 60's through the early 90's. Like Winnie the Pooh, this isn't a franchise that needs flashy visuals to get the job done. The backgrounds are colorful but flat, but the kids move well enough, and they do resemble their comic strip counterparts at the time.
The Song and Dance: If you've seen the stage Good Man or one of the non-holiday Peanuts specials, you have an idea of what to expect here. The voices are terrific; Smith in particular nicely captures Lucy's crabbiness and the confidence that makes her brother want to believe her, even when she's obviously wrong. Many people weren't happy when they chose to do Snoopy's numbers as voice overs the kids couldn't hear. Snoopy's normally voiceless in animation. Robert Towers sounds so good doing "Suppertime," you can forgive the digression.
Favorite Number: We open with the title song as the Peanuts bring on their own marching band to remind Charlie Brown why he's their friend, even if he's not perfect. That attempt at "Moonlight Sonata" turns into "Schroeder" when Lucy adds her own lyrics dreaming of their life together. Charlie Brown desperately wants to get "The Kite" into the air and fails at every turn...making his finally getting it in the air all the sweeter.
The Peanuts write a "Book Report" about Peter Rabbit, but Lucy just puts in random words, Linus gets way too into it, Schroeder doesn't even discuss the book, and Charlie avoids it. Manager Charlie leads his baseball players through "TEAM" in an attempt to rally them and avoid another defeat...but as he reveals to "My Pen Pal," it doesn't work out as planned. Snoopy's worried that Charlie forgot his "Suppertime." He's so delighted when the kid does bring his dinner, he dances with it. The kids, Snoopy, and Woodstock end by telling each other why "Happiness" is all around them, and why they're all special to each other.
Trivia: You're a Good Man has turned up many times since 1967. The original briefly moved to Broadway in 1971 and managed two months in a small West End theater in 1968. Hallmark Hall of Fame did a live-action TV adaptation in 1973 with Barry Livingston of My Three Sons and Skip Hinnant repeating his off-Broadway performance as Snoopy. It was revived on Broadway in a revised version in 1999 with Kristin Chenowith and Roger Bart giving Tony-winning performances as Sally and Snoopy. It's most recent appearance was in a limited off-Broadway run in 2016.
What I Don't Like: This cuts or restructures a lot of numbers to fit an hour slot and the animated format. "The Book Report" is still funny, but with the kids writing at home, it loses the gag with Patty/Sally passed out at her desk through the entire number. Among the songs dropped are a number for Lucy at her psychiatric booth ("The Doctor Is In"), Linus' solo on his blanket ("My Blanket and Me"), Snoopy's other solo ("The Red Baron"), and the "Peanuts Potpourri," snippets of short gags set to music.
And...truth be told, the showtunes-style music does sound a little incongruous performed by actual kids in an animated special. And while Snoopy's voice over thoughts don't bother me, they may annoy people who prefer Snoopy's silent pantomime.
The Big Finale: An hour's worth of charming fun if you or your kids are big Peanuts fans.
Home Media: The Warners Deluxe DVD is in print but fairly rare and expensive, and it doesn't seem to be on streaming. You're better off looking for this one used.
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