Charlie Brown - Snoopy Come Home (Animated) (DVD)

...character, a little boy named Charlie Brown, aged 8. Nothing he ever does turns out quite as he intended, and the other children tend to be dismissive of him. So much so that everyone always calls him by his full name, never just Charlie. He has a beagle named Snoopy, who is rather eccentric and seems not quite certain of the fact that he is a dog and not another kid in the neighbourhood. Charlie Brown's best friend is Linus, who carries a security ...
...and Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown has a younger sister, Sally, who is a hanger on that has a huge crush on Linus. There are other characters who lend supporting roles: Peppermint Patty the sandal wearing tomboy, Marcie the slightly dim but sweet glasses wearing best friend of Patty, Schroeder who is Lucy's unwilling love interest and a talented Beethoven inspired child pianist, Violet, one of Lucy's clique of friends, and Woodstock, a yellow bird ... more

~~~The Concept~~~

Peanuts first began as a syndicated daily and Sunday newspaper cartoon that ran in US newspapers from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000 (which happens to be the day after it's creator's death). Written by Charles M. Schultz, the strip featured a group of children in a suburban neighbourhood whose lives at home and at school provided humour as well as social commentary on modern life and current events. Its relevance and sense of humour resonated around the world, and at its peak, was translated into 21 languages and published in 75 countries. A rough estimation of its readership puts peak readership figures at about 355 million people.

The series centred on an everyman type character, a little boy named Charlie Brown, aged 8. Nothing he ever does turns out quite as he intended, and the other children tend to be dismissive of him. So much so that everyone always calls him by his full name, never just Charlie. He has a beagle named Snoopy, who is rather eccentric and seems not quite certain of the fact that he is a dog and not another kid in the neighbourhood. Charlie Brown's best friend is Linus, who carries a security blanket and has an overbearing sister, Lucy, who bullies him and Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown has a younger sister, Sally, who is a hanger on that has a huge crush on Linus. There are other characters who lend supporting roles: Peppermint Patty the sandal wearing tomboy, Marcie the slightly dim but sweet glasses wearing best friend of Patty, Schroeder who is Lucy's unwilling love interest and a talented Beethoven inspired child pianist, Violet, one of Lucy's clique of friends, and Woodstock, a yellow bird who is Snoopy's best friend and ally against the neighbour's cat World War Two. Snoopy also had a rich fantasy life in which his doghouse is a WWII Sopwith Camel fighter plane with him cast as a flying ace battling it out with the legendary Red Baron and having adventures behind enemy lines.

Peanuts made the leap from print to television in 1961 when Ford commissioned black and white advertisements for their new Ford Falcon car. The animator, Bill Melendez, became friends with Schultz during production and together with producer Lee Mendelson and with Coca Cola as a corporate sponsor, they created the very first of the TV specials, A Charlie Brown Christmas, which aired in 1965. After much critical acclaim and viewer popularity, more holiday and other specials came out over the next 20 years.

~~~The Film~~~

First airing in 1972, this 103 feature length film is one of the more serious in tone of all the Peanuts films. Aimed squarely at the older child and adult market, with its more detailed plot and dramatic tone, it also serves to fill in the gaps about Snoopy's origins and features Franklin and Woodstock's animated debut. Most Peanuts fans will know that Charlie Brown got his dog one day when his parents took him to Daisy Hill Puppy farm; here it is revealed that Charlie Brown was not his first owner.

It all begins with Snoopy getting upset about not being allowed on the beach (No Dogs Allowed), and getting told off by Charlie Brown. Snoopy then takes out his frustrations on all about him, with it all coming to a head when he receives a letter from his first owner, a little girl named Lila. We learn Lila is ill and in hospital, and wishes to see Snoopy. Recalling the affection they had shared, Snoopy packs his doggy bowl and goes off to the city to see Lila. Once at the hospital, he is again confronted with "No Dogs Allowed", but is determined to not let that stand in his way. In the meanwhile, a very heartbroken Charlie Brown notices his pet is missing, and the Peanuts gang set out to locate him, and bring him home. Will Snoopy come home? Will he realise that Charlie Brown loves him with all his heart? And will manipulative Lila reclaim Snoopy's affection?

Covering the themes of love, affection, and loyalty in depth, a good bit of the dialogue will go above the heads of the under 8 crowd. For example:
Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt: What do you think love is, Chuck?
Charlie Brown: Well, years ago, my dad owned a black 1934 two-door sedan.
Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt: What's that got to do with love?
Charlie Brown: Well, this is what he told me: there was this really cute girl, see? She used to go for rides with him in his car. And whenever he'd call for her, he would always hold open the car door for her. After she got in and he had closed the door, he'd walk around the back of the car to the driver's side, but before he could get there, she would reach over and press the button, locking him out. Then she'd just sit there and wrinkle her nose and grin at him. That's what I think love is.
(text courtesy IMDB)

The film explores the depth of meaning behind the concepts of love and loyalty, detailing in Snoopy and Charlie Brown their inner struggle to define these values and figure out what it means in application of their situations. Lila provides a counterpoint to the deeper meaning of love. Affectionate towards Snoopy on the surface, he learns the lesson in the difference between mere affection and the deep and abiding love of family. he learns that despite the occasional disagreement and spat, the bond between those who truly love each other is one that hurts to be broken, and this helps Snoopy come to his hard conclusion.
~~~The Disc~~
Like other DVDs in the Peanuts series, firefly have not added any extras. The picture has been cleaned up and remastered, and the sound cleared and converted to digital, so we do get bright, crisp pictures and unmuffled audio. This stand the film in good stead, as the film is full of quality songs to move the story along. Due To age, the sound IS mono, so those with stereo and surround sound may need to turn the sound up slightly to compensate. The aspect ratio is full screen as it was originally a television release before fullscreen televisions were about. You put the disc in, and a menu appears, with the option PLAY MOVIE. There are no previews or advertisements, which I personally like as I find them to be annoyances. It is priced in the higher end of the budget release bracket, and is available from Amazon for the princely sum of £9.98.

Older children will sympathise with both Lila and charlie brown, as the two children who both miss their pet dog, and with snoopy, who is hurt because charlie Brown was angry and scolded him. The abundance of rules forbidding Snoopy to do as he wishes will also no doubt strike a chord with older children, with No Dogs resonating within to the childhood equivalent of No Ball Games. Teens and adults will no doubt find the underlying theme of true love and loyalty meaningful, and with parallels to some events of their own lives, relating to heartbreak. Full of pathos and joy, this emotionally rich feature is one that inspires deep feelings within the viewers and makes for fine Friday night viewing rather than mere rainy day entertainment. 

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