Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011)

best movie i've ever seen.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The acting in this movie is really good.

When the beloved blanket goes missing, he is on a search to find it. Then a grandmother is coming for a visit. The Peanuts gang is back with children voicing the characters. The director did a terrific job in bringing the legacy of the Peanuts gang under the Charles Schulz Estate and Foundation. The special is only 45 minutes but heartwarming and special to Peanut fans of all ages. You can relate to the characters here just as when you were a child. Peanuts never grows old but we aged over years.

I love the Peanuts but this one was way too mean spirited. And one reviewer says, no Peppermint Patty and Marcie as they were like Charlie despite annoying him but all in good fun. And kids are not perfect.And Linus really needed support and only got it from Charlie Brown and the blanket. Violet and Patty the original characters that have since been disappearing except in the recent Peanuts movie in 2015. And Lucy of course crabby Lucy. Were all three mean to Charlie, Linus, and Pig-Pen the dirty kid.Those three girls needed a good spanking or sent to attitude adjustment school. Girls seem indeed mean girls. Feel bad for their parents as well for them raising them out to be that way.At least in the end, Charlie Brown did apologize to Pig-Pen for the kids picking on him. Linus did become angry and that he was made fun of. And should others insecurities. Like his blanket and his grandmother giving him a hard time. Hope he gave her that talking though off camera I hope.But still Lucy brags on poor Schroeder. This was just way too mean spirited and really the girls were portrayed as witches here. Skip this as Charles Schulz would roll in his grave over this!

Let me say first off that I am a huge Peanuts fan. I've followed them since early childhood and it is still deeply rooted into my character. But there was a lot of strange elements about this special that really irked me.My biggest problem was Linus himself. He didn't seem like the intelligent, spiritually-savvy kid he had been throughout the comics and many of the specials. Instead he seemed very angry, rather short tempered and seemed different in a very non-refreshing way. But out of all of the things that made me cringe about him, the biggest was towards the end where he exclaimed: "DO YOU WANT ME TO END UP LIKE CHARLIE BROWN?!?"Ouch.Which brings up another point of mine: Charlie Brown himself. It seemed that the Peanuts Gang was being especially rude and cold-hearted to good old Chuck. I felt genuinely bad for him, which detracted a lot from the main premise of the feature.Now, all that out of the way, I must add in some of the pros, because there were many. I think that the art in this special shone. There was one scene where Linus was standing in a field looking up at the sky for his blanket (which had been turned into a kite and flew away) while the sun set. It gave me the chills. Linus is my favorite character and it displayed him as the philosophical and wise character we all know. The art direction really suggested a back-to-basics sort of feel, very retro, and very different...and very cool.I especially enjoyed the usage of Charles M. Schultz's comics. They were engraved into some of the writing, and the majority of the plot.All in all, it turned out to be a very mediocre hour for me. Part of it screamed "THIS IS GREAT" but the other, "Yikes."In the words of Linus: "It has its drawbacks."

I must admit I was a bit dubious about this new special for it was the 1st one without the great and late Bill Melendez. It seems Lee Mendelson was not involved either, but Schulz' son was. This one stood out from all the other post-Schulz era specials for its '60s style. As a comic-strip fan I appreciate attention to detail. The "classic" effect obtained through the retro animation worked out pretty well, bringing some nostalgia. The story development was somewhat modern, deeper, beyond previous attempts, and yet kept all the action faithful to the Peanuts world and spirit. The gags were delightfully funny, they cracked me up quite a few times. I simply loved the use of one of the most famous Beethoven symphonies, but I won't spoil it for you. Not only the music, but the way they managed to create a matching animated treat, was indeed a creative highlight.The color tones used according to mood, the "reaction" of some cards to Linus' feelings, and flashbacks to the very first specials truly shone.The plot might not be complex. However, by using the well-known blanket attachment issues Linus has, they address the insecurity most of the other characters have, their human weakness, which is not to plainly be criticized, but rather accepted as a natural part of life.Another remarkable element was the comeback of some old characters that had not gotten much attention over the years. Again, an interesting addition for all the fans, in an already captivating special that has enough quality potential to be considered an instant Peanuts classic. Growing up was never as bittersweet, and as thoroughly enjoyable as doing it along Linus, Snoopy, good ol' Charlie Brown, and the rest of the gang!