''I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown'' is the 43rd

prime-time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to b ...

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...

based upon the

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' (briefly subtitled ''featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown'') is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run ext ...

'' by Charles M. Schulz. The special first aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

on December 9, 2003 (A Veteran’s Day Salute). The special is about Linus and Lucy's younger brother,

Rerun A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. The two types of reruns are those that occur during a hiatus and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Variations In the United Kingdom, the word "repe ...

, wanting a pet dog for Christmas. It was released to

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and

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Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

on October 26, 2004, and

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

released it as a remastered deluxe edition on

on October 6, 2009, which also included ''

Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! ''Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!'' is the 30th prime-time animation, animated television special based upon the comic strip ''Peanuts,'' by Charles M. Schulz. It aired on the CBS network on January 1, 1986, at 8:30 p.m. The special focuses on Cha ...

'' as a bonus feature. This special was re-released as part of the box set ''Snoopy's Holiday Collection'' on October 1, 2013. The special continued to air on ABC until 2019. As of 2020, the special will be among the collection of Peanuts productions available only to

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

subscribers; it was released on that platform on December 2, 2022.

Plot

After unfair treatment by his older siblings Linus and Lucy and getting in trouble at school, Rerun thinks that having a pet dog will cheer him up. He writes a letter to

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

asking for a dog, but is later discouraged by the expensive costs of owning a pet and his mother's objections. Watching

Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. He also appears in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of ...

dance to

Schroeder __NOTOC__ Schroeder is a North German (from Schröder) occupational name for a cloth cutter or tailor, from an agent derivative of Middle Low German , "to cut". The same term was occasionally used to denote a gristmiller as well as a shoemaker, wh ...

's music, Rerun asks

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the Protagonist, principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily newspaper, daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser", Charlie Brown ...

if Snoopy has any siblings, and Charlie Brown shows him pictures of Snoopy's brothers and sisters. Rerun asks Charlie Brown if he can play with Snoopy sometime. Rerun has fun playing with Snoopy, but in the following days, Snoopy is busy and refuses to play. Rerun again searches for a dog, and Lucy argues that Rerun would not know how to take care of a dog if he got one. Rerun learns by watching Snoopy, who gets a letter from his brother

Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (Broderick book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter ...

, who lives in the desert. Rerun wants Spike as a pet and has Snoopy write him a letter. After Spike visits, Rerun has fun with him, but his mother does not allow Spike to stay. Charlie Brown tries to get Spike re-adopted, but fails and has to send him back to the desert. Noticing that Rerun is upset over Spike leaving, Lucy signs him up for a Christmas play, in which he forgets his line. Rerun then asks to play with Snoopy, who wants to be pulled on a sled; Rerun comments, "Maybe a dog is too much trouble."

Voice cast

Jimmy Bennett James Michael Bennett (born February 9, 1996) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as a child actor in ''Daddy Day Care'', ''Hostage'', '' The Amityville Horror'', ''Poseidon'', ''Evan Almighty'', ''Orphan'', '' Shorts'', and as you ...

as Rerun van Pelt * Ashley Rose Orr as Lucy van Pelt * Corey Padnos as Linus van Pelt * Adam Taylor Gordon as

* Hannah Leigh Dworkin as

Sally Brown Sally Brown is a fictional character in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles Schulz. She is the younger sister of main character Charlie Brown. She was first mentioned in May 1959 and throughout a long series of strips before her first appea ...

* Nick Price as

* Jake Miner as

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

Pig-Pen Pig-Pen is a fictional character in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz, syndicated in Daily newspaper, daily and Sunday newspaper, Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. While amiable, he is a young boy who is, ...

* Kaitlyn Maggio as Little Pigtailed Girl,

Violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Vi ...

Bill Melendez José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Melendez (November 15, 1916 – September 2, 2008) was an American animator, director, producer, and voice actor. Melendez is known for working on the ''Peanuts'' animated specials, as well as providing the voices of Sno ...

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

Shermy Shermy is a fictional character from the comic strip '' Peanuts'', by Charles Schulz. Schulz named him after a friend from high school. When Peanuts made its debut on October 2, 1950, Shermy sat on the curb with another early character, Patty ...

Patty A patty is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Common ground meat used include beef, bison, elk, turkey, chicken, ostrich, and salmon. Patties are found in multiple cuisine ...

and Eudora also appear, but they are silent.

Production notes

This special is the second time Snoopy's brothers Marbles, Olaf, and Andy appear in a ''Peanuts'' special, the first being 1991's '' Snoopy's Reunion''. His sister Belle is also mentioned, but not seen. The scene in which Lucy fattens Spike up was previously used in the "Snoopy's Brother Spike" episode of ''

The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show ''The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show'' (known as ''You're on Nickelodeon, Charlie Brown'' during reruns on Nickelodeon) is an American animated television series featuring characters and storylines from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip ''Peanu ...

'', with several lines being near-identical to the original episode.

Reception

''I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown'' drew 10.2 million viewers on the night it premiered in 2003, losing the evening's ratings battle to a reairing of ''

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on C ...

'', which topped that night with 13.7 million viewers on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. Anita Gates of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' gave mixed opinions, who wrote that the special "feels like a hodgepodge of four-frame strips strung together in an unsuccessful attempt to create a unified story," understanding that Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson had made a commitment to create new specials working from material only from the strip. She wrote that the "one-two-three-punch-line" structure of the strips poorly translated into animation, but otherwise felt the special kept "the bittersweet charm" of Charles Schulz's work.

Soundtrack

The music score for ''I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown'' is a mix of classic ''Peanuts'' melodies composed by

Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; birth name, né Dellaglio, July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. His compositions for this s ...

and new themes composed by David Benoit. All songs composed by Guaraldi (except where noted) and performed and arranged by Benoit. #"Re-Run's Theme /

Linus and Lucy "Linus and Lucy" is a jazz instrumental composed by American pianist Vince Guaraldi. Named after the ''Peanuts'' characters Linus and Lucy Van Pelt, it debuted on Guaraldi's 1964 album '' Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown'' and rose to ...

" (David Benoit / Vince Guaraldi) #"Re-Run's Theme" (David Benoit) #"Linus and Lucy" (opening) #"Oh, Good Grief" (Vince Guaraldi,

Lee Mendelson Leland Maurice Mendelson (March 24, 1933 – December 25, 2019) was an American animation producer and executive producer of many ''Peanuts'' animated specials. Biography Mendelson was born in San Francisco and grew up in San Mateo graduating ...

) #"Pebble Beach" #"Spike's Theme" (slow) (David Benoit) #"Re-Run's Theme" (David Benoit) #"

Christmas Time Is Here "Christmas Time Is Here" is a popular Christmas standard written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 CBS television special ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'', one of the first animated Christmas specials produced for network television i ...

" #"Skating" #"Re-Run's Theme" (David Benoit) #" Piano Sonata No. 8" #"

Christmas Is Coming "Christmas Is Coming" is a traditional nursery rhyme and Christmas song frequently sung as a round. It is listed as number 12817 in the Roud Folk Song Index. Lyrics The following are common representative lyrics: :Christmas is coming, the go ...

" #"Red Baron" (alternate) #"Re-Run's Theme" (slow) (David Benoit) #"Re-Run's Theme" (David Benoit) #"Charlie Brown Theme" #"Re-Run's Theme" (slow) (David Benoit) #" Piano Sonata No. 23"

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

#"Christmas Time Is Here" #"Re-Run's Theme" (with "

Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the most commonly sung Christmas songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont. It is an unsettled question where and when Pierpont originally composed the song that would become known as "Jingle Bells". It ...

") (David Benoit,

James Lord Pierpont James Lord Pierpont (April 25, 1822 – August 5, 1893)Lewis, DaveJames Pierpont Biography, AllMusic, retrieved December 16, 2011 was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, organist, and Confederate States of America, Confederate States so ...

) #"Oh, Good Grief" (Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson) #"Red Baron" (alternate) #"Spike's Theme" (David Benoit) #" Piano Sonata No. 18" #"Re-Run's Theme" (David Benoit) #"Spike's Theme" (David Benoit) #"Linus and Lucy" #"Re-Run's Theme" (David Benoit) #"Blue Charlie Brown" #"Spike's Theme" (David Benoit) #"Christmas Time Is Here" #"Re-Run's Theme" (David Benoit) #"Re-Run's Theme" (closing) (David Benoit) No official soundtrack for ''I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown'' was released. However, a version of "Re-Run's Theme" was commercially released by Benoit on '' Jazz For Peanuts: A Retrospective Of The Charlie Brown Television Themes'' (2008).

References

External links

*
Detailed review by Michael Narkunski of 2009 DVD "Remastered Deluxe Edition"
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown Peanuts television specials Christmas television specials American Broadcasting Company television specials Television shows directed by Bill Melendez 2003 television specials 2000s American television specials 2000s animated television specials American Christmas television specials