Product: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Rating: 5.0
CHRISTMAS TREAT
Word has it that Charles Schultz, when presented with the idea of an animated Christmas special for television based on his wildly popular "grown-up" kids, he insisted that it feature the Bible prominently. The studio honchos thought this would be poison; Schultz held out, feeling that the message of the Christmas story was infinitely more compelling than something fictional and fanciful. He was right, of course, and Linus' shepherd soliloquy remains the highlight of this delightful, melancholy and enduring musical treat. Those Peanuts characters, with their odd heads and instantly recognizable voices, are as much philosophers as they are cartoons. This is one special everyone should watch every year, and get a bit of real Christmas.