It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown is another Peanuts special centered around baseball, as Charlie Brown and his team start up spring training in preparation for their first game of the new season. Even though it was produced in 1992 and was set to air on May 28th of that year on CBS, the network canceled the airing and became the first Peanuts special to not air on prime time. And 23 years later, you can see why. This special, which eventually got released it on video by Paramount in 1996 alongside Charlie Brown's All-Stars, doesn't have the animation or writing as strong as it was 30 years earlier. But the biggest thing that drags it down is the music. Unlike previous specials, which followed present-day setting, but always maintained the feel of the 50's and 60's (partially thanks to the Vince Guaraldi trio score), It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown is put off by a score completely drenched in the 90's. The composer for this special was Judy Munsen, and most of her composition contains electronic backgrounds that make it sound like a bad 90's Saturday morning cartoon. I understand that it is an animated special that came out in the 90's, but we're talking about a Peanuts special. It doesn't fit the overall tone at all, and given that it was on the shelf for 4 years, it sounds dated. But then, the music goes from bad to laughably bad. At the first game, the gang performs the Hokey Pokey (they can't afford the National Anthem?), and then Franklin comes in and inserts a rap song.
A RAP SONG! NO, REALLY! I'M DEAD SERIOUS!
I was laughing the entire time, just thinking about what it's all come to. Rap music exists in the Peanuts canon! It's hilariously dated like many other corny rap songs from the 90's. This performance is on par with Vanilla Ice's rap in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II.
So you can say that It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown feels like a typical 90's cartoon, in terms of animation, writing and scoring. And you may think I'm crazy, but it is worth a watch. The story and message still feels like a Peanuts cartoon, as the gang learns that they need to be motivated to achieve a goal, and they are able to finally win a game and earn jerseys. There are still comedic moments, both unintentionally and intentionally. And you definitely need to watch for the baseball rap. It's one of those things you need to see to believe.
