I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown

Following the death of Charles M. Schultz, there can be no original Peanuts ANYTHING. So we're basically left with animating old strips. This can get tedious since pretty much all dialogue has to actually "fit" in four panels.

Anyway, as Rerun appeared relatively late in the Peanuts run, and was a minor character, there haven't been many animated skits featuring the tyke. Basically all he does is ride on his mom's bike.

In this special, I was completely drawn in by the incredible voice acting. I was close to crying for the kid when he's begging the sun "PLEASE DON'T MELT MY SNOMAN" It was so cute.

This 40-minute TV special tells the story of Rerun, Linus and Lucy's very cute younger brother (I loved the scenes with him stuck on the back of his mother's bicycle). As the smallest child he feels left out of playing around with the other kids and wishes for a dog for Xmas. He starts a great friendship with Snoopy but Charlie Brown is reluctant to let him go. I felt so sorry for Rerun. He's just so desperate for attention, to be taken seriously. He's got a lot of love inside him and needs a best friend to let it all out. Jimmy Bennett's voice acting is spot-on and makes him so real.

It's all harmless fun, if not completely indisposable. I've made it a Xmas tradition already as well as the other seasonal Charlie Brown specials.

'I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown' is simply put, a very sweet film. Its honestly just one of the sweetest Peanuts specials released.

Starring the Van Pelt kids (Lucy, Linus, and Rerun) and Snoopy this special is really all about Rerun and his pursuit of getting a dog for Christmas. This ends up involving Snoopy so you get to see the usual luster Snoopy brings to all scenes!

From Rerun's dialogue to Snoopy and his siblings who all make some cameos, this special produces some peak adorableness of the Peanuts gang. Although the music is just average, the animation feels authentic and entertaining.

Its a good Peanuts special and worth watching as a change up to the original 1965 Christmas special.

It's hard to believe that this film is from 2003! It has the look and overall feel of the originals from the 60s and 70s - a really good Christmas cartoon movie. If you do like the originals then you should like this 2003 because it's just as good.

In this one, Lucy and Linus' little brother Rerun wants a dog for Christmas but his parents will not allow him to have one because it's a lot of work caring for a dog. Rerun starts bugging Charlie Brown to play with Snoopy and eventually Snoopy's brother Spike comes to stay with Rerun and his family for awhile.

Really cute, fun movie for the entire family.

10/10

Out of the four "Peanuts" Christmas specials, this is probably the best since the first. Like the other two, it's mainly a collection of strips taken straight from the comic and animated. This time, though, they've actually taken strips they can form a cohesive story out of. The focus this time is Rerun, younger brother of Linus and Lucy, and his desire to get a dog for Christmas. Rerun is a sweet character (sometimes almost too sweet), but he's genuine in his affection.

Some viewers complain about the segment where Rerun makes a joke about taking a girl to Paris and winds up getting accused of harassment. (The word "sexual" is never used.) Other reviewers actually said this would cause Charles Schulz to spin in his grave -- since Schulz himself wrote the strips that this segment is based on, I highly doubt that.

Nothing will ever approach the greatness of the original "Charlie Brown Christmas," but out of the ones that have come out since then, this is the cream of the crop.