A Charlie Brown Valentine is a television special based on the Peanuts comic strip, and it is the first special to be produced for ABC after ABC gained the rights for the Peanuts specials away from CBS. It’s also the first special produced after the death of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz in 2000, as well as the first time one of the specials was animated with digital ink and paint instead of traditional cel animation. This special aired on American television for the first time on February 14, 2002; however, the special wasn’t released on DVD until 2004.
The Little Red-Haired Girl appears in this special, although she does not resemble the girl that was seen in It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown; also, in this special, she is no longer named Heather and is back to simply being referred to as the Little Red-Haired Girl. The main portion of the story deals with Charlie Brown trying to tell the Little Red-Haired Girl that he likes her; but as always, he chickens out. Also, Marcie makes Charlie Brown a valentine and asks him if he likes her. Peppermint Patty also gives Charlie Brown a letter to say that she likes him. And then, when Charlie Brown tries to ask the Little Red-Haired Girl to the school Valentine’s dance, a major misunderstanding happens.
After watching this special, I was rather disappointed in it, especially by the fact that the Little Red-Haired Girl lost her identity of Heather. I also felt that, when you compare this special to Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, it just doesn’t come close to that first Valentine special.
The DVD that I own is the one that Paramount Pictures released in 2004. There are two additional specials included on this disc: There’s No Time For Love, Charlie Brown and Someday You’ll Find Her, Charlie Brown.
There’s No Time For Love, Charlie Brown is a Peanuts television special that first aired on American television on March 11, 1973. In this special, Charlie Brown is having problems with his grades falling and he has to get a good grade on the report he needs to write after going on a field trip to the art museum. He is also distracted by Peppermint Patty and with her new friend, Marcie, who have both expressed feelings for him. On their way to the art museum, Charlie Brown, Sally, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Snoopy end up at the supermarket and mistake it for the art museum. When it comes to this special, I have always had a hard time using my “willing suspension of disbelief” when I watch it. Considering the ages that these characters are, shouldn’t they be able to discern between a grocery store and an art museum without much effort? To me, this is not one of the better Peanuts specials.
Someday You’ll Find Her, Charlie Brown is a Peanuts television special that first aired on American television on October 30, 1981. In this special, Charlie Brown is watching Super Bowl XVI on television and falls in love with a girl that he sees in the stands. After the game, he thinks he’ll never see her again. But with the help of his friend, Linus, they work together to try to track her down. I have to be honest and say that I had totally forgotten about this special until I purchased this DVD. It’s another one of the weaker specials, and the plot of this story is rather unbelievable. I have a hard time believing that employees at a football stadium that’s hosting the Super Bowl would be willing to readily hand out information about people who attended the game, especially to a couple of children.
Overall, this disc is filled with subpar Peanuts specials. If you’re wanting Peanuts specials that focus on love in your DVD collection, I would highly recommend purchasing Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown and passing over this one. The only people I would recommend this DVD to are the die-hard Peanuts fans who must have every special in their collection.
I wrote this review after watching a copy of this DVD that my husband and I purchased.