In the solitary extra feature for the remastered deluxe edition of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown ("We Need a Blockbuster!"), the director/animator Bill Melendez, producer Lee Mendelson, and former CBS programming executive Fred Silverman discuss the network's demand for "another Blockbuster" from the Peanuts crew. Following the success of A Charlie Brown Christmas and the less popular Charlie Brown's All-Stars, the network wanted another prime-time animated Peanuts special, but if it didn't take off as well as A Charlie Brown Christmas, it would be the last one.
This bit of history may be surprising to those who grew up watching the special year after year. It was, in fact, so successful and widely acclaimed that CBS, and now ABC, have shown it every year around Halloween since the 1966 debut. Until watching it again in this remastered deluxe edition, it had never occurred to me that the film has a structure that allows for that kind of repeat showings. Several of the characters refer to Linus' past obsession with the Great Pumpkin, and the implication that the same thing happens every Halloween makes it easy to suspend disbelief and watch it anew every year as though you weren't already familiar with the plot and events. Maybe, just maybe, this year things will be different and the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the patch!
For those who may not be familiar with the special, the story centers on the kids' excitement and activities on Halloween. Most of them make simple costumes and go trick-or-treating, followed by a Halloween party at a classmate's house. Linus, on the other hand, plans to spend the night waiting in a pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to arise and give presents to the good boys and girls who most sincerely believe in him. He is taunted by the rest of the kids, but his fervent belief in the Great Pumpkin helps him withstand the peer pressure. And, this time around, he is joined by Sally, who has a crush on him.
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