DVD Review: Peanuts – Snoopy’s Reunion

I have to confess that I never liked Peanuts growing up. I always thought it was simply okay or lied whenever someone talked to me about it. I never read the comic strip, and had only experienced the characters and the stories through the old television episodes.

Now being in my mid-twenties, I started reading the newspaper (something that everyone should be doing) and, in turn, began reading the comics. I made it a point to read the Peanuts strip, and while it didn't hit me immediately, the adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of Charles M. Schulz's gang grew on me.

Linus has his wonderful moments, but definitely Charlie Brown's charm amid his countless insecurities got me hooked. His lovable dog has something to do with it too. While I can't say I like the separate releases of the short specials, I do appreciate that they are finally available in digital form.

Snoopy's Reunion tells the story of Snoopy's birth, his family, and his eventual place by Charlie Brown's side (Quicktime video) because as Charlie Brown says, "A boy without a dog is like a day without sunshine." Snoopy was born with seven other siblings (Spike, Andy, Olaf, Marbles, Belle, Molly, and Rover) at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm. Instantly, the family recognized their musical talents, but it being a puppy farm each was adopted one by one.

I won't spill the entire story, but after four years, Charlie Brown recognizes that Snoopy, although happy in his home, gets homesick every now and again, and seeks out Snoopy's family for a reunion at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm. The family gathering is almost bittersweet (aside from a jab at suburbanization), but every member of the beagle clan is just happy being together again and making music.

The Remastered Deluxe Edition includes a bonus episode "It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown" that is a very silly musical special involving a very fit Peppermint Patty, a very commanding Lucy (during her version of "Simon Says"), and a dancing Snoopy during the disco era.

There is also a nine-minute featurette showcasing the former child actors who voiced the original characters when they had their own reunion at Comic-Con 2008, as well as a brief trailer for the 1985 movie Sesame Street Presents: Follow that Bird.