WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

WARNER HOME VIDEO
PRESENTS
PEANUTS 1960s COLLECTION
A TREASURY OF ALL SIX POPULAR TELEVISION SPECIALS
TOGETHER ON DVD FOR THE FIRST TIME
JULY 7, 2009

Collection Includes Two Classic New-to-DVD
Plus All-New Enhanced Content

BURBANK, CA (March 10, 2009) – Snoopy will keep the dog days of summer cool and breezy this July with a six pack of the delightful Peanuts television specials from the 1960’s, which will be released by Warner Home Video (WHV) on July 7, 2009. The Peanuts 1960s Collection set showcases all six heartwarming TV specials in a two-disc set, as well as all-new enhanced content. Peanuts 1960s Collection will retail for $29.98 SRP.

Peanuts 1960s Collection is comprised of the first six animated Peanuts television specials that aired between 1965 and 1969, several of which earned either Emmy® Award nominations or wins. This is the first time all six specials are available to consumers in one set. Two of the specials, He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown and It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown make their DVD debut. All six specials have been re-mastered for beautiful picture and sound quality.

Featured Specials:

* A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) – In this Emmy® and Peabody Award winning classic, Charlie Brown is upset by how commercial the Christmas holiday has become. To coax him out of his holiday blues, Lucy suggests he direct the school’s Christmas pageant and decorate a glorious tree. Charlie Brown concedes. The tree he finds however, is puny, prompting everyone to ridicule him.

* Charlie Brown’s All-Stars (1966) – Nominated for two Prime Time Emmys®, in this delightful special, Charlie Brown is faced with a difficult moral dilemma; should he accept brand new uniforms and give the rest of the gang a chance to be part of an official little league baseball team even if it means that due to policy, Snoopy, Lucy, Patty, Violet and Frieda must be kicked off?

* It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) – This Emmy® Award-nominated special, finds the Peanuts gang outfitted in costumes, ready for trick or treating and crashing Violet’s Halloween party. Charlie Brown is in a ghost costume (with more eyeholes cut out than needed), Lucy dressed as a witch and Snoopy in a World War I flying ace costume. Linus decides to steadfastly hold vigil in the pumpkin patch as he awaits the Great Pumpkin.

* You’re in Love, Charlie Brown (1967) – This Emmy® Award-nominated special finds Charlie Brown trying to work up the courage to meet his school-girl crush, the little red-haired girl. He enlists the help of his pals Linus and Peppermint Patty but they only aggravate the situation.

* He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968) – This Emmy® Award-nominated special finds Snoopy returning to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for a refresher course in obedience training after his mischievous behavior lands Charlie Brown in trouble. On his way to the puppy farm however, Snoopy finds refuge in Peppermint Patty’s house, that’s until Charlie Brown gets a call from the puppy farm telling him Snoopy never showed up.

* It was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969) – At summer camp, the Peanuts gang put up with poor food and the girls winning all the sports competitions. To get even, the boys challenge them into a wrist-wresting contest between Lucy and “The Masked Marvel” – aka Snoopy in disguise.

DVD Special Features Include:

³ The Maestro of Menlo Park – Profiling Composer Vince Guaraldi – This short documentary film provides a glimpse into jazz musician Vince Guaraldi’s life, and how his music was so much more than just the theme to Peanuts.

“The 1960s is where it all began for the Peanuts TV specials, setting up an enduring franchise that has grown to include 41 TV specials, spanning 5 decades. Each special, beautifully crafted by Charles Schulz, is unique and exceptional in its own right, and deserves to be seen and enjoyed,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President, Family, Animation and Sports Marketing. He added, “Consumers won’t want to miss this extraordinary collection. It’s loaded with delightfully animated, humorous and touching stories that are just as fresh and relevant today as they were 40 years ago.”

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Sounds great...I'm in!

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Wow...this is maddening. I didn't expect this from WHV. 2 new-to-DVD specials that have to be bought as part of a set?!?! I thought WHV's policy was to not force customers to double-dip.... This should have been either 6 new-to-DVD specials, or 6 previously released ones.

I like the idea of getting 6 specials in one set, but it also looks like you'd be losing the extras already included on the previous releases.

I was expecting some new "Golden Collection-type" sets, as was originally announced. If this is how they're going to treat the 41 specials by letting people buy a handful of shows, then force them to double-dip to get a couple more shows, then I can't imagine that I'd keep buying these... it's a complete rip-off.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

This sounds great but I would like to know more...

Does WHV intend to release the remaining run of Peanuts specials in this fashion, chronologically by decade? Or is this simply seen as a one-off compilation set of sorts?

Will a complete box set of the 1970s Peanuts specials follow?

I'm skeptical of that as it would have to comprise 14 (mostly unreleased) specials so I wonder what Warners future release plan looks like for these... Will a follow-up volume be split into two sets?

Will a fully complete and comprehensive collection surface after all content is finally put out? What about the TV series that was mentioned being slated for release when the distribution rights trade-off with Paramount/WHV was first announced... will that eventually be included as well?

I would really like to get on board with Warners and start buying these Peanuts sets (and gradually sell off my complete German import which features everything!) but I hope somebody from WHV can address some of these questions before sinking our teeth into these sets.


Also, can anyone tell me if Warner Home Video are doing the restorations on these sets themselves or if they are already complete and WHV are simply acting as distributor? In other words, are the restorations an ongoing progress with the studio or are they already finished and simply waiting for a slot on Warner's release calendar?

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

This was inevitable. Warner has already released all of the big seasonal specials, and it doesn't seem like they have confidence in the marketability of the non-holiday stuff.

There were 12 specials made between 1970 and 1979. That could all fit on a 2-disc set with room to spare. Plus Thanksgiving, You're Not Elected, Valentine and Easter Beagle are in that decade to sweeten the deal.

The 1980's are another 13 (not counting A Charlie Brown Celebration, the This is America miniseries, and The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show), while the 90's and 2000's would be another 12.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Hopefully Warners will give some indication as to their future/ongoing plans for this series. Otherwise, I will just hold off on my Peanuts fix until future announcements are made which would be too bad...

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

I am NOT double dipping on these for the BF. No way, no shape, no form. With so much unreleased material still out there, this makes no sense from collectors point of view.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Nope. No double-dipping for me either on this set.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Cover Art

Peanuts: 1960's Collection

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Yuck... they're two-disc flippers inside of a cheesy looking slipcase with some silly hippie font.

I thought we might actually be getting a box set, as was told to eventually be expected when the series was first announced.

What I would like to know is that if WHV can fit 6 specials on a disc like this, why have they been releasing them in such a dumb format of including only 2 specials and with not such a varying price diff. between them?!

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

If they're losing the existing extras on the not-unreleased stuff, forget it.

I bought A Charlie Brown Christmas on VHS, Laserdisc, and twice on DVD. The next (and last) time will be Blu-Ray.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Well this is closer to what I was waiting for. Luckily, I never bought any of the 2 episode ripoffs. I guess these specials are kind of pecious, but I mean cmon. I just have a copy of a rental of the Xmas special, so I'm intereted in this set. It's possble I've never seen some of these (and I was born in 1964).

A 70s set would be nice, and of course Race for your life. Then I'm pretty happy.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

I probably don't mind the 'hippie font' (although I have no idea what that means). But flippers? That seals it.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Why the need for flippers? The specials run about 24 minutes each. Surely 3 specials can fit on one side of a disk and this is a 2 disk set. Are you assuming they are flippers because there is no art work on the discs in the advertisement ? Unless I missed something I don't see where it says they are flippers.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Are we absolutely sure that these are going to be flippers? I mean, for all we know Warner probably hasn't finalized disc art yet (which wouldn't be impossible since the DVD doesn't come out for another four months)

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

That's where I stand right now. Until I get a clearer picture of what exactly their plans are, I'm gonna have to hold off.

Is this gonna be a complete 60's set, then complete 70's part 1 & 2, then 80's whatever, or what? Or are they gonna release this, then in a few months release the 2 exclusive specials(+ the one previously only released by Paramount) as a single release?? Then more single releases, more box set releases?? I'm completely lost on their strategy at this point.

I've bought everything up to this point, and now I feel like I'm getting gypped.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

Warner has done a nice job on the Remastered Deluxe Editions, and I hope they continue with them. But to skip entirely doing one for "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown", skip "You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown", and are now suddenly doing collections grouped by decades?

I also don't like the exclusivity of these sets. I won't be purchasing any of them - including the 1980s or 1990s just for these two specials.

If this is how you’re handling the Peanuts specials in the future, I'm very disappointed.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

I'm confused ... shouldn't this be in the TV Shows and TV Movies section of the HTF?

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

I'm also holding off on the next double feature DVD that was due next month.

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

We need a clearer picture of what's going on with these releases and I hope that WHV will be able to answer our questions in the chat next Monday...

Re: WHV Press Release: Peanuts 1960s Collection

They won't. The chat is only for theatrical stuff - no TV/animation.