What's new

No Great Pumpkin this year? (1 Viewer)

Jake Lipson

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2002
Messages
24,493
Real Name
Jake Lipson
Yep. The only difference is the packaging. The discs are the same.

Thanks. That being the case, I just went with the cheaper one.

It looks like Valentine and Easer Beagle are DVD only. I went ahead and threw in Valentine because as long as I'm getting the others now, I might as well do that one too, even though it's a while until February. I would certainly buy a Blu-ray of it if there is one.

Easter Beagle is not as seminal to me as the others, maybe because I don't celebrate Easter. (Granted, I don't celebrate Christmas either, but there's just something about that special that reaches across religious beliefs.). So I guess I can get Easter Beagle later if I have an inkling to watch it. The other four are my most important ones.
 

BobO'Link

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 3, 2008
Messages
11,449
Location
Mid-South
Real Name
Howie
Just saw this version:


For a few $$ more you get UHD, BR, and UV copies of the three specials. Comments about the UHD versions aren't so good but there are the UV codes. Also - the included extras are different so that could be good or bad depending on which you prefer. This one has "Charlie Brown's All-Stars" which I prefer over the ones on the BR only set(s). FWIW, I know nothing about this one other than what's posted and the "reviews" on Amazon.
 

Chip_HT

Screenwriter
Joined
Jun 28, 2004
Messages
1,077
Real Name
Chip
I managed to get digital copies of Christmas and Halloween when they were Movies Anywhere enabled. But I noticed a while back that those designations had been removed. At least I got grandfathered in.
 

Jake Lipson

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2002
Messages
24,493
Real Name
Jake Lipson
For a few $$ more you get UHD, BR, and UV copies of the three specials.

Thanks, but that isn't an issue for me. I'd love it, but my family doesn't have plans to go 4K, so I usually only get those discs if I'm buying an exclusive steelbook or something that also has Blu-ray In it. The Blu-rays will do just fine in this case.

They will get here tomorrow.
 
Last edited:

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,599
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
Thanks for reminding me that I never redeemed my digital codes from the 2017 4K disc set that I didn't buy until early 2019. Anyhow, this evening, the 4K codes redeemed just fine across MA, Vudu and iTunes.
 

Mark-P

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
6,487
Location
Camas, WA
Real Name
Mark Probst
HA! That explains why all the digital purchase availability vanished.
It looks like Valentine and Easer Beagle are DVD only.
I was lucky enough to purchase those in 4K digitally and now I'm glad I did, because now no one can even purchase them in HD.

I know AppleTV+ is going to use the seasonal specials to drive subscriptions for now, but eventually I would think they would put them back on sale.
 
Last edited:

Jake Lipson

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2002
Messages
24,493
Real Name
Jake Lipson
They haven't for years. It's been on ABC for most of this century.

ABC began airing them in 2000. So they had them for 19 years.

That, Great Pumpkin, and Thanksgiving are the only ones that got network replay recently.

Actually, no. ABC always aired Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown in February, too, although now I'm having trouble remembering if it was on this year or not. I always watch it, but one year kind of blurs into the next, especially with regard to this screwed up defective year. I've also seen I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown and Happy New Year, Charlie Brown on ABC in recent years, although not a heavily promoted as the other new. Great Pumpkin has been paired with You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, and Thanksgiving is usually paired with a short on the Mayflower to pad it out for the hour-long slot they ran it in.
 
Last edited:

darkrock17

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
3,033
Location
Alexandria, VA
Real Name
Andrew McClure
They haven't for years. It's been on ABC for most of this century. That, Great Pumpkin, and Thanksgiving are the only ones that got network replay recently.

I got Charlie Brown Christmas mixed up with Rudolph. It's hard to keep up on who's been on what station.
 

Matt Hough

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
26,151
Location
Charlotte, NC
Real Name
Matt Hough
I haven't watched the network broadcasts in a long time. I relied on my disc collection: first on DVD, then Blu-ray, and now on 4K where I can choose to watch them widescreen or 4:3. True. Most of them were never ported over to high def. (I still have a bunch on videotape), but I can watch what I want when I want it.
 

Tony:Reynolds

Auditioning
Joined
Apr 12, 2004
Messages
10
Is The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown not going to be on this year? Can't find any information on it.
Have you watched it recently? I mean, its absolutely horrible. There's non-stop meanness and bullying throughout the whole thing. It is definitely not something kids should be watching these days. Let's just put it in the back drawer of history where it belongs.

And before anyone gets on their high horse about my opinion... I am 50 years old. I grew up watching this special every year as a kid. I loved it. But as an adult, and seeing the effects of bullying in our society, I cannot condone any children watching this show. Sorry (not sorry).
 

Mark-P

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
6,487
Location
Camas, WA
Real Name
Mark Probst

ChristopherG

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2003
Messages
3,039
Real Name
Chris
Have you watched it recently? I mean, its absolutely horrible. There's non-stop meanness and bullying throughout the whole thing. It is definitely not something kids should be watching these days. Let's just put it in the back drawer of history where it belongs.

And before anyone gets on their high horse about my opinion... I am 50 years old. I grew up watching this special every year as a kid. I loved it. But as an adult, and seeing the effects of bullying in our society, I cannot condone any children watching this show. Sorry (not sorry).
I don’t think there’s any room on that “high horse”...
 

Osato

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2001
Messages
8,182
Real Name
Tim
Just read the news. So sad.

I own the discs but I always live watching the holiday specials on tv.

Horrible.
 

JackieT

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 6, 2020
Messages
130
Real Name
Jackie
Just read the news. So sad.

I own the discs but I always live watching the holiday specials on tv.

Horrible.

A little extreme perhaps. You can still watch it for free on Apples roku or similar app.
 

Jake Lipson

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2002
Messages
24,493
Real Name
Jake Lipson
A little extreme perhaps. You can still watch it for free on Apples roku or similar app.

It's not about those of us here who stream and/or own the discs lacking access. You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. But I don't think @Osato's reaction is extreme at all. You just don't seem to understand why the rest of us think this is an issue.

The point, as I tried to explain to you yesterday, is that having these on broadcast television provides wider potential access than any streaming service. I'm guessing from the content of your posts that you probably do a lot of streaming, which is great if it is something that you like and value. But just because it's up there for free for a short window of time does not mean that it will reach the same level of audience on the streaming service that it would have had it continued to air on network television. There are people who simply don't stream, or who can't afford the equipment and/or high speed internet access required to do so. Those folks are going to lose out for the foreseeable future without making a disc purchase or rental, and that is unfortunate.

Christmas debuted in 1965, Great Pumpkin in 1966 and Thanksgiving in 1973. They have aired on network television consistently every year since, first on CBS through 1999 and then on ABC starting in 2000. This will be the first year since I've been alive that the shows are not on broadcast television. I have the discs now, so I can and will watch them at my leisure, but that is still very strange and sad. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around it. It's a big deal for them to be gone from broadcast.

I don't see any problem with Apple controlling the subscription streaming rights. But I do think it is unfortunate that they took it exclusively. I understand why they would want that, but it's too bad that the licensors chose not to grant a broadcast window as to a network as well. There is a big difference between Apple paying to produce new Peanuts content which is behind their paywall (which they do) and hoarding the existing classic specials. I'd love to know what price Apple shelled out in order to get that exclusivity.

If streaming had existed when these specials were originally made in the way that it does now, and they had never aired on broadcast television at all, they would not have had anywhere near as much cultural impact and resonance as they have enjoyed over the years as network television staples. This is a great deal for whoever accepted Apple's bid for exclusivity because they undoubtably got a whole bundle of money. But I think that it is a particularly shortsighted long-term decision for the future audience size and commercial value of the specials. If they are not on broadcast television for several years, and then the owners wish to take them out to networks again when Apple's exclusivity runs out, they might not be able to command as much. Their disappearance from network TV will have meant that the holiday season traditions of watching these specials will have bene broken as a result of their absence, and once you break a ritual it could be very difficult to bring people back to it later. So, overall I think this isa very bad move for the long-term health of the brand and the specials.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,810
Messages
5,123,592
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
1
Top