The Charlie Brown franchise has some of the most timeless pieces of television and film media of all time. Made in 1966, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” by Charles M. Schulz captures, in essence, what Halloween feels like as a young kid. Even though the twenty-minute film has no greater plot than Linus waiting in a pumpkin patch for the anticipated arrival of the “Great Pumpkin,” a Santa Claus sort of entity, it’s amazing how this piece reaches the hearts of all audiences.
On the couch next to my mom, who had to rewind the film because she’d already started it, I was reminded that the best Halloween movies don’t have to be horrors; especially as the chilly season calls for warm sentiments.
The characters all dress up as ghosts using bed sheets. Pigpen thinks he’ll be able to conceal his identity and fool his friends, but the infamous trail of dirt still clouds his figure on top of the costume. After visiting various homes for “tricks or treats,” the friends go around saying what they got:
“I got five pieces of candy!”
“I got a chocolate bar!”
“I got a quarter!”
Then, Charlie Brown: “I got a rock.”
There are plenty of wholesome bits scattered throughout the short film, though my personal favorite is Linus’ interaction with Sally, Charlie Brown’s little sister, who he has a crush on.
Schulz scribbles red pencil over Linus’ face, making clear strokes to illustrate his intense blush. The same warm pencil strokes are used to show anger, scribbles of gray are angerish fog, and gusts of wind are swirling illustrations.
It wouldn’t be Charlie Brown if there weren’t Snoopy cameos, and in this piece especially, the audience is treated to the sounds of both giggles and tears. Snoopy dresses as a World War One pilot for Halloween and gets more and more into character throughout the film.
Despite its childish nature, the sweet world of Peanuts brings copious amounts of joy within its brief twenty-minute duration. In the early days of anticipated seasonal depression, there’s nothing like Charlie Brown to make us forget that we’re down on Earth. If you have twenty minutes on a chilly night, make some tea and watch this before Halloween!