smcguire

I've been meaning to post an update this thread for some time.

The new DVDs of "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" and "Snoopy Come Home" are anamorphic widescreen.

The downside to this is the VHS releases (and UK DVD of SCH) were fullframe - which means the new Paramount DVDs actually have less picture in them, because some of the top and bottom have been removed). However, the DVDs are likely more accurate representations of how the films appeared in the theater.

The best news is that the "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" DVD does use the longer, 85-minute edit of the film, so there are about 6 minutes of footage that haven't been on any of the previous home video releases (although there aren't many new scenes, mostly it's just longer versions of scenes that were already there).

The transfers, while not pristine, are a big improvement over the VHS transfers and the UK DVD of "Snoopy Come Home." They're cleaner, sharper, and have better color.

Since these DVDs are going for about $10 each, I'd definitely recommend them.

--Scott McGuire
Peanuts TV Page - http://web.mit.edu/smcguire/www/peanuts-tv.html

Rogue588

And giving some as gifts...

Michael Corvin

There is also another release in the work.

This is America Charlie Brown with 8 features on it. Due on June 13th.

More Info

Rypro 525

hopefully, race for your life (which plays on hbo family all the time) and bon voyage are on their way.

TheNightFlier

Good to see them finally come out. Like many others, hoping Bon Voyage and Race For Your Life are soon to follow.

Alan Smithee

I have the old CED videodisc of Boy Named Charlie Brown and it's definitely cropped- lots of words are cut off. I don't suppose they left in the old Cinema Center Films opening on the DVD, or included the Spanish track that's on the CED?

Super Leviathan

"There is also another release in the work.

Good, Hopefully this means PAramount has learned its leaasson and is beginning to put out some Decent Peanut's DVD's

Also, How "unprisitne" are the Peanuts's movies?

smcguire

The old Cinema Center Films opening is included on both DVDs.

Neither has a Spanish track - no foreign language tracks at all - nor are there any subtitles, not even English.

The cropped words you're referring to in "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" (most noticeable in the "I before E" song) are a bit of a puzzle. All the research I've done suggests they were cropped on the left and right like that to begin with, odd as that seems. And they're chopped off in the new DVD, as they were in the Laserdisc and VHS releases. It's just that now some of the top and bottom is "cropped" too.

smcguire

"Snoopy Come Home" looks quite good - just the odd dust speck or smudge here and there, most of the movie looks excellent.

Unfortunately, "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" is a little disappointing. While as I said it's got nice bright colors and it's sharp, there's dust and sparkle all over it, some scratches, and a couple scenes with minor print damage. It looks like little, if any, cleanup was attempted. I tried not to be too critical, but ultimately I found it slightly distracting.

But despite the flaws, the DVD vesion of "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" is definitely preferable to the dull (and edited) VHS release, in my opinion. The sound is quite a bit better too. (I've never seen the CED or Laserdisc versions of "A Boy Named Charlie Brown," so I can't say how it compares to them.)