DVD Review: You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown Deluxe Edition

Movie Info:
Writer: Charles M. Schulz
Directors: Bill Melendez
Cast: Chad Webber, Robin Kohn, Stephen Shea, Hilary Momberge, Todd Barbee, Linda Ercoli, Bill Melendez
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video

Release Info:
Original Release: October 29, 1972
DVD Release Date: October 7, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $13.99

Yet another Charlie Brown special is being released. It’s safe to say that 2008 is the year of the Charlie Brown DVD. With recent releases of It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and The Charlie Brown Holiday Collection, it only seems fitting that You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown should be Warner Home Video’s latest release. It is an election year, after all. What better way to celebrate that then with Charlie Brown and the gang?

We’re a Charlie Brown family. I don’t think any of us have ever seen You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown though. We own all of the holiday specials, so this is a nice addition to our collection. I think you’ll find that while this isn’t as spectacular as your favorite holiday special (such as Christmas or Thanksgiving), this does have a typical Peanuts formula, making it more than enjoyable for the entire family. This is probably because You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown was made back in 1972. I’ve found I much prefer the older Peanuts animated features to the newly made ones. That’s just my personal preference.

With the election so crucial this year, I believe it is important for children to understand the election process. This month, we’ve been offering plenty of presidential themed units, DVD time for president-friendly titles, such as the John Adams Chronicles, and worksheets to help our son better understand the election process during his daily homeschool (our son is autistic – which is part of why we homeschool him). You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown is just another way to teach him about elections, with the Peanuts gang there to guide our entire family through the class election for president, which Linus has entered.

Even if you don’t want your kids to watch this for its educational value, the entire family is going to enjoy watching You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown. It’s hard not to feel bad for Charlie Brown, who is constantly picked on, as he serves as Linus’ campaign manager. It’s also realistic to think that Linus could be mimicking some of the officials we’ve elected or who have wanted to be elected, as they make plenty of promises, just to get voted into office. The life lessons learned in this DVD are as important as the educational lessons. That’s why I’m so glad I got the chance to review You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown.

You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown Plot
There are actually two specials/episodes included on the You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown DVD. The first is the title special. The second is a bonus episode. Nearly all of the Peanuts DVDs have bonus episodes/specials on them. The bonus for You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown is the recently made He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown.

You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown is about 25 minutes long. The story revolves around Linus who is running for class president. Linus is working with Charlie Brown and Lucy, who are his campaign managers. While Linus’ election seems to be going great, he’s happy, enthusiastic and positive, he starts to spread the word about the Great Pumpkin. Charlie Brown believes this is political suicide and is certain that Linus is going to lose.

What it all comes down to is the vote of Linus’ opponent, Russell Anderson. Linus ends up winning it all when Russell thinks about it and realizes Linus is a better choice for president. Despite all that Great Pumpkin nonsense, Linus manages to win. He’s ready to take on the school and the principal. However, once he leaves the principal’s office, he’s changed. He’s realized that even as president, he doesn’t have any say when it comes to the faculty.

This is the first Peanuts animated feature to show Snoopy as Joe Cool. As “Joe”, Snoopy is his usual, vivacious self as he goes to school, only to be kicked out once they realize he’s a dog. This is also one of the first Peanuts specials to feature Woodstock as Snoopy’s little sidekick.

There are two very special things about He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown. First, Sparky Schultz was working on the concept for this special when he died in 2000. It was based on a comic strip he ran for Peanuts in 1995. Secondly, this is the last time Bill Melendez voiced Snoopy. Melendez died just last month. He was a great talent who provided the voice of Snoopy from the very beginning through all the specials.

In He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty is stuck at Summer School, while the rest of the gang heads to summer camp. Before leaving for camp, Linus’ little brother, Rerun, finds their grandpa, Felix’s marbles in the attic. He decides he wants to be a marble champ, just like his grandpa. At camp, a boy named Joe Agate steals all of Rerun’s marbles, by pretending to help him learn to play the game.

At home, Peppermint Patty is convinced that Charlie Brown is in love with Marcie. When the two head off to camp together, she’s certain that he is Marcie’s man. Marcie adds flames to the fire by letting her think that, but Charlie is too busy for romance. He goes to Snoopy (Joe Cool) and asks him to teach him to play marbles. Snoopy complies and he becomes so good at it, he’s able to win Rerun’s marbles back.

Peppermint Patty has decided she’s heading to camp. She comes up with a plan to interrupt the two lovebirds when she catches them red-handed. Of course, everyone is so nervous about the big tournament between Charlie Brown and Joe there really isn’t much romance going on at camp!

While not as good as most Peanuts specials, this is still fun to watch. It’s not going to be legendary like the holiday specials, but definitely is worth watching and your kids are sure to love it.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
For those who don’t already know this, You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown is newly remastered and looking better than ever. While the color palette is much brighter and cleaner than earlier releases, it isn’t 100% perfect. Considering the age of You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown this is to be expected. The sharper, clearer image on a 1.33:1 aspect ratio in standard full frames is a lot better than I imagined it would be. Fans of this special will be pleased by how good this looks!

The English Dolby Digital mono track comes through with a clear, consistent sound. While I much prefer the more dynamic, 5.1 tracks, this track isn’t bad. Everything can be heard consistently. Music and dialogue don’t overlap in a way that affects hearing. The volume doesn’t need to be toggled. The sound is actually great despite not being as dynamic as newer tracks. Mono tracks are also available in Japanese and Portuguese. Subtitles for this DVD come in the following languages: English, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The creators of this DVD and Warner Home Video have whipped up another great bonus for this DVD. While there aren’t many, what is here is worth its weight in gold. The You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown Bonus Section starts with a making of featurette for this special. If you’ve purchased other remastered DVDs for Peanuts specials recently, you’d know a making of featurette has been on every single one of them. These are amongst the most interesting of making ofs I’ve seen, which makes them worth watching.

This making of is called “The Polls Don’t Lie: The Making of You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown“. Like similar making ofs for this franchise, there are interviews with Bill Melendez (director and voice of Snoopy who died just last month), producer Lee Mendelson, animator Phil Roman, and Charles “Sparky” Schultz’s wife, Jeannie. This making of also features Scott McGuire (a Peanuts historian), Hilary Momberger (the voice of Sally Brown for this and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving), and Todd Barbie (the voice of Russell in this and Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, as well as other Peanuts titles).

The cool thing about this is that You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown really isn’t dated. Elections work the same way. All of those who were interviewed for this making of feature talk about the political process and how elections work, the importance of politics, the vision for You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown and comparisons to the 1964 strip with a similar theme, that was made by Schultz. Overall, some very interesting content is available in this featurette, which lasts around 12 minutes.

The bonus episode <em>He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown</em> is also a part of the bonus features, but I’ve listed information on this above in the plot section.

Finally, there are some trailers. There are trailers for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King, Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume 6, and The Smurfs: Season One, Volume Two.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
If you have kids of any age, pick up your copy of You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown, now that it’s available. You can watch this as a family and enjoy a new chapter in the Peanuts story. With the upcoming election, this can be used as a tool to teach your children about the election process or it can just be watched for the fun of it. Either way, adults and children will love spending time together catching up on the latest adventures of Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang. This DVD is highly recommended.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown, Deluxe Edition, DVD Review, Warner Home Video, Charles Schultz, Snoopy, Cartoon

Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.