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Snoopy’s Reunion is one of many Peanuts-based television
specials. It first aired in 1991. ***
Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s hard to argue with
the fact that Peanuts has become a major part of American
pop culture. Who would have imagined that these characters,
created by Charles Schulz over 50 years ago, would remain
popular for so long? ***
Snoopy’s Reunion is one of the many countless television
specials based on the series. Having first aired in 1991,
it tells the story of Snoopy being distraught with his life,
longing for the dog family that he grew up with – so Charlie
Brown arranges for a reunion. Snoopy’s numerous Beagle relatives
pay a visit, and he is reunited with his old family. ***
I won’t argue, this is not one of the better Peanuts television
specials. It hasn’t aged as well as plenty of the classic
shorts, including the Easter Beagle and the Great Pumpkin.
However, it’s doubtful that fans of these characters are
going to be disappointed. Just don’t expect the likes of
the shorts from the days of old. ***
One complaint I have to make is th e way Warner Bros.
has been marketing these Peanuts shorts. It’s always one
short per DVD, with a bonus lesser-known short included.
What it boils down to is two shorts on a DVD. In other words,
an MSRP of $20 for UNDER AN HOUR OF CONTENT. This means
you are expected to pay for under an hour of content what
you would for a two-and-a-half-hour movie. As Charlie Brown
would say, good grief. Why can’t Warner either A) just combine
every last Peanuts television short into a set, or B) put
four or five shorts on a disc instead of two? This comes
as a major disappointment, considering Warner Bros. is usually
the company that gives viewers of their material the most
bang for their buck. ---
Image and Sound:
The production quality here is about identical to the
Easter Beagle DVD set that Warner put out a year ago. The
picture is still a bit on the grainy side, but it has been
sharpened and at least mastered slightly. They could have
done more with the picture, but I won’t complain either.
This is a Peanuts TV special, it’s not supposed to look
pristine. Audio is what you’d expect, nothing more and nothing
less. It gets the job done. All in all, a decent presentation.
Not a revelation, but no real complaints either. ---
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| Special
Features: |
The standard Peanuts TV special supplements – a bonus
TV spe cial, and a featurette. For the bonus TV special,
It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown is included. This is a Peanuts
parody of “dance” movies, including Saturday Night Fever
and Flashdance. For the featurette, there is a voice cast
reunion, which was an interesting view even if it was a
bit on the short side. Now if only Warner would start including
more of the TV specials on each disc they put out…
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