Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales (2002 TV Short) User Reviews (19)

Sufficient Peanuts Entertainment

[travisimo · 7/10 · 14 December 2003]

I saw this last night on ABC after 1965's Charlie Brown Christmas, so it may be unfair to compare the two, but I will anyway! This special is far from the 1965 classic simply because it really doesn't stand out. The 1965 version tackled issues like commercialization and what Christmas is really all about. This special simply has different segments devoted to different characters (Lucy, Sally, etc) around Christmastime. Don't get me wrong, this special is cute, generates some good laughs (I liked Linus's infatuation with the weird girl that sits behind him), and sticks to the Peanuts formula. It's just not a groundbreaking special, and I doubt it will really ever stand out. It's worth the 30 minutes though, and if you're a Peanuts fan, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

My IMDb rating: 7/10

Nice Little Peanuts Shorts

[dsp21953 · 8/10 · 25 December 2009]

I have noticed that a few people gave these "Peanuts Christmas Shorts" bad reviews. Perhaps far too many people compare this to "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Granted, I will say of all the Peanuts specials "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was the best of the bunch. However, each of the Peanuts Holiday specials were good in their own way, this one is no exception. Depite the fact Charles Schulz had since passed away when this debuted, I want to thank Mr. Schulz for the Peanuts Gang. It just would not be Christmas without Charlie Brown, the world's favorite underdog, and the rest of the Peanuts gang. I most certainly will not end this review without Snoopy, his short is the best of the bunch. Lucy, Linus, Sally, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy offer their takes on Christmas. As usual it is Snoopy who steals the show. Charles Schulz, Christmas just would not be the same if it wasn't for you. Thank you so very much for Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and all the Peanuts gang.

watchable disjointed vignettes

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 18 August 2015]

It's 18 minutes. It's a series of Christmas theme vignettes without a continuous story. It's disjointed but it's still watchable. In the end, this is like a TV version of the newspaper comic strips. It has its charms but it doesn't last like the classic Christmas special. The most notable things are the side characters. Linus meets a mysterious girl who calls herself Jezebel and then proceeds to keep changing her name. I think that character has lots of potential. On the other hand, Sally has a fight with an angry kid over a small Christmas tree. The kid is off-putting and doesn't really fit the Peanuts style. It also pales in comparison with the iconic Charlie Brown tree. This is a functional Christmas special but it's nowhere near the classic.

A cute and simple special

[mitsubishizero · 7/10 · 20 May 2019]

I can understand why some people don't like it but for what it is I think it's pretty decent. The special's basically an anthology of shorts focusing on how some of our beloved Peanuts characters celebrate the holidays. The first one focuses on Snoopy ice skating then working as a Santa as a side hustle. While doing his job he gets confronted by 'Rerun' van Pelt about the presents he asked for last year yet never received causing Snoopy to quickly chastise him. The short ends with him accidentally kicking snow at the Cat Next Door and having his tree house nearly destroyed as result.

The next story focuses on Linus writing a letter to Santa requesting he not visit him this year. While in school he tries to get the address of a girl who keeps changing her name which leads to several incidents such as getting sent to the principals office for an outburst after getting frustrated by her for refusing to give him her address so he can send her a card. She gives it to him only to find out it's the wrong one. When asked why he deals with her he replies "She fascinates me". The next story focuses on Sally trying to find a Christmas tree which she comes across in some mean kid's yard. The mean kid lets her have the tree after it falls down which she calls a "Christmas miracle". They then go back and forth over who actually owns the tree which ends with Sally keeping it as a gift. Much to Snoopy's dismay as he has to put the decorations back on.

There're 2 more shorts but I think i'll stop here. It may not be as great as A Charlie Brown Christmas but it's still nice and entertaining in its own right. The animation's clean, the stories are cute, simple and hilarious and the characters are enjoyable to watch. It's interesting to see how they react to the holidays. I really wish they'd make more like them in the future this time focusing on Woodstock, Franklin, Peppermint Patty, Marcie and 'Rerun' and how they react to the holidays. The possibilities are endless. It may not be a classic but it's still enjoyable. If you have little kids or are a fan of the Peanuts than you'll like this.

The Comic Strip if it was Animated: Carefree and Fun

[KinoBuff2021 · 7/10 · 21 January 2023]

This was a pretty good special. The Peanuts gang feels natural and at home in this special. I know this animated special was largely inspired by original Peanuts comic strips written by Charles M. Schulz not just because I read so, but because you can just see the original strips coming to life as the music and characters be themselves. Cute but clever.

I think that while many might know about this special, it may be a hidden gem for later generations or even earlier generations who remained negligent of the Peanuts animated specials since the early 1970s.

It's truly worth a watch especially when watching the original 1965 Christmas special!

Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales is another enjoyable Peanuts holiday special

[tavm · 8/10 · 15 December 2009]

Just watched this, the third of four Peanuts animated specials after "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown" but before "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown", on ABC after the classic first one, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" came on. Done and first aired after the untimely death of creator Charles Schulz, it took some of his comic strip vignettes and compiled them for this show. What we get is Lucy trying to get a skating partner with the only choices between Snoopy and Schroeder. Guess who she wants? Next, Linus has a crush on a classmate who keeps changing her name. Then, Sally grabs a Christmas tree that falls down in a neighbor's yard which she only did because that neighbor kid said it's hers if it did so. Watch the cartoon if you want to find out what happens. There's other situations but I'll just say this was quite funny and is a fine tribute to the man long known as Sparky. Also, the late Vince Guaraldi's music is excellently interpreted by David Benoit here. So on that note, Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales is highly recommended.

Short review for short stories

[Angels_Review · 6/10 · 11 March 2014]

This was actually lumped in with the Charlie Brown Christmas though it was way different then the other. This one had a bunch of little tales that all went with Christmas. They were all very cute no matter what though, and I had to smile at most of the small clips. These were made more like the comics where they could probably fit mostly into a 4 panel strip. My favorite part was when Sally gets Santa Clause's name wrong and when she hangs up all her socks for Santa to put presents in.

The animation was actually really refreshing since it was made in 2002 but had the same feeling as the old ones though. I love how they didn't end up leaving that main feeling you get when watching them.

The voices are as close as anyone could get for the characters but it lost a slight bit of the overall feeling. I don't know but they seem to of lost a little of that flare they had before with the new voices.

Not the best Christmas from the Peanut gang but still

[Terryfan · 8/10 · 20 December 2015]

Now I am a long time of the Peanut Gang because they are part of my childhood it's just never can't go wrong with Snoopy, Charlie Brown and all of your favorite Peanut Characters

While this might not be as strong as the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas but it has a appeal to it.

This Christmas special features the Peanut Gang in five different stories all in one which you have to watch to understand

But each one is center around Christmas some can be foolish others can be enjoyable

The Animation is pretty good for the Peanuts can always be counted on for smooth animation

The voice acting is decent because it's not easy to consider it one of the gang best works

However if you're a Peanuts fan you'll enjoy the film because it still has what made them great to begin with.

It will also be good for the whole family to watch

I give Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales an 8 out of 10

You MUST be kidding me!!!!!!!!

[PeskyBear511 · 1/10 · 8 December 2008]

I have loads of trouble believing that Charles "Sparky" Schultz signed off on this let ALONE wrote it! For those of us who grew up on Peanuts characters, both the specials and the comic strip, this bears very little resemblance other than the characters look relatively the same. You need look not further than some of the quotations posted on the quotations page for this show.

Lucy Van Pelt (to Schroeder): You know why I don't want you to get me anything for Christmas? Because I know you hate me.

Lucy Van Pelt (to Linus): You have to give me a Christmas present. It says so in the Bible.

In one scene, Sally steals a tree out of another kids yard. When he confronts her and they have words, she calls him "ugly". Then she later returns the tree, dismissing her theft as a "misunderstanding".

Please do not "misunderstand" ME here. I realise this is not 1965 any longer. And no, people don't like their icons being messed with. I get that. But the original Christmas special is a classic because it addresses issues we all contend with during the holidays, from commercialism, to greed, to loneliness and disaffection, to matters of spirituality. And it does so in a way that both children and adults can understand. When someone is mean to Charlie Brown, you feel the despair he feels. There are no actual arguments, and other than the term "blockhead" (which I have never heard anyone use even in real life), no one says anything mean. Words like "hate" are never used. No one ever "steals" ANYTHING. And it certainly never perverts the Biblical message.

Children (and most adults) parrot what they see on TV. Are these the values that we wish to be teaching our children? That it's okay to steal and then call people names? That, if you don't hate me then you should be buying me something to prove that you don't hate me? I know our values as a society have gone askew, but is THIS the they way we wish to teach our children to behave? Do we not have nearly enough negative images for those who are very impressionable to sink their teeth into? To this I can only say, "OH GOOD GRIEF!!!!!!!!"

Not The Best Christmas Special, but its still fun to watch the Peanuts gang

[moviemattb · 8/10 · 18 December 2014]

I have always been a fan of the Peanuts gang, and my favorites are both Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy. With that said, "Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales" doesn't have a plot but it only contains each plot of their own in five segments; it seems to me that they took five stories that were from the comic strip, and being thrown into a Christmas special. The animation is always good as some of the other Peanuts special; it is also really nice to see some of your favorite characters to be on this special and I really do enjoy for these segments so no need to go into detail about that. Overall, its not the best Christmas special, but its still fun to watch the Peanuts gang. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is definitely the best Christmas special which I will get to that later after I talked about another good Christmas special by the Peanuts gang, and that is "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown." I give "Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales" an 8 out of 10.

Not the original, not even close

[snapeing_turtle · 4/10 · 6 December 2005]

This was pretty bad. There was no overall story like in the original special. It was basically animated vignettes from the daily comic strip. It had no structure really, no theme, just little shorts strung together to make a "movie". And I won't even go into how inferior the voicing was compared to the original.

It isn't terrible...it is just a bad one to show after the original. It is cute and would probably entertain the kids, but it really isn't for the whole family like the first one was. (do I seem a little biased toward the original? Yes?) Go ahead and watch this one, but don't expect the charm of the original.

Great

[Soliantu · 10/10 · 8 November 2003]

I believe this is the Charlie Brown I'm thinking about.

Last year (2002), There was a new Charlie Brown Christmas movie on. This amazed me because Charles Schultz had retired the characters with him. I guess he had made this before he died because the writing credits are credited to him. I had taped this special but can't find where I taped it, hopefully I'll find it, otherwise I hope they sell t.

It was a very nice special, this must have been it because it's dated 2002. If it's on again this year, everyone should watch it!

Enjoyable Peanuts yuletide TV special

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 24 December 2010]

A series of Noel vignettes with the Peanuts gang: Snoopy works as a bell-ringer to raise money and tries to make peace with the ferocious cat who lives next door, Linus develops a crush on a weird classmate in school and makes faltering efforts to write an appropriate letter to Santa Claus, Lucy attempts to be nice, but still tries to convince everyone to buy her presents for Christmas, and Charlie Brown and his sister Sally stay up late to see Santa Claus. Granted, this show doesn't have the warmth or resonance of the classic 1965 TV special, but it does possess a certain sweet charm and an innocuous sense of good-natured humor that's impossible to either resist or dislike. Best gags: Sally takes a Christmas tree from a local kid's yard after it falls down (she doesn't know how to cut said tree down!) and Snoopy making off with a plate full of cookies while dressed as Santa Claus. The smooth animation does the trick while the pleasantly bouncy and melodic light jazz score by Vince Guaraldi and David Benoit keeps things bubbling along throughout. A nice lightweight diversion.

Yeah....No

[utgard14 · 4/10 · 23 December 2013]

Sorry but this is the pits. Where is the charm? Where is the humor? I suppose there were attempts at laughs here but it all just fell flat. I didn't laugh or smile once. Don't even get me started on the voicework. Not one character sounded like they had a genuine personality. They all sounded fake. Especially the newer kids. The classic ones felt like pale imitations of the characters I grew up with. I appreciate the effort to bring Peanuts to a new generation. But half-hearted efforts like this do more harm than good. The Peanuts specials from the '60s and '70s hold up pretty darn well, if you ask me. They certainly outclass dreck like this by a mile.

Cute Film - Adorable!

[Rainey-Dawn · 9/10 · 23 November 2016]

The voices are spot on - so much like the original cast of the 60s and 70s Peanuts shorts. What's not to love?!

This one is a series of short cartoons that feature a particular character per short instead of one long story like other Peanuts films we are all too familiar with.

The film is very much in the spirit of the originals!! This is definitely worth watching - I enjoyed it very much.

9/10.

Unfunny. Sours the Peanuts Legacy

[iquine · 3/10 · 28 December 2017]

(Flash Review)

This is a series of vignettes, all of which lack charm and kindness. I feel this actually teaches kids what not to do as the final story wrap up was too subtle or non-existent. I cringed at the writing far more than laughing. There may have a been a couple stupid gags but I felt the message for the kids audience was way off the mark. Go find some old original Peanuts cartoons over this. Avoid.

Strange

[jkrempelinsac · 2/10 · 21 December 2018]

The voices are so off from the original that it's hard to watch. There is no story line & the color & blurry animation is very distracting.

Several stories in this one

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 16 December 2015]

"Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales" is a television short film from the early 2000s and somewhat different compared to other Peanuts short films. First of all, there are several short films in here that all have no connection to each other, apart from the Christmas reference. Also this one only runs for 17 minutes, which is a bit shorter than they usually do. This was one of the first Peanuts short films that were made after the death of writer Charles M. Schulz. The voice actors in here have appeared in live action projects as well and that's also a difference, especially compared to the early days of Charlie Brown and company, where most of the kids never appeared on anything else. Still, none of them are famous like Taylor Lautner or Fergie for example. At least I am not familiar with any of the names. And, all in all, I think this is among the weaker Peanuts films. They recycled many references from old films for traditional purposes, but the new aspects aren't too memorable. Snoopy in Santa outfit is fun though. Sadly, the stories are not. Not recommended. Maybe watch the new Peanuts theatrical release instead.

If I could give zero stars, I would

[marrowmovies · 1/10 · 24 December 2018]

This was absolutely unwatchable. How does it have over 7 stars? This is NOTHING like the Peanuts characters I grew up watching and is frankly insulting to any true Peanuts fan. And when did Peanuts characters start quoting the Bible? Was I watching the wrong show? Awful.