It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

1966 "Every year he rises from the pumpkin patch..."
8.2| 0h30m| G| en
Details

Join the Peanuts gang for a timeless adventure as Charlie Brown preps for a party, Snoopy sets his sights on the Red Baron, and Linus patiently awaits a pumpkin patch miracle.

Director

Producted By

Lee Mendelson Film Productions

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Reviews

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.
PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Mr-Fusion A few stray observations about "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown": 1. Who actually hands out rocks on Beggar's Night? Or maybe these people know Charlie Brown's coming and harvest rocks just for him. That'd lend a sadistic edge to this story.2. Every year, maybe, just maybe, ol' Chuck *won't* fall for Lucy's football scam. I can't speak for anyone else, but I find myself thinking this every time.Either way, this special is essential to a good family Halloween, what with its wholesome message about believing in something. It's rewarding, no matter how many Octobers have passed. Combine this with Vince Guaraldi's first-rate score and an infusion of warm Fall colors, and this thing's a keeper.7/10
Hitchcoc Linus is the eternal optimist. Charlie Brown the eternal pessimist. In this feature, Linus gets center stage. Who knows where this supposed legend of the Great Pumpkin emerging in the pumpkin patch and bringing gifts. It is a kind of convoluted Christmas story (at Halloween) with the same kinds of promises but without the religious implications. Of course, sitting there means that you don't go trick-or-treating with the other kids (though our Charlie ends up with a bag of rocks instead of candy), and so one must take a leap of faith. Sally, who loves Linus, is brought into the fold with dire consequences. This is a nice take on the myth born of Charles Schultz. Where did he come up with the story? We don't know, but the whole Peanuts gang ends up affected by it.
mrturk182 Like the Charlie Brown Christmas special one year earlier, this special also centers itself around a national holiday. This time, it's Halloween. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is one of my favorite TV specials ever, because it's a lot more comedic. You know how during some holidays, adults pass on to kids stories about these imaginary characters that give gifts to good kids (like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny), and they make them believe that those imaginary characters actually exist? Have your parents made you believe that there's a Great Pumpkin that gives toys to good kids every Halloween? No, they never did that. No one does that. That's not how Halloween works for kids. Every Halloween, kids dress themselves up in costumes, go around the neighborhood, and receive candy from their neighbors. Linus, on the other hand, made himself believe that there's a Great Pumpkin that gives toys to good kids every Halloween. So this special features him waiting out in a pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin. That's the thing that makes this a great special, because it sets him up for the hilarious outcome when the Great Pumpkin never appears. In the Peanuts universe, Halloween is the only day of the year where one of the kids is a bigger fool than Charlie Brown. And all he got is rocks.
ExplorerDS6789 I think the above quote can sum this special nicely. I mean, it wouldn't feel like the holidays without the Peanuts, and I'm sure you are all familiar with this one. This half-hour of classic Halloween fun begins with Lucy and Linus marching into the local pumpkin patch and selecting a nice, big one, which Linus is forced to carry home, or rather roll home with him on it. Once they get it home, the boy is dismayed that Lucy hadn't told him beforehand that she was going to "kill it." The next day, Linus "helps" Charlie Brown and Snoopy rake leaves, then Lucy tries to entice Charlie Brown to kick the football. He doesn't want to fall for it...literally, but then Lucy presents him with a signed document that states she won't pull the ball away again. Chuck surprisingly believes her and tries for a running kick, and predictably falls flat on his back, because apparently the signed document wasn't notarized. Sheesh, how do these guys put up with her? After that, Linus writes a letter to the Great Pumpkin, the Halloween equivalent of Santa Claus, apparently. His friends all balk at this concept, but Linus remains confident. He's sure GP will rise out of the pumpkin patch and gives presents. So come Halloween night, the gang is all dressed up, including Charlie Brown as a Swiss-cheese ghost, and Linus sits in the patch, and waits. He convinces Sally to wait with him, so she misses out on her first trick-or-treat outing to wait with Linus.Snoopy, dressed as a WWI flying ace, has an interesting adventure as the Red Baron shoots down his dog house, leaving him stranded behind enemy lines. While he manages to avoid detection, the kids finish up trick or treating and find they had a successful run...except Charlie Brown who only received rocks. Then it's on to Violet's Halloween party, to which Charlie Brown was surprisingly invited, mainly so he could model for a jack-o-lantern. Snoopy crashes the party, then ventures out to the pumpkin patch. Linus predictably assumes him to be the Great Pumpkin and faints. Sally is furious at being cheated out of "tricks or treats", berates Linus by saying he owns her restitution and leaves with the others. Always the optimist, Linus continues to wait well into the night. At 4:00, Lucy finds her half-frozen brother asleep in the pumpkin patch and brings him inside. Say, where are these kids' parents anyway? So has Linus learned anything from this experience? Maybe that the pumpkin patch in which he waited wasn't sincere enough, and he vows to try again next year, and every year until the Great Pumpkin finally shows up.Classic. I watch it every Halloween, and I believe you all should too. You know what I think makes this such a timeless piece that can be rebroadcast every year? Just that: it's timeless. You could watch it in 1966 or 2013 and it would still fit. Most animated specials today are loaded with cultural references and crude humor, which turn off their audiences and date themselves horribly. The Peanuts specials never did that, they respected their audiences and were genuine. What makes this work is that it's for ANYBODY at ANY TIME. Again, in 1966, 2013 or even in 3066, people will still be enjoying this special, as it's aimed at the kid in all of us. Another Halloween has come and gone, but I still urge you to see It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown...even though this special was more about Linus than CB. Another interesting observation: in the Christmas special, it was established that Linus knows the true meaning of the season, and he apparently doesn't believe in Santa as referenced in the dialog, yet he believes in the Great Pumpkin. But then he IS just a kid.