Sorry, this movie sucks

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

...but now that I think about it, it's one of the only Halloween specials I can think of as well!The Charlie Brown specials vary in quality quite a bit, though in general I think that the older ones are the best. One of the first, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is about the best and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" about the second best. I say second because in one way the previous installment was better--it was more poignant and deep. Their Halloween special is simply fun...although I remember as a young child having my heart break for poor Charlie Brown when folks kept giving him rocks on Halloween while Trick-or- Treating. Overall, well made, really neat animation and a lot of fun. This one is a classic and is worth seeing with your family year after year...after year.

Sadly, once again, it has been butchered through video-editing in order to stick in more unwanted commercials at the expense of deleting what should be considered just as vital a scene as the rest of the episode. Namely, the comic relief segment where Snoopy is dancing to all those World War I ditties as played by Schroeder and his toy piano!Hence, my deduction of one star.Even when I was a little kid, watching this in the late Sixties, I always found Snoopy's WWI fantasy a little bit creepier than the opening credits. Perhaps because of that haunting flute music by the late, great Vince Guaraldi and his jazz ensemble. I still enjoyed the main plot line, however. Including the bittersweet scenes where each house Charlie Brown stops at seems to be occupied by an officer of the Fashion Police...who consequently award him a rock for his badly cut costume.It's a pity this couldn't get the same on-air fuss as last year's Golden Anniversary telecast of A CHARLIE BROWN Christmas. But, I suppose that was due to the latter being the trend-setter. So, instead, I'll content myself with the hope that the encore telecast of this special (which, according to my research through the local on-line listings, will be Oct. 27) will have _all_ the footage restored.If so, be sure to tune in everyone. And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween is approaching and Linus is convinced that the Great Pumpkin is coming. His sister Lucy is infuriated with him. Even Charlie Brown doesn't believe him. Snoopy laughs at him. Charlie Brown's sister Sally adores Linus and willingly waits with him at the pumpkin patch instead of going on her first trick-or-treating. Charlie Brown is excited to be invited to a party for the first time in his life. Everybody is going to Violet's party after trick-or-treating. Snoopy is his imaginary WWI flying ace alter-ego. Sally's rant at the end is both adorable and hilarious. This is such a sweet Charlie Brown special. It's missing the big compelling message of the Christmas special. Nevertheless, this is just a fun charming Halloween tradition.

Third animated special based on the cartoon strips of Charles M. Schulz is also the best, a fondly remembered and still quite popular tale about how Linus decides to forgo trick or treating with his friends to stay in the pumpkin patch to get presents from the Great Pumpkin, a legendary figure who is quite similar to Santa Claus. Meanwhile, poor Charlie Brown gets only rocks in his bag, and mistakenly invited to Violet's Halloween party, where Lucy uses his head as a pumpkin model! Sally's love for Linus is also tested, and Snoopy becomes a WWI flying Ace. Wonderful tale has a distinct Halloween feel to it, and is also both funny and even spooky. A perennial holiday favorite.