Happy New Year, Charlie Brown

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Note: It has been established that this film has been disliked by fans due to its qualities, it may not be one of the worst movies of all time, but it is not the best either.

Even for a beloved gang of unique individuals, this has got to be one of their lowest points.

Happy Near Year, Charlie Brown is a 1986 animated holiday film in the Charlie Brown series, it is the chronological sequel to A Charlie Brown Christmas and is overall the 30th film in the Charlie Brown series.

Summary

Charlie Brown is tasked with writing a book report on "War and Peace" while also trying to attend Peppermint Patty's party to dance with Heather, the Little Red-Haired Girl.

Why the New Year Got Ruined

  1. The primary problem with this movie is its absence of the creative and enjoyable charm found in its predecessors. Instead, it is replete with tedious and unintelligent filler, culminating in a highly predictable and offensively cruel conclusion.
  2. A film that suffers from lazy writing is one issue, but this particular movie also represents a rare instance in the series where Charlie Brown's unfortunate role is excessively amplified, perhaps to its most extreme. This is especially evident in this film, as he endures an inordinate amount of mistreatment and ridicule, seemingly for the sake of cheap humor, most notably in the conclusion.
    • Indeed, in contrast to earlier films, this one seems to excessively portray Charlie Brown in a negative light, subjecting him to undue hardship. It reaches a point where he endures considerable trouble despite not doing anything to justify such treatment. Additionally, he faces significant guilt-tripping from Lucy, Peppermint Patty, and even Sally towards the film's conclusion, which is both unwarranted and unacceptable.
      • It's a common theme for Charlie Brown to be mistreated or to suffer in his films, such as "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," and most notably, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Typically, despite the hardships, Charlie Brown prevails in the end. However, in this instance, it seems that poor Charlie Brown ends up losing, as if he hasn't already endured enough.
    • Many issues arise from the comic's narrative that the special adapts and its execution. In the original tale, Charlie Brown's class is tasked with reading "Gulliver's Travels" and writing a report over the holiday break. Charlie Brown's end-of-story distress serves as retribution for his reluctance to allocate time during his Christmas vacation for schoolwork, choosing instead to procrastinate until the last moment to begin reading the book. Conversely, the special switches the assignment to "War and Peace," suggests Charlie Brown is the sole student with this task, omits his intentional delay of the assignment, and introduces extra elements solely to compound his misery.
  3. The title is somewhat misleading for two reasons:
    • Although the film's theme is centered around New Year's, its significance only emerges towards the end, with the majority of the narrative focusing on Charlie Brown being mistreated because of his assignment.
    • On both versions of the VHS covers, Charlie Brown is depicted as happy and enjoying himself, which contrasts with the film's portrayal of him being overwhelmed, depressed, and struggling with his homework throughout the entire film.
  4. The opening scene at school leaves a very poor first impression. Initially, Charlie Brown is elated with the prospect of one minute remaining in school and no homework, only to be blindsided by a teacher assigning a last-minute homework task to read the novel "War and Peace." This moment is particularly exasperating because it occurs with just one minute of class time left, making the unexpected assignment feel like an unfair tactic.
    • Also, the selection of "War and Peace" as an assignment is quite peculiar, considering the novel's complexity is typically suited for high school students rather than those in elementary school.
  5. This film stands out in the series as one where Charlie Brown's friends, except for Marcie, merely fill space without contributing meaningfully. They do nothing but annoy or mistreat Charlie Brown, with Linus being the most notable offender. Not even during the New Year's celebration do they make an effort to locate Charlie Brown.
    • In this instance, Snoopy and Woodstock are portrayed in a rare unlikable manner, as they mock Charlie Brown before New Year's. This behavior is particularly out-of-character for Snoopy, given that he is supposed to be Charlie Brown's loyal pet.
  6. Although the musical numbers are generally decent, the song "Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick" feels particularly out-of-place and does not align with the ethos of Charlie Brown.
  7. There are also some lines that are particularly hurtful and unpleasant, especially Peppermint Patty's notorious "So long forever, Chuck!" after she hears Charlie Brown mention Heather.
  8. The film contains numerous plot holes and continuity errors:
    • The film does not provide an explanation for the teacher's decision to assign homework right before the Holiday Break, particularly at the last minute of school.
    • It is known that Linus and several others attend the same school as Charlie Brown. However, throughout the entire film, Charlie Brown is the only one shown to be working on the assignment, while the others do not.
    • Throughout the entire film, Charlie Brown struggles with his homework. Oddly enough, he never seeks help from anyone, not even his parents, for his assignment.
    • Toward the climax of the New Year's Eve party, Peppermint Patty inquires about Charlie Brown's whereabouts, despite having seen him outside just moments before.
    • Immediately following the New Year's celebration, it is peculiar to see Charlie Brown and his friends returning to school the next day. At that point, children are likely to be extremely tired from staying up until midnight. It would have been more considerate to grant the kids at least one or two additional days off before resuming school.
  9. In the notorious scene during the New Year's Eve party, towards the climax, Charlie Brown falls asleep during his assignment. Heather, the Little Red-Haired Girl, arrives as Linus introduces her. Instead of informing Charlie Brown of her arrival, Linus opts to dance with Heather, seemingly taking Charlie Brown's girlfriend. This action is quite out-of-character for Linus, given that he is Charlie Brown's best friend.
    • The scene is portrayed as a joyful and humorous moment; however, it is not, considering Linus had no reason to withhold from Charlie Brown the fact that Heather was present and decided to dance with her instead.
    • As a matter of fact, the situation worsens considering Linus is dancing with Heather, whom Charlie Brown has a crush on and views as his love interest. Therefore, Linus might be seen as encroaching on Charlie Brown's romantic interest.
  10. The scene immediately following the Happy New Year's celebration is deeply upsetting and difficult to watch. Upon waking up and realizing he has missed the festivities, Charlie Brown is subjected to Peppermint Patty's anger for not attending the dance, and Sally's frustration over Linus dancing with Heather, the Little Red-Haired Girl, despite it being Linus' responsibility.
    • Regarding that scene, it's particularly frustrating because Linus was standing behind Sally the entire time she was berating Charlie Brown. It begs the question as to why Sally never seems to acknowledge Linus and direct her anger towards him instead.
  11. The film's portrayal of Charlie Brown includes numerous moments that are intended to be humorous but come across as depressing, irritating, and uninspired.
    • Charlie Brown inquires with a store owner about the availability of a movie or game titled "War and Peace," only to receive a negative response.
    • Charlie Brown enjoys a dance with Peppermint Patty, but the moment turns comical as he trips over the "War and Peace" book and lands on his back.
    • Charlie Brown, in a twist of fate, loses at Musical Chairs and is mortified to discover he's seated on Peppermint Patty's lap, having missed the chair in his attempt to sit.
    • Lucy is scolding Charlie Brown after Snoopy sniffs her root beer, despite it being Snoopy's doing.
    • Charlie Brown accidentally falls asleep during his assignment, just before the New Year's celebration, and consequently misses the festivities with his friends.
  12. When Linus reveals that he danced with Heather, Charlie Brown does not berate or yell at Linus for his actions.
  13. The film's mean-spirited tone is matched by its predictability; one can easily foresee Charlie Brown facing various forms of mistreatment due to his character. The moments of mistreatment are foreseeable, especially when Linus opens the door to Heather, and it becomes apparent he will choose to dance with her instead of informing Charlie Brown, leading to an underwhelming outcome.
    • The film's plot is quite repetitive; it revolves around Charlie Brown being tasked with a book report. The story then follows a disheartened Charlie Brown struggling with his homework, interspersed with attempts to enjoy time with his friends who urge him to have fun. This cycle continues until the New Year's Eve party.
  14. In a grim and disheartening conclusion, Charlie Brown receives a D- on his assignment despite his efforts. Linus then reveals that the teacher has assigned yet another project. Upon hearing this, Charlie Brown collapses in despair, and Linus ironically wishes him a "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!" This moment feels like the film is giving a final, harsh rebuke to Charlie Brown after all his trials.
    • The film also contains another plot hole: what kind of teacher assigns additional work immediately after giving an assignment?
  15. Neither the teacher, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Sally, nor Linus are punished for their actions towards Charlie Brown, which results in them being perceived as significant Karma Houdinis.
  16. The film portrays highly questionable and harmful morals, including:
    • The notion that one should overwork themselves and that it is acceptable, while considering spending enjoyable time with family and friends as wrong, is depicted throughout the film. Charlie Brown is portrayed as solely focused on his homework, neglecting the opportunity to have fun with his friends.
    • It's okay to steal your best friend's girlfriend and there won't be any consequences for it, which is shown when Linus dances with Heather.
    • It is possible to avoid blame for an action, as demonstrated in the situation involving Linus.

Good Qualities

  1. As usual, the animation is of good quality.
  2. Charlie Brown remains a beloved protagonist.
  3. There are amusing moments scattered throughout, such as the scene where Linus' younger brother inflates square balloons rather than the usual round ones.
  4. The scene where Marcie kisses Charlie Brown, following his discovery that Linus has danced with the Little Red-Haired Girl, leaving him feeling dejected, stands out as a particularly tender moment and represents the sole instance of happiness in the film.
  5. In 2021, the New Year's special titled "Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne" was released, marking a significant improvement over its predecessors.

Reception

When compared to previous Charlie Brown films, Happy New Year, Charlie Brown is the first film in the Charlie Brown series to received mixed-to-negative reviews from Charlie Brown fans and critics alike. Although some of them do praise the film for its gags and Marcie kissing Charlie Brown, others criticized it for its bad moral of overworking yourself, the somewhat misleading title, Charlie Brown unfairly being mistreated though the whole film, Linus' out-of-character actions and the depressing and unfair ending. The film is considered to be one of the worst Charlie Brown films of all time.

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