Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

I saw "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" for the first time in years and I thought it was a very depressing Valentine's Day special. Poor Charlie Brown, he never gets any valentines and he sits by the mailbox hoping to finally receive one but unfortunately it remains empty. Linus buys a heart-shaped box of candy for his teacher, Miss Othmar, but she leaves with her boyfriend and never gets the box although Sally, who has a huge crush on Linus thinks the candy is hers. Then there's Lucy, who tries to get Schroeder to notice her, a repetitive theme throughout the comic strip but ends up destroying his piano in frustration.

Even worse, in school where Charlie Brown's class has a valentine box and all the valentines are distributed with our hero not receiving a single one. How sad and thoughtless until the next day, Violet and some of the girls, finally give him a valentine.

if you enjoy Valentine's Day with someone special, watch a romantic movie instead. This cartoon will give you a broken heart.

From the very beginning of the "Peanuts" specials, it's been clear that the makers were very opposed to the commercialism of many holidays. Remember the protest in "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" -- "It's Easter and they already have their Christmas decorations up!". So the very cynical view of this holiday, which has been completely co-opted by the greeting card and candy industries, in this special, can't really come as any surprise.

Yet at the same time, the animators do take the time, via Sally's recitation of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous poem, to offer a sincere tribute to the spirit of the holiday and the sentiments that it's supposed to be about. Admittedly, they also undercut that by having Linus specifically mention her, and the poem, in his ultimate denunciation of the holiday.

It's Valentine's Day. Charlie Brown keeps checking his mail box for valentines. Linus buys a big valentine for his teacher but Sally assumes it's for her. Lucy is going crazy for any sign from Schroeder. Linus is heart broken when the teacher leaves with her boyfriend. Charlie Brown has no valentine and Sally is mad that she's not getting the box of chocolate from Linus. Snoopy and Woodstock have their usual antics. I find some of voice work a bit harsh. I do like the various wacky stuff that Snoopy does. The puppet show comes out of nowhere but that's a fun side trip. Charlie Brown's desperation is fun. I love that he's so desperate that he grabs the pity valentine. It's missing some kind of central message but it's fun.

'Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown' is easily one of the most heartwarming and touching Valentine's specials/films out there. It may be a "children's special", but It's guaranteed to make you feel something no matter your age especially around Valentine's Day.

This special covers basic themes of love, infatuation, heartbreak, unrequited loved, and limerence. It even brings in the classic Peanuts philosophical and even existential topics as the each Peanut deals with love and Valentine's Day differently.

I think children will think this a fun little special, but adults may be a little more teary-eyed especially when they have some experience with love and loss.

Give it a watch, its pretty great!

Poor Charlie Brown. He didn't get anything for Valentine's Day. Poor Linus. He is in the same mess too! This special is fun for the family and highly enjoyable. It is kind of normal for children who are in love with older people or adults. This is a good way to teach children to accept the fact that adults go with adults and kids go with kids. The good thing about this cartoon is that we see Snoopy's lovable tomfoolery with Lucy, Charlie Brown and Woodstock which gives out a good laugh (especially with his "pawpet show"). Bottom line: Worth the watch. Rated TV-G because it is fun for the whole family, plus parents can tell their kids the importance of love for their right age and how to accept it. Happy Valentines Day.