It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown

Eleventh animated special based on the cartoon strips of Charles M. Schulz deals with Snoopy attempting to help his sidekick Woodstock recover his stolen nest, which was taken by Sally in order to complete her science project. Snoopy dons the attire of the famous Sherlock Holmes while banging on doors of his friends looking for clues. Lucy is annoyed, Pigpen is happy, Marcie is confused, but Peppermint Patty treats it like a most amusing game of cops & robbers! The trail leads back to Sally, with Lucy acting as judge to settle ownership. Contains some very funny scenes, and nice atmosphere, but seems to lose steam near the end. Still worthwhile viewing.

The story zips along almostly flawlessly, as Snoopy tries to track down Woodstock's stolen nest. Only the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Snoopy Come Home, and A Boy Named Charlie Brown come close to this gem. Please see it.

This special begins with an extended Woodstock sequence in which the little birdy builds a massive nest to cope with the weather. But the nest is soon stolen and he teams up with Snoopy (in his Sherlock Holmes guise) to track down his missing home and find the culprit.

There's not a lot of dialogue in this one as it focuses on Snoopy and Woody more than the human members of the peanuts gang. The dog and the bird visit them all one by one, giving them each a minute and a half of screen time, but it's just not all that mysterious. I would have preferred if it were a mystery that ol' Chuck could solve. Still, it's quite funny and worth a watch.

One day Woodstock finds his nest missing, and Snoopy, donned in a Sherlock Holmes outfit, visits all the kids' homes to investigate. It's eventually found, and Lucy, dressed as a judge in her psychiatric booth, presides over a "trial" between Woodstock and the perpetrator over its ownership. Cute, mostly well-paced, video. Quaint background art. Pleasant Vince Guaraldi jazz soundtrack. On the minus side the "trial" sort of lags, and the voices in the video are somewhat flat, especially that of Peppermint Patty, who actually sounds middle-aged.

Though this is from the 1970s, it's not very dated in its humor or artwork. I'm surprised it hasn't aired regularly on TV. It has the qualities of a classic Charlie Brown special.