I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown

Nearly four decades after the perennial holiday favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted on CBS, I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown puts the spotlight on one of the younger Peanuts characters, Rerun--Linus and Lucy's little brother. The determined Rerun has decided he wants a dog and keeps asking Charlie Brown if he can play with Snoopy; of course, Snoopy's idea of play is chasing the Red Baron through the Great Wide Open, but when the hyper-imaginative pooch's brother, the desert-dwelling Spike, pays a visit, Rerun tries to domesticate him and learns a valuable lesson in love. While not in the same league as its Christmas classic predecessor, this is still charming and funny (and, as always, there's some great schtick between lovelorn Lucy and impatient piano genius Schroeder). DVD extras include “The Making of A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and the bonus program "Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales." Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)