Peanuts by Schulz: Snoopy Tales

The 32 new shorts collected here featuring familiar characters from the late Charles Schulz's long-running “Peanuts” cartoon strip continue the tradition of engaging storylines and sight gags that go back more than a half-century. The blackout sketch format of the program—akin to a quick read of a four-panel strip in newspapers—is entertaining, rich in character, and playful in setting, even if it's somewhat devoid of the original's cumulative wisdom. These animated cartoons serve up bundles of jokes typically organized around themes. Although the title Snoopy Tales suggests wall-to-wall humor featuring Charlie Brown's fanciful beagle, other favorite figures take center stage as well, including Linus, Lucy, Sally, and Schroeder. “My Blanket!” focuses on Linus's neurotic fixation on his security blanket, while “Winter Wonderland” finds the crew trying to make sense of the mysteries of Christmas. “Sound and Sensibility” is an almost abstract episode built around music (including Lucy's nonstop chatter while pianist Schroeder tries to practice Beethoven). One of the funniest episodes (and a blast from the past for those who actually remember the original strips) is “Not My Day,” in which Linus finds different ways to contend with big sister Lucy's chronic “crabbiness.” After being handed an award for longest successive days of being in a foul mood, a suddenly disarmed Lucy responds “One rarely gets a chance to see such carefully prepared sarcasm.” Sure to appeal to Peanuts fans, this is recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)