I really loved this. The animation was better than in any prior Peanuts special, and the characters all looked great. Interestingly, Charles Schulz himself didn't much like the drawing and animation in the old Peanuts specials produced when he was still with us. I think he'd love this. So well done! Authentic, yet new things have been added, including a refreshed characterization of Lucy, and it's very welcome. One of the reasons I liked "The Peanuts Movie" is that Snoopy was changed so that he actually cared about Charlie Brown. In the strip, he didn't even seem to recognize his owner, and that always kind of irritated me. The producers of the movie fixed that, and Snoopy was much more likable IMO. Same deal with Lucy in this special. Her story was very moving and believable as to how a child might feel about a beloved relative not coming for Christmas. Kids tend to blame themselves for adult behavior (ask any child whose parents have divorced) so I commend the producers of this special on how they handled Lucy in her situation. Plus, the way the special ended was so moving. This was excellent. I hope we see more of this kind of Lucy in future specials. 10 stars!
