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  • Peanuts: 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection Blu-ray Review: 40 Specials in HD

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    Everyone loves Peanuts, right? Snoopy and Charlie Brown are cartoon icons and have endured many decades with some classic television specials and the original comic strip. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Warner Bros. has put out the Peanuts: 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection Blu-ray, which packages together 40 specials that were released between 1965 and 2011 (with just five being omitted).

    “Since Charles Schulz first introduced the kid with the zigzag shirt, fans of all ages have loved the Peanuts gang. This 75th-anniversary compilation features 40 TV specials that celebrate the charm and humor that have established Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy and their friends as cultural treasures. Watch your most beloved specials – and discover new favorites – in this comprehensive collection,” says the official description.

    Like nearly everyone, the first thing I did was check out some of my favorites, such as Why, Charlie Brown, Why? and the Christmas specials. Some of the later specials, mainly the ones made after Charles Schulz’s death, aren’t as good and won’t be ones you revisit often. However, there’s a lot of quality specials among the 40 included, including some really fun ones I wasn’t familiar with, such as It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Valentine. You’re sure to find some new favorites, which is a lot of the enjoy of this comprehensive offering.

    Most of the Peanuts specials look good to great in this Blu-ray set, especially the more iconic ones, such as A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. However, some of the later specials look particularly rough. It’s Spring Training, Charlie Brown, for example, has a poor framerate, while I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown, has vertical stretching. Likewise, the audio is a mixed bag as well, as they’re all the remastered mixes (no option for the originals), and some sound pretty bad (like It’s an Adventure, Charlie Brown). It’s great to have some of these more obscure specials on Blu-ray for the first time, but I wish more care had been taken.

    Here’s the bad news about the Peanuts: 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection Blu-ray: there are no special features included across the five discs. There is a really nice 28-page booklet that includes character bios and brief overviews of the different specials included within the set, though. But that’s the only deluxe-feeling part of this package, which could’ve really used a nice documentary on the franchise’s impact to flesh things out.

    Peanuts: 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection Blu-ray Review: Final Verdict

    The Peanuts: 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection Blu-ray is an easy recommendation for any Charlie Brown fans. All of the iconic specials are included, and there’s sure to be quite a few you haven’t seen that will become new favorites. It’s a shame there aren’t any bonus features and that the transfers are uneven, but having nearly all (five are sadly missing due to rights issues) the specials in one place makes this worth picking up.

    Disclosure: ComingSoon received product from the distributor for our Peanuts: 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection Blu-ray review.

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    Tyler Treese

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  • Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review: Massive 45-Disc Set

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    After receiving individual season releases, the Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Series Blu-ray set is now available. This massive 45-disc set includes all nine seasons of the show together, plus the television movies. A true treat for collectors, this includes everything you’d want from a collection.

    “Little House on the Prairie, based on the young adult book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, was one of the most beloved shows on television when it ran from 1974 to 1983. ‘Little House’ told the story of the Ingalls family’s life on a Minnesota farm in the late 1800s,” says the official description.

    If you’ve never seen Little House on the Prairie, then be prepared, as the Ingalls lived one wild life. Life in the late 1800s was one of contrasts, as the beauty of simple living was also met with hardships. From infant deaths to tornadoes and fires, the show throws a lot of harrowing moments at viewers. Still, there’s something that keeps people coming back to the show, even if continuity wasn’t its strong suit, and that’s the strong performances of Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, and Melissa Gilbert. It’s easy to get invested in these characters, and that’s what kept viewers coming back for 200 episodes.

    The quality of the Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Series Blu-ray set is the same as the prior season releases. Thankfully, this is a good thing as the show has been scanned in high definition. There’s the occasional scratch and color variance, but it’s a very solid set overall. There’s a mix of DTS-HD and Dolby Digital audio tracks between the seasons, each sounding good to my ears.

    There are over eight hours of special features in this collection. That includes the three movies that were released following the series’ end (Look Back to Yesterday, The Last Farewell, and the Christmas-themed Bless All the Dear Children). Other bonuses include a six-part documentary called The Little House Phenomenon, plus the original screen test between Landon and Gilbert. Getting the three TV movies is a real draw, and the documentary is well done and a fun watch (although it is split into six parts across the seasons.

    Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review: Final Verdict

    Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Series Blu-ray is a great trip down memory lane or an easy way to watch the series in its entirety. With all the post-series movies and a fascinating documentary included, it lives up to its billing. While the series does have some continuity issues, its charming quality and strong performances more than make up for it.

    Disclosure: ComingSoon received product from the distributor for our Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Series Blu-ray review.

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    Tyler Treese

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