Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!

"Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!" is one of many prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip "Peanuts," by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on CBS on January 1, 1986. This is a semi-musical program, following the lead of "It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown". To date, this is the only one of the eleven holiday specials to not be released on DVD.

Plot

Over the Christmas holidays, Charlie Brown is assigned a book report that is due on the first day back from the break. The book: "War and Peace", by Leo Tolstoy. Charlie Brown struggles to find time to read the book but keeps getting distracted, first by dance lessons, then by a New Year's party that all his friends are attending. Things get worse for him when he finds out that the guest list includes the object of his desires, the Little Red-Haired Girl. He leaves the party and sits on the front porch of the host's house to read his book, but falls asleep. He is awakened after midnight by an indignant Peppermint Patty and Sally, Patty because Charlie Brown did not dance with her and Sally because Linus danced not with her, but with the Little Red-Haired Girl.

Charlie Brown eventually finishes his book report - on the last day and night before Christmas break ends. He hands it in to his teacher, and receives a grade of D-minus (who the teacher says that "it looks like it was wrote on the very last midnight before Christmas).

This show contained one of the few appearances of the Little Red-Haired Girl, who does not appear in the comic strip. However, it should be noted that her appearance is not the decision of Charles Schulz.

Cast

* Chad Allen: Charlie Brown
* Jeremy Miller: Linus van Pelt
* Melissa Guzzi: Lucy van Pelt
* Elizabeth Lyn Fraser: Sally Brown
* Bill Meléndez: Snoopy and Woodstock
* Aron Mandelbaum: Schroeder
* Jason Mendelson: Marcie
* Kristie Baker: Peppermint Patty
* Desirée Goyette: Singer ("Slow Slow Quick Quick")