Two of the higher ranking items on my personal list of things I can't stand are: 1. Broadway musicals and 2. Groups of singing kids. So you can imagine my dismay when I remembered after requesting You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown for review that this is the hour-long TV special based on the 1967 hit off-Broadway musical. AAARGH!!! But no matter, I won't let personal opinion get in the way of what is otherwise a decently average release.

THE SPECIAL:
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is the 29th prime-time Peanuts special. It originally aired on CBS on November 6, 1985, and was based on the 1967 musical (which featured music and lyrics by Clark Gesner a). In the special, several of the skits and songs from the stage show are presented, including the title tune, Snoopy's ode to eating "Suppertime," the Beethoven adaptation "Schroeder," the baseball yarn "T-E-A-M," and the sweet-as-a-warm-puppy anthem "Happiness." Thankfully, the lyrics and overall stories of the different characters make this entertaining enough to sit through, even for those like me who despise musicals. so, not the best format, but not a total bust either. I mean, it is Peanuts!

SOUND + VISION:
As with all of the other Remastered Deluxe Editions, the audio and video presentation is great. Though the source is not as old as some of the others in the catalogue, it's still 25 years old. I'm sure that not a lot of effort had to go into cleaning it up, but nonetheless the 4:3 Full Frame Video and Dolby Digital Mono English track look and sound perfect. There are also Portuguese and Japanese mono tracks, plus English, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Thai subtitles.

PACKAGING/ LAYOUT:
Packaging for You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Remastered Deluxe Edition) is the same as the previously released titles, with the exception of no slipcover. Other than that, same old black, recycled plastic snapcase, single disc, no inserts, familiar artwork on the cover, and DVD details on back. The menu set-up is also simple, with three easy-to-navigate submenus.

Just one note though: like past releases, there is a section for "Features," where you find the featured specials on the disc. however, this is the first disc to have only one feature on it; all other Remastered Deluxe Edition releases have had at least two. So retaining that submenu, "Features," for just one feature, seems like an unnecessary thing. They should have just made a "Play" choice in the main menu.

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown runs 48 minutes and is split into 7 chapters.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
There is actually only one bonus feature on the disc. "Animating a Charlie Brown Musical" (14:42) is very much like the other featurettes on the new line of releases. Featuring interviews with producer Lee Mendelson, Peanuts historian Nat Gertler, Jeannie Schulz (widow) and Dean Stolber, who played Charlie Brown in the original 1967 cast, this new bit tells the story of how the 1985 special was based on the 1967 play, which was based on a 1965 record (of songs about the gang), which was based on the original comic strips. Very cool and very interesting, it's good for fans of any age.

Also in this section is a trailer for the new direct-to-video live-action Scooby Doo! movie - As if two bad theatrical ones weren't enough... But um, here's the kicker: they are making it a prequel to the cartoon stories. Yes... it's a 'how the gang met'/origins film. Terrible. just terrible.

YOU'RE A GOOD DVD:
When all is said and done, the new You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Remastered Deluxe Edition) is a decent release. Though personal opinion will differ on the special itself, no one can deny that the good A/V presentation and interesting bonus feature make it a solid release for the material at hand. It is certainly a step up from the previously only-available VHS. Amazon.com's current $15 pricetag seems a bit too high for just over an hour of content though, and this reviewer would urge seeking out a better deal (closer to $10 would be excellent).

TV SPECIAL SCORE: B
DVD SOUND + VISION SCORE: C
DVD PACKAGING/ LAYOUT SCORE: D
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES SCORE: B-
OVERALL DVD SCORE: B-