What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! (1978)

What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! Review

What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! is a 1978 animated television special and the 17th entry in the Peanuts series. It is one of the weaker, more boring Peanuts specials.

Charlie Brown is frustrated that Snoopy isn’t behaving like a regular dog and while asleep, Snoopy has a nightmare in which he is a part of a sled dog race in Alaska. I really found this entry to be incredibly boring as it is too slow and way too uneventful to be enjoyed more. It is cute and endearing, of course, but it lacks in substance and in humor. It is one of oddest entries in the series because it only has these two characters in it and that makes it intriguing and different, but boring and unsatisfying nonetheless.

I really liked the beginning and it was nice to finally have Charlie Brown realize how Snoopy is too spoiled and not like a real dog at all. And I also found the ending to be sweet and satisfying. But that whole middle section with the sled race is too prolonged and just dreadfully boring in its repetitive nature. It is solidly animated and scored, but it is so much like a detour and a filler that I really couldn’t get into it. I don’t get the appeal of this special whatsoever.

What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! is such an odd, incredibly boring entry that does have a good beginning and ending, but the whole middle section is repetitive and dull.

My Rating – 2.9