Peanuts Holiday Collection: Deluxe Edition (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Just in time for the first final quarter of the calendar year holidays we are getting, once again, all of the Peanuts TV specials! But this time, Linus, Lucy, Charlie Brown, Woodstock, Peppermint Patty, Snoopy…all of them, they are coming to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Yeah, crazy, I know, right! But, Warner Bros feels that you need to have these in the most pristine, tip top presentation you can possibly get. So, the question is…how much of an improvement will it be on these old 2D hand drawn animate film cells. Well, read on and we’ll find this out together. This release will be available (Or may be already available, depending when you’re reading this) on October 10. You can also go ahead and pre-order yourself a copy (Which helps the site, as well) by clicking the Amazon logo below.
Film 
I’m not sure on today’s generations or the past couple, but these Charlie Brown specials, or Peanuts, used to be a mainstay in most households growing up. Heck, it had already been around for generations before I was growing up and indulging. Everyone knows the tunes from these movies, and likely they can send your mind for a little bit of a flashback to a feeling of youth. In a way, they are a little timeless. I’ve passed these on to my children, so I guess I’m keeping the tradition alive.
This set contains pretty much everything. The first disc is the Christmas one. It has both of the Christmas specials on it, as well as It’s A Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown. Which, I think that one is some sort of take on Flashdance featuring more Snoopy. The Christmas one, of course, has the unforgettable tune of “Christmas Time Is Here” which is probably the most memorable track from their history next to the main theme song for the entire show which is called Linus & Lucy.
Disc 2 houses A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving as well as The Mayflower Voagers, another Charlie Brown take on the holiday that tells the history of the holiday. Rounding them out is Play It Again, Charlie Brown which focuses on Schroeder a bit more, so it has his memorable piano playing scattered throughout, who is being crushed on by none other than Lucy.
The final disc has probably the most popular of all of them, Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. This one is a must around Halloween time for the kiddos. Halloween doesn’t bring as many specials as Christmastime, so this one is well revered and known. It also contains two I wasn’t familiar with, Its Magic Charlie Brown and Charlie Brown’s All-Stars.
You’ve seen them, you love them, they’re a part of the October through December. Maybe they should start hitting up the other months. What about Its A New Year, Day Charlie Brown. Or Its The Leprechuan’s Pot of Gold, Charlie Brown. Maybe Don’t Light That Firework, Charlie Brown! I dunno. Seems they should have one for the other 9 months.
Video 
Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 & 1.37:1
Layers: BD-66
Clarity/Detail: There was a question among 4K Ultra-HD fans and reviewers as to whether this release would be much of an upgrade or necessary at all. Most felt is seemed like a waste. However, I can happily say that Warner Bros has impressed me here. Once again, you have the option to watch it in its original aspect ratio or its reformatted one for the modern 16×9 era. With the latter, you will see a heavier amount of grain as it becomes apparent this was achieved by have the image zoomed in. You’ll immediately take notice how much deeper, natural and more bold it looks in terms of sharpness and color. Its not as bright as the standard Blu-ray, but it sure is deep and full looking. The difference between the two is noticeable. Grain is more apparent in both aspect ratios, but heavier (as previously mentioned) in the 16×9. Now, yes, its improved, but who’s rushing out to upgrade their standard Blu-ray of this set that contains no new extras? That’s the real question.
Depth: Depth is improved, though its still flat 2D animation. With the more detailed grain structure you feel there’s a sort of distancing between that and the animation. Movements are clear and very smooth, with zero distortion.
Black Levels: You’ll immediately notice how lovely the blacks are and their saturation really helps to keep the definition looking more detailed and sharper. Shadowing is good and there was no crushing present during my viewing for this write up.
Color Reproduction: Colors are a place you’ll also notice off the bat, especially when you see an interior for the first time. Reds, blues, purples, browns, greens…they all come in many different tints and shade, but they are much more solid, rich and come on more natural than trying to just be bright.
Flesh Tones: N/A
Noise/Artifacts: Clean.
Audio
Audio Format(s): English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English SDH
Dynamics: They upgraded the audio this time around, going from stereo to 5.1 DTS-HD MA track. Could you imagine Charlie Brown with Atmos? LOL, overkill! The track is well spaced out and sounds loose and free. Its balance and multidimensional in its appraoch.
Height: N/A
Low Frequency Extension: The subwoofer primarily comes into play with the score in the shows. Some sound effects here and there get a bump, but the programming isn’t demanding it.
Surround Sound Presentation: There is some good sound travel, but nothing really goes crazy around the room. Rear channels mainly contain ambiance. The front has a little bit of fun going back and forth.
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue is clear and crisp with a hair its analog sourcing still present.
Extras
Peanuts Holiday Collection: Deluxe edition is a 6-Disc set. It contains 3-4K Ultra-HD discs, 3 Blu-ray discs and an UltraViolet digital copy. The 4K Ultra-HD discs contain no bonus materials. All bonus materials are the same as the previous Blu-ray release.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Christmas Miracle: The Making Of A Charlie Brown Christmas (SD, 16:01)
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Popcorn & Jellybeans: Making a Thanksgiving Classic (SD, 12:27)
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
We Need a Blockbuster, Charlie Brown! (SD, 13:58)
Summary
This is pretty much the same package as you had before, now with three 4K Ultra-HD discs thrown in to the mix, as well as a digital copy code. I DO think these are a very noticeable upgrade over its predecessor, but I’m not sure this is a release that people are begging to have an upgrade on right away. If you don’t own it yet, and you are 4K Ultra-HD capable, this is the one to pick up. It does feature some impressive stuff.
