What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! (1978)

Starring: Bill Melendez and Liam Martin
Grade: B-

From eating pizza in a warm house to eating raw meat in the Arctic, Snoopy goes through a journey fit for Survivorman, even if it is in a dream format.

Summary

On a snowy day, Charlie Brown (Martin) comes out of the house in full winter gear and a sled. He gets to a hill, and Snoopy (Melendez) approaches. He hands Snoopy the rope and sits on the sled, hoping to act as a musher with Snoopy as his sled dog. Snoopy throws the rope down, gets behind the sled, and kicks Charlie Brown down the hill. He flies down the hill and crashes into a mound of snow.

Later, Charlie Brown has the sled out again because he wants to make this musher thing happen. He even has a harness for Snoopy. He drags the sled over to Snoopy who is laying on his doghouse. He pleads his case to Snoopy on how fun playing sled dog is, detailing how he will harness Snoopy to his sled and how Snoopy will pull it. To show him, he brings Snoopy down and puts the harness on him. Charlie Brown sits on the sled and yells, “Mush!”. He tries to yell other directives too, but Snoopy just stands there, defiant. He tries to explain to Snoopy that he has to pull the sled when he says the words. Going back to his spot on the sled, Charlie Brown tries again. Snoopy listens this time but just isn’t strong enough to pull it. Seeing him struggle, Charlie Brown gets mad. He flips out on him and comments how dogs in the Arctic don’t behave like him. In the Arctic, dogs are workers and don’t lead prima donna lives. They have a chain in their collar the extends about 8 feet. Unlike Snoopy, they are tied to a post or a tree unless they are going to pull a sled. Frustrated, Charlie Brown takes the harness from Snoopy and decides to show him how it’s done. He has Snoopy sit in the sled. Once he does, Snoopy grabs the whip and starts cracking it at Charlie Brown, which forces him to start running and pulling the sled in a panic. Charlie Brown runs around a snowman, in an alley, and throughout the neighborhood. Finally, they get back to the house, and an exhausted Charlie Brown sits down. In-between breaths, he asks Snoopy if he gets the idea. Before Snoopy responds, Charlie Brown admits he can’t take it anymore and this will be enough for today. He goes inside to rest up, and Snoopy follows. As Charlie Brown gets the snow off his clothes, Snoopy goes right over to the kitchen and uses all fresh ingredients from the kitchen to make 6 pizzas for himself and a shake. Once he pulls the food out of the oven and starts cutting and eating each pizza slice by slice, an annoyed Charlie Brown brings up how Arctic dogs only eat once a day.

When he says it’s usually raw meat or fish, Snoopy is disgusted. Even so, Snoopy finishes everything on the table quickly, which makes Charlie Brown realize what the problem is. He thinks Snoopy is overly civilized and walks away sarcastically telling him that he hopes Snoopy can digest all that food. Without a care in the world, Snoopy uses a toothpick and smiles. Yawning and rubbing his belly, Snoopy goes outside, lays on his doghouse, and goes to sleep. He falls asleep but his stomach is unsettled.

In his dream, Snoopy is woken up by a musher in the Arctic who starts cracking his whip at Snoopy. He forces Snoopy to line up with the rest of the Arctic dogs and is tied to a harness. The dogs growl at him, and they start mushing right after. A frantic Snoopy is forced to try and keep up. He struggles and tumbles. However, since the others are pulling so much of the weight, he is able to stay in line with them. Eventually, they stop for a rest, and all the Arctic dogs are laying in the snow comfortably. On the other hand, Snoopy is sitting and panting heavily. The other pissed off dogs just look at him. Following this, they are mushing again and Snoopy continues to struggle and fall. It doesn’t stop though. They go into the night. Next, they come to another rest point, and a shivering Snoopy is standing by himself. The musher throws a bunch of raw meat into the center of the pack, and all the dogs fight over it, decimating every last bit of food. Snoopy backs away from the pile while they fight, but he’s too hungry. He tries to sneak back over while the dogs are eating to grab what is left, but the lead dog barks at him aggressively enough that Snoopy tumbles to the side in fear. Snoopy then goes back to his side and shivers to himself. Hearing some howling from a distance, the lead dog howls back. The same howling from a distance responds again, so all the dogs collectively howl back. Snoopy tries to join in, but all the other dogs stare daggers at him, so he stops. Following this, all the dogs go to sleep. Snoopy is the only one awake. Since he’s still freezing, he makes a little fire but sneezes hard enough to blow it out. Frustrated, he wails aloud. He sneaks over to the lead dog and tries to sleep next to him to use the dog’s fur as warmth, but the dog wakes up and barks him away. So, Snoopy goes over by himself and tries to lay down to sleep.

He tries to sleep on his back, but it’s not working. Instead, he gathers some snow, makes a version of his doghouse, lays on top of it, and is finally able to get some sleep. In the early hours of the morning, the musher wakes him up and forces him to go right back to his spot on the harness with all the other dogs who are angrily waiting for him. The musher cracks the whip, and they are off again, though Snoopy still struggles to keep up. At a rest point, the dogs drink water out of a hole in the ground amidst the ice and snow, while Snoopy lays on the ground. He sits up, pulls out a piece of paper, and creates a cup out of it. Next, he goes over to the water hole with the rest of the dogs and dips the cup in. Before he could bring it to himself, a dog snaps at him, and he flies back to the ground. Even though he’s trying to catch his breath, the musher throws him right back into place with the dogs on the harness, and they head out again. By nightfall, they get into a small town. The dogs are lying down, and a panting Snoopy stands up. The musher throws a bunch of raw meat at the pack again, and they all go crazy for it. A scared Snoopy backs up and sits down by himself, shivering still. Seeing the saloon behind him with the sign for 5 cent root beer, he walks in and slams the table of the bar. Naturally, he’s thrown out. He gets back up however and stands by the doorway of the saloon. From there, he spots a sandwich on the piano left unattended on a plate.

Snoopy has no other choice. He has to survive. To do that, he has to adapt and figure out a way to continue on. Once he realizes this, it will aide him immensely when he finds his way back to the pack.

My Thoughts:

If you have followed our reviews of the many Peanuts specials in existence, there is one thing we have brought to light more than most fans will ever acknowledge. It’s not necessarily a constant, but a recurring element to the beloved series created by Charles M. Schulz is that Snoopy can be a dick. He might be one of the most lovable cartoon mascots of all time, but nostalgic fans have been blinded by the reality that the most popular character of the multimedia franchise outside of star Charlie Brown has had a laundry list of examples of him being a careless asshole who doesn’t appreciate jack shit. Without promoting it outright as such, What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! seems to be a response to this fact that only a small section of fans have noticed. This is why in the grand scheme of Peanuts specials, you’d be hard pressed to find fans who like or even mention this special, just because it’s so far off from the regular formula. Nevertheless, the fans who have grown tired of Snoopy’s antics needed this reset. It may sound morbid to some, but the dog needed this humbling, even if it was in a dream format. In giving Snoopy this nightmare where he actually has to work hard and suffer, he gets a newfound appreciation for what Charlie Brown provides for him, a privileged and civilized life. As a result, we can move forward happily knowing Snoopy has come to an understanding of how good he actually has it.

Basically, it’s a necessary slap in the face. If only Linus can get one next, then things will be complete. If you’re wondering when someone like Lucy got hers, it’s in 2021’s Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne.

The focus of What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! is Snoopy reacting to the frozen tundra life and trying to survive as a real sled dog, and they do a great job in showing why the conditions lead to Snoopy changing so drastically out of necessity. However, the story within the nightmare is a bit uneven, as the most entertaining sequence is Snoopy’s hijinks upon entering a saloon in a segment that almost feels out of place from the rest of the special. Had there been a different special where Snoopy has a dream where he’s a gunslinger in a western and finds himself in a saloon filled with unsavory characters, it would have been a perfect segue. Snoopy causing fights by eating the piano player’s sandwich or winning that poker game were highly amusing, giving further evidence as to how successful a western-themed Peanuts special could be because they could have gotten a lot of mileage out of it. For instance, it was really funny simply watching Snoopy win the card game and going to collect the pot only for the opposing player to immediately slam the table to cause a frenzy. The follow-up was just as amusing, with Snoopy exiting the room and ending up on a stage. Realizing this is an audition of some sort, he starts dancing to music only for the entire crowd to respond by booing Snoopy and hurling shoes and vegetables at him until he runs back to the sled. Still as good as this detour was, it’s hard to say if it accurately represents the turning point the character needs to improve his stance among the sled dogs. It’s not treated as a breaking point at all actually. It’s more just an amusing insert to spice up the repetitiveness of the main story at hand, which is more fitting of a drama rather than a regular light-hearted, slow-moving Peanuts special. So, though it helps the overall entertainment value of What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown!, it’s purpose from a story or character arc perspective is questionable. It somewhat showed Snoopy’s need to adapt to survive by discreetly eating the sandwich off the piano, but him using the pedals to play the piano happily, drinking root beer, almost eating a mug full of change, starting a fight at a card game, and finding himself in a theater audition have literally nothing to do with the overall story or theme that Snoopy is supposed to learn from and exemplify by action.

At most, it just gives the fans who know the dog needs humbling a smile, since his playful antics of winning at cards or his dancing shtick got him booed and all that stuff thrown at him. It just shows Snoopy that everyone is growing tired of his shit. Other than that, it’s a random aside.

Then, we go back to the dramatic portion of the special where Snoopy learns the real value of his life. Realizing there is no easy way out and how he will be left behind if he doesn’t adapt, Snoopy proves he has that dog in him after another montage of him being treated like a piece of shit by the other dogs. One night, the hungry Snoopy is noticeably frustrated. With the animation representing perfectly the type of weariness one has when they are cold, sleep-deprived, and physically exhausted, Snoopy snaps and it’s cool to watch. His hair gets messier and looks somewhat spiky to imply a sharpness to his attitude. In addition, he starts showing his teeth, daring anyone to mess with him now that he’s on edge. Getting on all fours, Snoopy goes right to the leader of the pack and they get into a shouting match that Snoopy wins, prompting him to grab the leftover fish and eating it by himself. Even if it’s arguably non-canon because it’s entirely a nightmare inside of Snoopy’s head, it’s actually a great moment that is a serious, much-needed, wake-up call for the character. At the same time, it’s a subtle, silent lesson for viewers that when your back is against the wall, you either show your toughness by pushing yourself to the limits and surviving by any means necessary or die. It’s entirely up to you. With Snoopy, he waits for a helping hand and gets nothing. The other dogs know the deal, kill-or-be-killed. With that many days of not eating, drinking, and not being able to keep up with the workload, there has to be a change in mindset, and all of it leads to Snoopy taking the challenge head-on. What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! really wins you back over to his side. The special opens with Snoopy doing his usual stuff by messing with his owner and bringing out his angst because Snoopy doesn’t realize how good he has it as a domesticated house dog. However, this elongated dream where Snoopy comes face to face with having to literally fight other dogs for food and becoming the leader of the pack not only out of necessity, so he can selfishly take all the food for himself, but also for revenge, as he shows inklings of a mean streak, which is exemplified when he howls at a dog in the distance but stares daggers at the rest of the pack when they try to join in with him.

Before the climax where they all essentially drown in-between the cracked ice and water that leads to Snoopy waking up, Snoopy is furiously leading the group by example and shows a toughness in his soul that is not been seen in any Peanuts special before or since. The only knock is that this shock to the system didn’t actually happen, as it was a nightmare after all. Had it did, Charlie Brown would have a whole new dog on his hand, one more loyal, loving, and appreciative than ever. Nevertheless, the ending of a frantic Snoopy knocking on Charlie Brown’s door in the middle of the night trying to explain his dream with pantomime to the point where Charlie Brown lets him in for comfort was sweet. Maybe he does deserve that sundae and a warm bed.

Charlie Brown is right. That was one hell of a nightmare for this overly civilized dog.

If you want to see the novelty of Snoopy welcoming a fight with another dog, beating its ass, and taking charge of a wolfpack like a damn German Shepherd in his own “survival of the fittest” like adventure, What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown! might be right up your alley. It’s a bit undercooked, but the themes are strong enough to make the unique special a memorable one.