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Directed by:	Andrew Beall Frank Molieri
Written by:	Charles M. Schulz (characters/comics) Craig Schulz Stephan Pastis
Release date:	March 29, 2011
Running time:	46 minutes
Proceded by:	He's a Bully, Charlie Brown
Followed by:	No further specials have been released to date.

Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown is the forty-fifth Peanuts animated special. It is the first special in the series without Bill Melendez on the production team, as he died in 2008. It is also the first special without the involvement of both Lee Mendelson Productions and Bill Melendez Productions, and is the first special to be formatted in widescreen.

Production of the special was first announced to the public by one of the hosts at the 84th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2010. When a balloon depicting Snoopy in his World War I Flying Ace outfit was seen passing by the audience, the host said, "Snoopy fans will be happy to know that next year, a new Peanuts animation will be flying your way."

The special is based on material that had previously appeared in the comic strip, as are all the Peanuts specials after Schulz's death. As a result of the death of Bill Melendez, the voices of Snoopy and Woodstock are provided by director Andy Beall, in addition to using archived voice clips of Melendez voicing the characters.

The title Happiness is a Warm Blanket is a reference to The Beatles song "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and also recalls the 1960s Peanuts phrase "Happiness is a warm puppy," which became a cultural reference.

PlotEdit

Linus is pushed to his limits when he learns that his grandmother is coming to visit and plans to rid him of his security blanket. As her arrival looms closer, the other children try to help Linus learn to cope without his childish crutch. Lucy is particularly eager to cure Linus’ dependency by using her own psychiatric methods, and while Charlie Brown tries to help, he does not have the heart to see Linus suffer. All the while Snoopy is constantly agitating matters for wanting the blanket for himself. In the end, Linus points out that everyone has their own type of “security blanket” and that a little security is a valuable thing in life.

Voice castEdit

Austin Lux - Linus van Pelt
Amanda Pace - Sally Brown
Trenton Rogers - Charlie Brown, Schroeder
Grace Rolek - Lucy van Pelt
Shane Baumel - "Pig-Pen"
Blesst Bowden - Violet
Ciara Bravo - -Patty
Andy Pessoa - Shermy
Andy Beall - Snoopy\Woodstock
Bill Melendez - Snoopy\Woodstock (archival audio)

OriginsEdit

This special is based off of several strips that concern Linus and his blanket, although the special is mainly made up of three storylines that center on Lucy trying to get Linus to rid his blanket. They are as follows:

The part of the special in which Lucy puts Linus' blanket in the closet for two weeks was taken from a storyline that began on October 14, 1957. However, in the strip, Lucy puts Linus' blanket in the closet until suppertime.
A scene in the special where Lucy makes a kite out of the blanket and "accidentally" lets go of it is from the June 12, 1962 strip. Linus had actually worn glasses at that point in the strip.
Lucy burying Linus' blanket is from the January 3, 1961 strip.

DVDEdit

The special was released on DVD on March 29, 2011 by Warner Home Video and includes the following:

Deconstructing Schulz: From Comic Strip to Screenplay
Happiness Is...Finding the Right Voice
24 Frames a Second: Drawing and Animating a Peanuts Movie
Deleted scene featuring an introduction by director Andy Beall

GoofsEdit

Even though Lucy ties the blanket to a kite, the blanket's weight would have caused the kite to fall.
Despite what it has been through, the blanket remains in perfect shape throughout the entire episode.

TV broadcastEdit

Although initially released on DVD, the special was later given its first televised broadcast on the Canadian station, Teletoon, on October 1, 2011. The United States premiere of the special took place on November 24, 2011 on Fox.