Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!

Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! is the 30th Prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It aired on the CBS network on January 1, 1986.

Plot
Charlie Brown has to write a book report on War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy over winter vacation. There is one major distraction on his mind, the big new year's party all of his friends are attending, with Peppermint Patty continuously convincing him to attend. Charlie tries inviting the object of his desires: the little red-haired girl but gets his hand caught in the mail slot. With the party on his mind, he attempts to try and find another way to write the report, even going to a bookstore to find an audiobook or computer game of War and Peace, all to no avail. While at the party, he tries to finish "War and Peace" on the front porch of the house, but falls asleep and misses the clock's striking of midnight but is more devastated to find out that Linus ended up dancing with the Little Red-Haired Girl, who showed up after all. In the end of the special, Charlie hands his book report to the teacher, and gets a D minus, the lowest grade ever without failing. However, the teacher announces that their next book report is on Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, overwhelming him even more.

DVD release
Warner Home Video released a DVD and high definition Blu-ray Disc in October 6, 2009 as a bonus feature for the Remastered Deluxe Edition of I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown.

It was re-released as part of the box set Snoopy's Holiday Collection on October 1, 2013.

ABC telecast
After airing on the CBS network in 1986 for two years, the program was rebroadcast on the ABC network on December 30, 2008, paired with a repeat of Rudolph's Shiny New Year. To save room for Rudolph's Shiny New Year, the program has at times cut off the following: From 2010 ongoing, it was paired with She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown.
 * Some parts where Charlie Brown's voice is heard while reading "War and Peace".
 * A scene in which Charlie Brown goes to a store to try to find a "War and Peace" product to replace reading the book.
 * The final minutes.

Cast

 * Chad Allen: Charlie Brown
 * Jeremy Miller: Linus van Pelt
 * Melissa Guzzi: Lucy van Pelt
 * Kristie Baker: Peppermint Patty
 * Elizabeth Lyn Fraser: Sally Brown
 * Aron Mandelbaum: Schroeder
 * Jason Mendelson: Marcie
 * Bill Melendez: Snoopy and Woodstock
 * Desirée Goyette: Singer ("Slow Slow Quick Quick")

Production credits

 * Executive Producer – Lee Mendelson
 * Produced by – Bill Melendez
 * Directed by – Bill Melendez and Sam Jaimes
 * Written by – Charles M. Schulz and Warren Foster
 * Music by – Desirée Goyette and Ed Bogas