A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas
(Developed by Loud Crow Interactive)
Available for: iOS, Android
Price: $4.99
Originally published November

Almost half a century after Peanuts creator Charles Schulz and animator Bill Melendez redefined the holiday television special with A Charlie Brown Christmas, developer Loud Crow Interactive redefines Schulz and Melendez's vision for the mobile platform with this innovative storybook application that dramatically expands the narrative possibilities of the original broadcast while sacrificing none of its humor, warmth or poignancy.

Combining vintage dialogue culled from the 1965 broadcast with digitally re-mastered illustrations, animation and music as well as new narration from actor Peter Robbins (who originally voiced Charlie Brown onscreen), A Charlie Brown Christmas documents the round-headed kid's search for the true holiday spirit while friends and family like Snoopy, Lucy and Sally embrace commercialism and material greed. It's the same spiritual quest you've seen on your television screen, but the touchscreen UI makes it a different story--each page boasts interactive features that immerse readers in the Peanuts world, all formatted to evoke the classic pop-up book format of days past, complete with paper-like textures.

A Charlie Brown Christmas isn't simply an exercise in nostalgia, though--the interactive enhancements are ingenious and engaging. You can finger-paint, go caroling with the Peanutschoir and decorate your own Christmas tree; instead of simply listening to Schroeder play piano, you can even tickle the virtual ivories yourself. All in all, it's a multimedia experience worthy of the Peanuts brand and Schulz's enduring creative legacy. You're a good app, Charlie Brown.