If there is one franchise that is completely synonymous with the holidays, it’sPeanuts. Based on the beloved comic strips byCharles M. Schultz, the holiday adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang havedelighted audiencesfor nearly 60 years. FromIt’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brownto aCharlie Brown Christmas, the specials fill the holiday season, withA Charlie Brown Thanksgivingserving as a midquel, but the Turkey Day classic isn’t the only Peanuts adventure for the month of November. Released as part of theThis is America, Charlie Brownminiseries, “TheMayflower Voyagers”tells the story of how the pilgrims came to America with a Peanuts twist. However, while the special’s intentions may be honorable, it’s hard to ignore just how jarring and tone-deaf the outing is, especially when compared to all the other holiday outings.
‘The Mayflower Voyagers’ Casts the Peanuts Characters in Dark Situations
WhereA Charlie Brown Thanksgivingtells the story of Peanuts characters celebrating the holiday together, “The Mayflower Voyagers casts Charlie Brown (Erin Chase) andhis friendsin the roles of pilgrims, voyaging on the Mayflower. While this is a clever way to reach younger viewers and attempt to teach them about a major historical event, the results are incredibly strange. Historically, it’s no secret that the voyage aboard the Mayflower came with disease and death, and the special doesn’t necessarily shy away from that. It does, however, approach the subject with “Peanuts sensibility.” While the dialogue is meant to reflect the horrors of the situation,it comes off as a little too cheesy when delivered by a character like Linus. It also doesn’t help that the sequences on the Mayflower try to mix in the typicalSnoopyshenanigans.
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One can’t necessarily say that the special doesn’t have good intentions. Indeed, the Peanuts shows have had a long history of imparting wisdom, morals and education, andthis long forgotten specialrevolves around that same mission. But execution aside,it’s just such a dark subject matter for the otherwise cheery characters to be involved in. The character’s involvement in the historical event gets even weirder when the pilgrims make it to the new world. The special continues to follow history to a fault, with even more off-screen deaths, and references to the despair of their situation. The special shifts from a corny retelling of events to one that just feels grim and unpleasant with the occasional joke thrown in. Ultimately, the filmmaker’s intent may be honorable, but it certainly gets lost in translation. But things take an even odder pivot when the characters come across the Native American characters.
“The Mayflower Voyagers” Takes an Awkward Turn
As the lovablePeanuts charactersstruggle to survive, hope emerges in the form of Squanto (Frank Weller). While the historical figure remains hailed as a hero, the special portrays him and the other Native American characters as unfortunate stereotypes. Sure, the Peanuts specials were never meant to begreat pieces of animation, butthe historical characters are by and large the most uninspired designs in the special. Additionally, their movements and dialogue are stiff and incredibly trite. Adding insult to injury, the picture pivots from one that is far too invested in the bleak historical side to one that boasts complete peace between the two sides, ending with afourth wall-breaking joke. Not only is this change innately awkward to watch, it only adds to the special’s inconsistency.
The switch is almost deafening and totally derails any sort of established tone that managed to exist prior to the introduction of the Native American characters, and really solidifies just how strange the special is. Where past holiday outings featuring the Peanuts are solid, heartwarming and consistent, this one justcomes off as half-baked and even disingenuous. It’s really a shame that the show ends on the note that it does, as Squanto’s involvement could have actually been the very thing it needed to save it. He could have offered a deeper understanding of the events, and helped steer the otherwise bleak piecetowarda happy ending, rather than forcing one.
Indeed, “The Mayflower Voyagers” is not the classic that its creators had hoped for. From its cheesy depiction of dark, true life events to its stereotypes and its tonal issues,it is perhaps the weirdest Peanuts special ever created. Luckily, there are plenty of other classic outings from the Schultz-created gang to get us through the holidays; ones filled with joy, humor and warmth.
While “The Mayflower Voyagers” is not available to stream in the U.S., the superiorA Charlie Brown Thanksgivingis available on Apple TV+.
Watch on Apple TV+
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