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Halloween has always been a time for horror, fun, and family time. It’s time to get into the season of tricks and treats with candy, costumes, and a timeless Halloween movie.
Since the 1960s, the “Peanuts” have entertained children and families during the fall season with their Halloween special “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” People remember watching Simon’s obsessive insistence on the Great Pumpkins’ existence and Charlie Brown’s mediocre Halloween costume that gets him nothing but loser candy and rocks during trick or treating. Many people also have a childhood memory of their first time watching the special, which has led to a tradition of watching it every year on Halloween. Some adults may even continue this childhood tradition now that they are grown up. However, unfortunately, it may be more challenging this year to watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” for many.
This Halloween, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” will not be shown on network television and will only be available to watch on Apple TV. In 2020, Apple TV acquired the rights to three Charlie Brown specials, including “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Despite Apple TV owning the rights to the “Peanuts,” the streaming service still allowed PBS to air the various specials during their respective holidays. This year, PBS does not have permission to air any of the “Peanuts” specials, including “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”.
While Apple TV will have the holiday classic available for free on October 28-31, what does having this Halloween movie only available on a streaming service mean for people’s traditional holiday viewing experience?
For many people watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” was relatively easy to watch on network television. Now, having the special only on a streaming service means people must adapt their tradition to watch the movie on Apple TV. This may mean people will have to get a subscription to Apple TV. With people who have never used streaming services before now needing to sign up to see their traditional Halloween special, it means more and more people are now leaving network television. By having these films online, more people will abandon network television in favor of using streaming services to fulfill their traditions.
People have been using streaming services to watch films and movies for years. It has occurred at a rate that has made it a regular part of modern entertainment life. But, watching movies like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on a media platform takes away from the original magic and excitement of watching movies. You can’t just turn on the television and flip to the channel you want when you know the special will be showing. Instead, you’ll have to queue up the service on a computer or smart TV. So, while you can watch the holiday movie any time you want, it takes away from the childhood excitement and anticipation. There is the feeling of waiting for your program to turn on and watching the fun movies you only see once a year, specifically for the holiday it was made for. But, if people now have to watch a special on a streaming service, the movie viewing experience will lose its traditional fun and magic.