New 'Ice Age', 'Charlie Brown' animated specials to air on FOX Thanksgiving Day

The 'Peanuts' gang up to their old tricks again in 'Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown'

Credit: Fox

In a ploy to create a pair of new animated TV classics this season, FOX has announced they're premiering two never-before-aired specials on Thanksgiving - "Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" and "Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown".

The first, a spin-off of Fox's massively-popular "Ice Age" franchise, sees Sid (John Leguizamo), Crash (Seann William Scott), Eddie (Josh Peck) and Peaches (Ciara Bravo) setting off for the North Pole to find Santa Claus after Manny (Ray Romano) convinces Sid he's been put on Santa's "naughty" list.

Hoping to get back on the jolly old elf's good side, Sid and his friends accidentally destroy Santa's Workshop instead - and must pull off a miracle to make sure all the toys are delivered in time for Christmas morning. Meanwhile, Manny and Ellie (Queen Latifah), worried about their daughter Peaches' safety, enlist Diego (Denis Leary) to help track her down.

"Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown" (which, oddly enough, is not holiday-themed) ranks as the 45th "Peanuts" TV special to be produced, this time focusing on Linus (Austin Lux) grappling with the decision of whether or not to get rid of his trusted blue security blanket leading up to a visit from his grandmother. On hand to help him come to grips with the difficult choice are friends Charlie Brown (Trenton Rogers), Lucy (Grace Rolek), and dog Snoopy.

It should be noted that "Happiness is a Warm Blanket" has been available on DVD since March, though this will be its first television airing. The special features an original score by Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh, whose previous credits as a prolific film and TV composer include "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" and "Big Love".

"Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" airs from 8-8:30 on Thanksgiving night, followed by "Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown" from 8:30-9:30. A repeat of last year's holiday-themed "Simpsons" episode "The Fight Before Christmas" will follow at 9:30.

Chris Eggertsen
Producer

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A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.