Let’s fly over the big dream this Christmas. The peanuts movie come to Hong Kong, the first time screening, the 2Dor 3D version would start on 17^th December. Merry Christmas with Snoopy.

THE LEGACY OF CHARLES M. SCHULZ

On October 2, 1950, Charles M. Schulz introduced the characters of Charlie Brown, Shermy and Patty in just seven newspapers, launching a 50-year journey for the cartoonist that forever changed the landscape of popular culture and humor.  Schulz’s comic strip was hailed as one of the greatest of the twentieth century, and his characters launched a bona-fide industry, while providing a much-needed voice for the underdog, via Charlie Brown. 

Charlie Brown holds a unique position in pop culture. He has the distinction of being the only PEANUTS character to appear in both the first comic strip on October 2 1950, and in the last strip on February 13, 2000. (Snoopy did not make an appearance until October 4, 1950). 

Through all of life’s trials and tribulations—including a kite-eating tree, a losing baseball streak or the blunt advice of Lucy Van Pelt—Charlie Brown persevered.  His eternal optimism gave us hope, which made him relatable to readers all over the world. 

“Charlie Brown gets referred to as a loser all the time,” laments Craig Schulz, the son of Charles M. Schulz and one of THE PEANUTS MOVIE’s writers and producers. “But in reality, Charlie Brown is a winner because he never gives up. We all lose a lot more than we win, and who better than Charlie Brown to teach us that?”

With a knack for social commentary, Charles M. Schulz created characters and storylines rich with wit, sarcasm, humor and heart. In addition, Schulz put into just four panels the world he saw unfolding around him. Without realizing it, Charles Schulz had the uncanny ability to seamlessly weave relevant topics into the panels of his strip as if they were self-evident. The universal appeal of all PEANUTS characters—encompassing Charlie Brown’s eternal underdog status, Linus’ heart, Franklin’s philosophy, Marcie’s introspection, Lucy’s crabbiness, Sally’s unrequited affection for her Sweet Babboo Linus, and Snoopy’s many personas— is the reason the strip and its characters have remained relevant as PEANUTS celebrates its 65th anniversary this year. 

When PEANTUS completed its run in 2000, the strip had an estimated readership of over 350 million, and appeared in 2,600 newspapers, representing 21 countries around the world. With a combined grand total of 17,897 strips, each one drawn, inked and lettered by Schulz (15,391 daily; 2,506 Sunday), comic reprints continue in syndication, reaching new readers every day. This year, that legacy continues with the return of the PEANUTS Gang to the big screen, in THE PEANUTS MOVIE.

YOU’RE GOING TO THE BIG SCREEN, CHARLIE BROWN

Over the years, many studios had pursued a big screen version of PEANUTS, but the Schulz family resisted. Their thinking began to change when director Steve Martino expressed his passion and ideas for the project. Moreover, Craig Schulz had admired Martino’s work, including the way his film Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! was true to the style of Dr. Seuss.

In 2012, Schulz phoned Fox Animation Studios executive Ralph Millero to say that he had a script that he had written with his son Bryan Schulz and the younger Schulz’s writing partner, Cornelius Uliano. (The three screenwriters also serve as producers.)  Moving with the speed of one of those fastballs that always seem to whiz by Charlie Brown, Millero took the script to Fox Animation Studios president Vanessa Morrison, who immediately set the wheels in motion. Blue Sky and Fox had accomplished what every major studio had attempted: secure the film rights to one of the world’s most coveted properties.

The approach and care that Martino showed impressed the Schulz family. To say that Martino felt some pressure would be an understatement. Rounding out the producing team is one of the film industry’s most respected filmmakers, the multi-talented (and lifelong PEANUTS fan) Paul Feig.

THE STORY’S IN THE PEN LINE, CHARLIE BROWN

As production geared up on THE PEANUTS MOVIE, Martino had a particularly memorable conversation with Craig Schulz: To kick-off production, Craig Schulz brought acclaimed artist Tom Everhart to Blue Sky Studios to meet with the filmmakers and artists. Everhart is known for his larger-than-life interpretations of Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the PEANUTS Gang, which have been exhibited in galleries around the globe—including the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, in Tokyo, and of course, the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California, a museum dedicated to the work and legacy of the famed cartoonist.

In a discussion about his careful study of Charles M. Schulz’s work, Everhart projected images of the cartoon strip on a movie screen to show the details of Schulz’s black ink lines. “When Tom blew up the strip, we saw such detail in the ink and literally saw story in the line. It was incredible,” says Martino. “It really was a paradigm shift for us,” adds art director Nash Dunnigan. “We knew then we had our launching pad for the look and style of the characters and production design.”

Admit it: At one point in your life, you doodled a version of Snoopy or his doghouse on a school notebook… or scribbled the iconic zig-zag of Charlie Brown’s sweater.  Or perhaps you traced the characters from the Sunday comics. “When I was younger, I thought, I can draw Charlie Brown; it’s simple,’ says Martino. “But when you try to capture Charles M. Schulz’s work, it’s daunting!”

PACK YOUR BAGS, SNOOPY!  YOU’RE GOING TO SANTA ROSA!

To capture the characters’ unique traits, Martino and producer Michael J. Travers immersed the crew in the world of PEANUTS. They began that journey with a visit to the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center. 

The museum is home to thousands of original PEANUTS comic strips, making it the single largest collection of the cartoon in the world. It also holds hundreds of Schulz’s sketches, book illustrations, personal artwork, and early drawings. The accompanying research center includes an impressive library, along with letters, photographs, interviews, and unique PEANUTS ephemeral items. 

For insight into the subtleties of Schulz’s work, the artists, animators and story team turned to Paige Braddock, of Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates. As Creative Director, Braddock is responsible for the look and creative development of all PEANUTS-related products worldwide, as well as the editorial direction of the publishing initiatives.

Braddock gave the team from Blue Sky a nugget of advice that could be summed up in one word: Relax. She reassured the artists they were not alone in feeling a bit overwhelmed by the challenges in mastering the characters, especially Charlie Brown’s head. Story artist Karen Disher traveled to Santa Rosa for what would become the first of many expeditions. A PEANUTS fan since childhood, she still learned much from these visits. 

The entire Blue Sky team knew they would need to push the envelope to bring to life the screenplay by Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano. 

Originally, the writers thought about focusing the story on Snoopy, with Charlie Brown relegated to a secondary storyline. But they quickly decided against that direction, knowing that too much of Snoopy could overpower the film’s narrative. To balance the story, it was decided to include the entire cast of PEANUTS characters, including some of its lesser-known members. 

At its core, THE PEANUTS MOVIE is about everyday anxieties we encounter while growing up, going to school, and dealing with the perceptions people have about one another. Martino and his teams made certain each character received a proper introduction and point of reference. Fortunately for the filmmakers, they had a set of well-established characters with strong voices created by Charles M. Schulz.

“What Sparky did so brilliantly for 50 years was to show the world it’s okay to express your emotions, anxieties, hopes and fears, without a filter,” says Martino. 

Martino was especially intrigued by Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown teaches us that in the midst of all that, you can pick yourself up and try again. So it was very important for us to capture that spirit in his expressions.

THIS IS YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, CHARLIE BROWN

BRINGING the PEANUTS world and characters to the big screen in CG was a formidable task, but not just for the animators. Creating and designing the overall look of the film was just as challenging for the art department. Pouring over thousands of comic strips, the design team discovered the common threads throughout Schulz’s work. It was important to art director Nash Dunnigan maintain a design consistency and avoid over-stylization. Dunnigan challenged the team to refer back to the pen line of Schulz’s work in everything they designed. They noted that Schulz’s strips from the ‘80s and ‘90s had backgrounds, “set dressing” and “props” with a simple aesthetic, leaving the filmmakers to fill in a lot of blanks.

Martino knew he wanted to draw a clear distinction in the production design between the action that takes place in the beagle’s fantasy sequences, where his imagination takes him to the skies as the World War I Flying Ace, and those that take place in the “real world.” The scenes set in Charlie Brown’s house, in the school and throughout the neighborhood are styled with desaturated background colors, in order to not take away from the main characters’ signature saturated and vibrant colors. Turning to Snoopy’s flights of fancy, the team wanted to push color boundaries. With Snoopy and his siblings primarily white, the deeper colors of the spectrum would accentuate their actions.One of the more charming aspects of the strip is that the characters seem ageless.

The look of THE PEANUTS MOVIE is a testament to the legacy of Charles M. Schulz.  “I immediately fell in love with the film’s design,” says producer Paul Feig.  “It doesn’t challenge your perception of what PEANUTS should be like, but rather, it adds to it.”

Synopsis

For the first time ever, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang we know and love from Charles Schulz's timeless "THE PEANUTS MOVIE" comic strip will be making their big-screen debut; like they've never been seen before in a CG-Animated Feature film in 3D.

SNOOPY: THE PEANUTS MOVIE 

Director: Steve Martino

Genre:    Animation

Rating: I

Running Time: 93mins

Language: English

Trailer：https://youtu.be/9h33oPbsUh0