My middle daughter had a blanket that she loved so much. From the time she was about seven months old, she couldn't go to sleep without...ahem...sucking on it (yuck, I know! -- That's why we named it "Stinky Pinky"). I always told myself I'd start to wean her off of it at two years old, but that came and went, and I didn't have the heart. Finally, one day, Stinky Pinky disappeared. We couldn't find it anywhere. My daughter had a rough two or three days, and then she announced, "I don't need Stinky Pinky anymore." That's when big sister started laughing and showed us that she had thrown Stinky Pinky up on top of the curtain rod where we couldn't see it. Big sis had had it with the smelly old thing. I immediately took Stinky Pinky, washed it, and put it away for safe keeping. It's never been heard from since, but the very mention of a security blanket always brings ! back memories, which is why I love Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown, a new Peanuts special available today on DVD and Blu-ray.
Who better to tackle the touchy subject of getting rid of a security blanket than the Peanuts? I mean really, watching Lucy try to "help" her younger brother kick the habit is a kick. And, leave it to the Peanuts to reveal the need for security in all of us. What's also fun about the episode, is that it's ALL NEW!
Warner Premiere, with the help of Craig Schultz (son of Charles Schulz), used the classic Peanuts cartoon strips to create a new special that has all of the old school charm, yet somehow still manages to be relevant across many generations. I had a chance to talk with Craig about the new episode, and it was such a pleasure to learn more about the Peanuts, the making of this new episode, and what it was like to be the son of the legendary cartoonist.
One thing I find so classy is the Schultz family's commitment to staying true to the original cartoon strip. Craig told me that they are approached about making new Peanuts films and movies, but they are resolved to sticking with the original material in the cartoon strips. Craig expressed the family's feelings about his father's work saying, "We really feel that we owe a duty to him. It was his creation and he was the genius behind it. " I just think that shows a lot of integrity, and it also ensures that the Peanuts retain their charm and historical relevance.
The new episode was created directly from Charles' cartoon strip. In fact, Craig told me that 90-95% of the dialogue comes straight from the comic strip. "What better place to go than to mine 50 years of Peanuts and dig deep and really find what's there?" He said. "As you know when you watch Peanuts, there's multiple levels of complexity of humor and humanity all within that 50 years, and it's really just a matter of going in there and finding the best parts of it." The animators also tried to stay authentic to the original animation, and they even filtered the the film to give it that familiar '60s feel.
So, what is it that makes Peanuts so timeless? Why am I writing today about characters that were introduced 50 years ago? According to Craig Schultz, "It's timeless because there's little pieces of all of us spread out throughout the characters. There are levels of humanity that appeal to children at their innocent level, and as they grow up and they re-read the same material and read bits of the comic strip it appeals on an intellectual and an adult level. That's what keeps it timeless. You can rediscover different messages of Peanuts at different times in your life."
I had to ask Craig which Peanuts episode is his favorite, and he told me that while he loves You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown, the classic Halloween Peanuts episode is his favorite. And his favorite character? -- Pigpen! Pigpen has a great presence in the new episode, too, which makes the It's a Warm Blanket Charlie Brown special even more fun.
- Read a full review of Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown
Family Films
No comments:
Post a Comment