With original music by Ben Folds, the first new ‘Peanuts’ musical in over 3 decades finds Charlie Brown and the gang working to make even a small difference in a world that’s not all black and white – in this case, saving his beloved summer camp from shutting down; debuts August 15 on Apple TV+.
Ever since he was first introduced to the world by comics legend Charles M.Schulz in 1950, character Charlie Brown has always been an old-soul.
Even at Elementary School age, Charlie Brown, philosophical and mentally tormented beyond his years, acts like a crotchety old man who finds little fun in any activity.Not in football, not during Christmas, not even while trick-or-treating. But there’s one exception. In, the first original musical special in 35 years, Charlie Brown loves camp.Yes, Charlie Brown actually loves something, and he is determined to make his final year at camp special.
But his sister Sally, a first-time camper, is nervous and skeptical of the unfamiliar place.Just as Sally starts to warm up to the camp, Charlie Brown and the gang learn that their beloved camp is shutting down due to fewer campers joining each summer.Charlie Brown feels hopeless about losing a place that has meant so much to him and his friends, until he sets out to save it.
The film is now available globally on Apple TV+. Check out the trailer: “In this special, Charlie Brown rises to the occasion,” says Erik Wiese, who directs from a script by Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, and Cornelius Uliano, while Craig, Bryan, Uliano, Paige Braddock, Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts, and Logan McPherson executive produce.“He becomes the leader as these kids band together.It’s an important role and it requires aging up.
It’s a harsh reality to grow up in order to save the camp you loved as a kid.But our characters get it, and I think other kids will get it, too.” Craig Schulz, son of the late creator, added, “Kids are more sophisticated than we give them credit for and that’s what my dad keyed in on.I have grandkids now and it’s really astounding to see the stuff they grasp at such a young age.
The characters are multidimensional and they’re sending a message to the young kids about the fun and the joy of camp, and also a message to older kids and adults that ‘We’re gonna leave it better than we found it.’ That’s what makes writing for these characters fun.” Produced by Peanuts and WildBrain, the special also includes the return of Emmy-nominated singer, songwriter, composer, and New York Times bestselling author Ben Folds to the Charles Schulz-created world to contribute three original songs and serve as Music Supervisor, after composing music for back in 2022.“It's a big world of opportunity, because the characters are deep,” says Folds.“The world [of ] is nuanced.
It's not black and white.No one is exactly right, no one's exactly wrong.This is all the stuff that not just kids, but adults too could afford to at least revisit and relearn in an era of utter polarization.
There’s a reason this show, this institution, and the animation and characters have survived 75 years of history.” This year marks the 75th anniversary of and Folds says he can’t think of a better way to ring in the new milestone and share these nuanced messages with viewers than with song and dance. “I had a friend who's in music therapy and neurology who said that the brain lights up like a Christmas tree over music more than almost anything else,” says Folds.“Kids are intelligent, but music speaks to that intelligence in a deep way.And what we're lacking in the world right now is perhaps the ability to tell the story of us, a species that may not survive if we don't get off our asses.” But telling a story of a brother leaving the world better than he found it for the sake of his younger sister can be both inspiring and serve as a heavy burden, depending on how that message is delivered.
Craig, Wiese, and Folds wanted to make sure children were empowered by the idea that they can make a change in the world – or at camp – rather than being overwhelmed.“We wanted things to be balanced,” says Folds.“I didn't want these kids to get the idea that Charlie Brown and the gang saved the world.
I want them to know that they made things a little better, but they’ve also inherited a lot.At the end, I wanted viewers to hear the advice to just do their best.They might mess some stuff up, too, but they should aspire to leave things better than they found them.” The song “Look Up” is a good visual example of how the special aims to teach kids to do their best in a world that’s not all bad and not all good. “That song starts with the kids at their lowest of lows,” says Folds.
“They thought they were going to save camp, but things aren’t turning out like they’d hoped.It starts out raining and, in the end, the sun does come out, but I wanted it to feel earned.So, we created a song about not giving up.
They don’t know if the sun is going to come out, they don’t know if they’re going to save camp, but they look up anyway.There are victories in our world history that, when they were happening or about to happen, weren’t guaranteed.We didn’t know if gay marriage would be legalized or if the Berlin wall would fall.
And some people get so caught up in looking down at the task, that they forget to look up at the victories along the way.” He continues, “Charlie Brown and his friends didn’t make the sun come out, but they were looking up when it happened.Choosing to look up is also a victory.” The production crew of hopes kids keep holding their heads high regardless of whether or not the world shifts for better or for worse. “My son Bryan was like, ‘Dad, we can write this just as a story, so why are we making this thing a musical?’” shares Craig.“And I said, ‘Because I had this vision for what it would feel like as a musical.
I think it would elevate the story.’ When you inject music into the animation, when you start layering on the music and kids singing and the fantastic visuals that Erik brings to the table, it goes from just one of our many animated specials to way up in the stratosphere, as far as I'm concerned.I also feel that, if you watch a musical, you're way more likely to watch it over and over and over again, because the songs just drive you back.” He adds, “I got that from watching my dad put on an ice show every year.No matter how bad the skating was, if the music was good, I could watch it over and over and over.
I'm a strong believer in music driving the audience.” The long-lasting effect of an abstract idea like this on an audience is, in Wiese’s words, what one gets when working with a music genius like Folds. “Ben gives you such poetry,” says Wiese.“And his abstract ideas go so well with animation.We usually try to make every frame like a painting, but eliminating a lot of the backgrounds in that sequence made sense.
There’s a magical power to what you can do with animation and music when they come together.” And art, from both visual and audio standpoints, is a way to bring people together. “I can't think of another show where I can actually go deep into a moment, because Charlie Brown can give us that,” says Wiese.“He understands sadness, and we can illustrate that through him.We can actually externalize that emotion and it means all that much more when he looks up.” Because if Charlie Brown can find hope in a hole, at his lowest point, so can the rest of us. “It was a risk to make Charlie Brown love camp in the first place, because he hated it in the comics for decades,” says Folds.
“But the team wanted him to grow up a little bit.His world is coming to an end, and he's going to sing a song.Charlie Brown's going to sing a motivating song.
It was a risk.”
Craig interjects, “And hopefully, it speaks to your soul.”
Victoria Davis is a full-time, freelance journalist and part-time Otaku with an affinity for all things anime.She's reported on numerous stories from activist news to entertainment.Find more about her work at victoriadavisdepiction.com.
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