What A Nightmare Charlie Brown

Snoopy, an extremely civilized dog, dreams about the rough life of a sled dog in the frozen North.

Snoopy, an extremely civilized dog, dreams about the rough life of a sled dog in the frozen North.

For “fan[s] of all things Charlie Brown animated . . . gives you insight as to what . . . Charles M. Schultz felt about these TV and film adaptations” (MTV News). For the first time, this deluxe visual history treats Peanuts fans to an in-depth look at the art and making of the beloved animated Peanuts specials. From 1965’s original classic A Charlie Brown Christmas through the 2011 release of Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, animation historian Charles Solomon goes behind the scenes of all forty-five films, exploring the process of bringing a much-loved comic strip to life. The book showcases the creative development through the years with gorgeous, never-before-seen concept art, and weaves a rich history based on dozens of interviews with former Peanuts directors, animators, voice talent, and layout artists, as well as current industry folk. Filling a void in animation publishing—there is no other history or art book of the Peanuts specials—this volume celebrates five decades of the artistry and humor of Charles M. Schultz and the artists who reimagined the comic for the screen. “This engaging art book features dozens of interesting interviews, but the real treasure is all the often-seen images and little-seen artifacts associated with the five decades of Emmy-winning Peanuts specials.” —The Washington Post “The beautiful, display-worthy book unfolds the history of the Peanuts TV specials and is filled with interviews with the creators of the ’toons; insider scoop on the productions; and fun, exclusive material like storyboards, Charles Schulz’s model sheets, scripts, original cels, and publicity materials.” —Yahoo! TV “A compelling journey through Schulz’s world.” —Sioux City Journal

This is a complete revision of the author's 1993 McFarland book Television Specials that not only updates entries contained within that edition, but adds numerous programs not previously covered, including beauty pageants, parades, awards programs, Broadway and opera adaptations, musicals produced especially for television, holiday specials (e.g., Christmas and New Year’s Eve), the early 1936–1947 experimental specials, honors specials. In short, this is a reference work to 5,336 programs—the most complete source for television specials ever published.

Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip franchise, the most successful of all time, forever changed the industry. For more than half a century, the endearing, witty insights brought to life by Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and Lucy have caused newspaper readers and television viewers across the globe to laugh, sigh, gasp, and ponder. A Charlie Brown Religion explores one of the most provocative topics Schulz broached in his heartwarming work--religion. Based on new archival research and original interviews with Schulz's family, friends, and colleagues, author Stephen J. Lind offers a new spiritual biography of the life and work of the great comic strip artist. In his lifetime, aficionados and detractors both labeled Schulz as a fundamentalist Christian or as an atheist. Yet his deeply personal views on faith have eluded journalists and biographers for decades. Previously unpublished writings from Schulz will move fans as they begin to see the nuances of the humorist's own complex, intense journey toward understanding God and faith. "There are three things that I've learned never to discuss with people," Linus says, "Religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin." Yet with the support of religious communities, Schulz bravely defied convention and dared to express spiritual thought in the "funny pages," a secular, mainstream entertainment medium. This insightful, thorough study of the 17,897 Peanuts newspaper strips, seventy-five animated titles, and global merchandising empire will delight and intrigue as Schulz considers what it means to believe, what it means to doubt, and what it means to share faith with the world.

"My name is 555 95472 but everyone calls me 5 for short... I have two sisters named 3 and 4." With those words, Charles Schulz introduced one (in fact, three) of the quirkiest characters to the Peanutsuniverse, the numerically-monikered 95472 siblings. They didn't stay around very long but offered some choice bits of satirical nonsense while they did. As it happens, this volume is particularly rich in never-before-reprinted strips: Over 150 (more than one fifth of the book!) have never seen the light of day since their original appearance over 40 years ago, so this will be a trove of undiscovered treasures even for avid Peanuts collectors. These "lost" strips include Linus making a near-successful run for class president that is ultimately derailed by his religious beliefs (two words: "great" and "pumpkin"), and Snoopy getting involved with a group of politically fanatical birds. Also in this volume: Lucy's attempts at improving her friends branches out from her increasingly well-visited nickel psychiatry booth to an educational slideshow of Charlie Brown's faults (it's so long there's an intermission!). Also, Snoopy's doghouse begins its conceptual expansion, as Schulz reveals that the dog owns a Van Gogh, and that the ceiling is so huge that Linus can paint a vast (and as it turns out unappreciated) "history of civilization" mural on it.