New Documentary Special to Honor Legacy of PEANUTS Creator Charles M. Shulz
By Movieguide® Staff
Apple, which acquired rights to Charles M. Schulz’s beloved comic strip PEANUTS and its characters, announced a new documentary special called WHO ARE YOU, CHARLIE BROWN? to debut on June 25 on AppleTV.
“Before there was Charlie Brown, there was Schulz. Take a delightful look into the magic of Peanuts, its creator, and the lasting legacy he left on the world. Watch Who Are You, Charlie Brown?” the trailer’s description reads.
Lupita Nyong’o is set to narrate the special from Imagine Documentaries. The feature will include interviews from friends, family, fellow cartoonists, and fans to remember the late creator’s legacy.
“Lupita Nyong’o narrates a documentary about Peanuts and its creator, Charles M. Schulz. Famous fans—including Kevin Smith, Al Roker, and Billie Jean King—share its influence on them, and a new animated story finds Charlie Brown on a personal quest,” the description notes.
Along with the interviews, the special will include a new animated story with the story’s titular star, Charlie Brown.
Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes of Imagine; Josh Scherba, Anne Loi and Stephanie Betts of WildBrain, Craig Schulz and Paige Braddock of Peanuts; and Michael Bonfiglio, will produce.
Over the Christmas season in 2020, Apple came under fire after it decided to show PEANUTS classics like A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS only on their streaming service and not on traditional TV. After backlash, however, Apple reinstated the tradition to allow fans to watch the holiday specials on public television.
Movieguide® previously reported:
AppleTV will preserve a holiday tradition as the Peanuts holiday specials return to national broadcast television, after all, ad-free, on PBS and PBS Kids.
The company, which owns the rights to Charles Schultz’s beloved Peanuts, announced that they rescinded their original plan to show the Peanuts specials A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING and A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS exclusively on AppleTV.
“‘Peanuts’ fans will have even more ways to watch Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang on their holiday adventures as Apple and PBS team up for special ad-free broadcasts of A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING and A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS,'” Apple said in a press release.
Apple’s decision to air the specials on PBS came after uproar from Peanuts fans who were unhappy when Apple announced that their ownership prohibited the special from airing on television, effectively ending a 55-year-tradition.
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