The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials

by Charles Solomon

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 45 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.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2012

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles M. Schulz's 'Peanuts' had been a popular feature in daily newspaper comics for around 15 years before any decent-sized attempt had been made to animate them. That first effort, A Charlie Brown Christmas, became an instant classic which sparked a fulfilling 30-plus year collaboration between Schulz, producer Lee Mendelson, and animation director Bill Melendez. All of the 'Peanuts' television specials and feature films with Schulz's direct involvement are thoroughly explored in this book, with lots of behind-the-scenes info and beautiful imagery. Didya ever wonder why they decided to use a wobbly trombone sound for the adult voices in those specials? It's explained herein.

Enjoyable as this book is, it also contains too many admiring quotes from current animation professionals, which kind of belabors the point that this stuff continues to be influential. This was a beef I also had with the other Charles Solomon book I read (The Art of the Disney Golden Books), so I suppose the author likes that format. The book is roughly 75% good, solid information, and 25% fluff.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent window into the process of creating the animated Peanuts features!

[Lesley Bergen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this behind the scenes look at the history of such a beloved collection of animated films. As a visual person I especially enjoyed the photos but would have loved to have seen more.

[Joe Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the Peanuts animated specials. I read an e-book version, but really want to track down a physical copy. The animation stills and storyboards are beautiful

[τλιϓλ · Rating 5 out of 5]

رحلة جميلة ورائعة مليئة بالذكريات والأمور الحلوة، رحلة منذ البداية وحتى الألفية الثانية ولا تزال مستمرة.. أخذني الكتاب في رحلة شيقة اقرأ فيها عن الكلب الذي أحبه معظمنا، سنوبي الكلب الصامت الظريف ومغامراته المتنوعة مع بقية الرفاق.
كتاب يليق حقا باحتفال اليوبيل الذهبي لمن أخرج لنا من ابتكاره شخصية ممتعة ظريفة ومغامرات لطيفة تتميز عن غيرها بمحافظتها على أسلوب رسمها الذي أصبح مدرسة للبعض.

[Nick Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who is a fan of the Charlie Brown film series and specials, this book is a must have. The book is filled with color illustrations and film cells from the specials, and contains commentary from both the actors and animators who were a part of creating Schulz's legacy. A must have for any fan of Peanuts.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but it was inaccurate in some spots.