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The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Charlie Brown and Snoopy offer an animated 'Peanuts' musical about summer camp
Charlie Brown and Snoopy go to sleepaway camp in a new, bittersweet Apple TV+ special fueled by a pair of Emmy Award-nominated songwriters that's being billed as the first 'Peanuts' musical in 35 years. 'My motivation has always been to preserve and enhance my dad's legacy,' says co-writer Craig Schulz, a son of the iconic comic strip 'Peanuts' creator Charles. S. Schulz. 'So it's really an honor to get to play with these kids.' 'Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical,' which premieres Friday, features five songs — two by Jeff Morrow, Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner — and three by Ben Folds. 'If someone asked me to write for a stupid kids thing, I would find it difficult because I don't like talking down to anyone, much less kids,' says Folds. ''Peanuts' isn't like that. We're working in very rich, fertile soil.' What's the special about? The special opens with the kids getting ready to catch the bus to Cloverhill Ranch camp, but Sally isn't so sure it's going to be great. "Honestly, big brother, I could stay home," she says. Sally is initially intimidated by the camp's inside jokes and rituals, turned off by the insects, the endless climbing, no TV, cold lake water and lumpy beds. 'You wake at dawn/Like you would in jail,' she sings in the song 'A Place Like This.' 'The food's not what you'd call upscale/This whole endeavor, an epic fail/And that's being diplomatic.' Trust 'Peanuts' to explore reluctance to leave home and fear of change. Craig Schulz, who co-wrote the script with his son, Bryan, and Cornelius Uliano, channeled some of his own childhood. 'Cloverhill Ranch actually is a take-off of the one in Santa Rosa called Cloverleaf that I went to as a child and hated. I bailed out after a week and went home,' he says. 'So many connections in the film kind of date back to my childhood that we weaved into the film.' While Sally warms to camp, Snoopy discovers what he thinks is a treasure map that will transform him into a wealthy pooch, one who will lay on top of a gold dog house. And Charlie Brown learns that this summer will be the last for his beloved but struggling camp — unless he does something. 'I guess your generation would rather sit in front of the television than sit under the stars,' he tells Sally. 'We have to protect these kinds of places because once they're gone, they're gone forever.' A concert to save the camp Charlie Brown comes up with the idea to invite generations of camp-goers back for a fundraising concert, but the skies darken on the big day, threatening to cancel the event and sending him into a 'Good grief' spiral. 'Charlie Brown is different in this special,' says director Erik Wiese. 'He's really happy. He loves this place. And so that's why when we get to that scene it's so effective because he returned back to the zero we sort of know him traditionally.' Folds supplies the lovely, last three songs — 'When We Were Light,' 'Look Up, Charlie Brown' and 'Leave It Better' — and credits his songwriting collaborators for setting the stage. 'I entered when those first two songs existed, and I get to just sort of step in at the point where things get really complex and melancholic,' he says. Folds has had a flirtation with musical theater before, having written the 'Peanuts' Earth Day song 'It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown' in 2022 and a few songs for the movie 'Over the Hedge' in 2006. 'People can easily confuse a song that sounds like musical theater with a song that should be musical theater,' he says. 'Really what the value of the song is that it obviates the need for a good five to 10 pages of script.' This October marks the 75th anniversary of 'Peanuts,' and the musical arrives with a boatload of branding, from tote bags by Coach to shoes by Crocs and Starbucks mugs. Craig Schulz is already at work on a second animated musical with his son, having long ago fallen in love with the family business. "I used to always wonder how in the world my dad could go to the office every day for 50 years and write a comic strip every day," he says, comparing it to the 'I Love Lucy' episode with Lucy trying to keep up with a chocolate conveyor belt. 'Then I came to realize that he had his family of five kids, but I really think he enjoyed going to the studio and working with the 'Peanuts' characters even more so than his real family. He got to go in there and embrace them, draw them, make him happy, sad, whatever. It was a world that I don't think he could ever leave.'
Bangkok Post
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Bangkok Post
New releases for your streaming pleasure: July 16-22
Looking for a title to binge-watch this weekend? Here's our pick! APPLE TV+ Premieres on July 18 Featuring original music by Jeff Morrow and Ben Folds, the 40-minute special marks the first Peanuts musical in 35 years. Celebrate the joy and magic of summer camp and the importance of preserving what you love. Charlie Brown loves camp and is determined to make his final year special, but Sally, a first-time camper, is nervous and sceptical of the new and unfamiliar place. While everyone settles into camp, Snoopy and Woodstock discover a treasure map that takes them on a wild adventure nearby. The Summer I Turned Pretty: Season 3 Premieres on July 16 It's the end of her junior year of college and Belly's looking forward to another summer in Cousins with her soulmate, Jeremiah. Her future seems set, until some core-shaking events bring her first love Conrad back into her life. Now on the brink of adulthood, Belly finds herself at a crossroads and must decide which brother has her heart. Summer will never be the same. HBO MAX Alarum Premieres on July 19 Two rogue spies go off-grid, marry and come under attack at their remote cabin hideaway by various intel agencies seeking a stolen hard drive. AFN Dishing With Chris Lee: Season 2 Premieres on July 17 Christopher Lee the kampong boy returns with his home-cooked dishes! This time, he breathes new life into his very own culinary show by shifting his kitchen. Spaghetti Conquest Premieres on July 20 Chef Adam Swanson explores cooking in Italy and Thailand with a common ingredient: tomatoes. NETFLIX Untamed Premieres on July 17 In the vast expanse of Yosemite National Park, a woman's death draws a federal agent into lawless terrain — where nature obeys no rules but its own.
The Verge
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
The first Peanuts musical special in 35 years is coming to Apple TV Plus in July.
Following yesterday's announcement that season 56 of Sesame Street will be available on Netflix 'later this year,' Apple TV Plus has announced that it's bolstering its lineup of kid-friendly programming with its first original Peanuts musical. Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical finds the Peanuts gang trying to save their beloved summer camp from shutting down when it debuts on July 18th, 2025. It will feature original music by Jeff Morrow and Ben Folds.
