Peanuts and Me: Global Phenomena

I just got a chance to watch Peanuts: The Global Phenomenon, which is being run on television in various international markets (it has apparently already been run in New Zealand.) This is a fourteen-and-a-half-minute promo for The Peanuts Movie, put together by Toy Box Entertainment, and it’s a nicely built piece of work. This is one of those documentaries where they take interviews with a lot of different folks and string them together as if they’re all building a single narrative, having a single conversation on a topic together. For this, they got a couple of Schulzes (Jeannie and Craig), Paige Braddock from the Schulz studio, two people from the Schulz Museum, various folks involved in the movie from producer Paul Feig to a number of animation artists, and… me, yours truly, the AAUGH Blogger.

And what befuddles me is how much of me they used. I actually went back and measured it, not because I’m that vain, but because I was that surprised. They played quotes from me 15 times, sometimes as little as a second, but in total: 2 minutes and 50 seconds. I’m the person with the least actual connection to the film here – really, doing this interview was the only connection I have to the movie! – and about a fifth of the piece is me. I’d say it was because my handsome appearance would make everyone swoon, but really, this thing demonstrates quite clearly that I do not have a face for High Definition.

The real reason they have so much to me is that they came to me after the other major interviews had been conducted and then made sure that I covered topics that the filmmaker wanted covered that the earlier subjects had not gone into. But even so… well, I’m just sometimes befuddled by my place in this world.

I wish I could share with you a link to view this but it’s not online anywhere that I can find. I don’t even have permission to show you screen caps. There’s not much in it that the Peanuts hardcore won’t already know, but it’s presented quite well. If it shows up somewhere else, I’ll let you know!

Animated Peanuts
RIP Willie Mays

Willie Mays has died. The baseball great lived until the age of 1993. “Why is that relevant to a Peanuts blog?” I hear of a few of you cry (though many of you know better.) Before Lee Mendelson had any connection to Peanuts, he made a documentary about Mays… and …

Animated Peanuts
New Peanuts feature film on the way

Apple, who have been producing Peanuts series and specials in plentitude, have announced that they, Wildbrain, and Peanuts Worldwide are working together on a new Peanuts feature-length film, the Hollywood Reporter notes. If you liked the last feature film, then this should be very good news. They’re using a story …

Animated Peanuts
Beagle Scout missions

Those of you who have never been to the San Diego Comic-Con (or who haven’t been in a the past couple decades) may not realize that the event goes well beyond the convention center. For blocks around, there are pop-up shops in unused storefronts, studios creating fan “experiences” in parking …