(Jerod Harris/Getty Images North America)
Charlie Brown has been a household name in America for as long as we could remember. He is the captain of the world’s worst baseball team, the kid who never gets a break, and the “lovable loser” we can all relate to. For the first time in 35 years, the new generation was able to meet Charlie Brown for the first time in the latest feature film, The Peanuts Movie.
2015 not only celebrated the revival of a timeless classic; it also highlighted the 65th anniversary of the original comic strip created by Charles Schulz. In honor of the 65th anniversary, Macy’s holiday windows at the flagship store in Herald Square, New York City replicated A Charlie Brown Christmas and Knott’s Berry Farm hosted a special afternoon with cast members Hadley Belle Miller (Lucy), Mariel Sheets (Sally), Mar Mar (Franklin), Alexander Garfin (Linus), Noah Schnapp (Charlie Brown) and Francesca Capaldi (Little Red Haired Girl), movie director Steve Martino and producer Craig Schulz. At the event, the cast and crew met with the press to discuss the film and visit the Peanuts attractions at the park. CelebSecrets4U was able to meet the cast at Knott’s Berry Farm to learn a little more about the film!
“I had just got back from school when I heard the news. This was my first voice-over movie, so when I officially found out I booked the role, I was running around and screaming from excitement,” Noah Schnapp tells us exclusively about booking the role of Charlie Brown.
In The Peanuts Movie, life always seems complicated for good ol’ Charlie Brown (Noah Schnapp), the boy who always tries his best against seemingly impossible odds. When the Little Red-Haired Girl (Francesca Capaldi) moves into his neighborhood, Charlie Brown develops a crush on her. Meanwhile, his best friend Snoopy (Bill Melendez) embarks on an epic adventure in a fantasy world. As a World War I flying ace, the lovable beagle pursues his nemesis, the Red Baron, while also trying to win the heart of a beautiful poodle named Fifi (Kristin Chenoweth).
Did The Peanuts Movie live up to its expectation? “Steve Martino went above and way beyond my expectations of this film,” producer Craig Schulz (and original creator Charles Schulz‘s son) tells us exclusively. “I think its important to carry on the messages my father put out through Charlie Brown for many years. As we were developing the movie, we went back through thousands of comic strips and found out something that he [Charles] wrote in 1965 is relevant today. This movie shows the steady of humanity and the messages behind Charlie Brown never go away.”
Since its release last November, The Peanuts Movie has grossed over $205 million and is nominated for the Annie Award for “Best Animated Feature,” the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for “Best Animated Feature,” and the Golden Globe Award for “Best Animated Feature Film.” We can’t wait to see how the film does this award show season!
Check out photos from The Peanuts Movie event at Knott’s Berry Farm below.
Photos: Jerod Harris/Getty Images
