It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown
Encyclopedia
It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown is the 32nd prime-time animated
TV special based upon the popular comic strip
Peanuts
, by Charles M. Schulz
. The special is a hybrid of animation and live action footage, and features Spike instead of the core Peanuts characters. A spin-off
focused on Spike's unrequited love for a young woman, it was described as similar to Beauty and the Beast
.
every day; it is the highlight of his day. In this combined animated and live-action special, we meet the young woman, aerobics
instructor Jenny who wants to be a big city jazz dancer. She and Spike drive around, looking at the desert scenery and spending some time at a roller rink. However, when Spike is accidentally thrown out of the skating rink he runs off, and is pursued by people on a nighttime coyote hunt.
A sub-plot sees Jenny's boyfriend set up an audition for her, which she is angry about because he did it without consulting her.
The film starts with a brief animated introduction by Charlie Brown and Snoopy, introducing the character of Spike to audiences. Schulz apparently was against this scene, feeling that fans would already be familiar with the supporting character.
Production of the film took four years, and cost “millions of dollars”. A serious film buff who watched both foreign and art films, Schulz commented, “I wanted this to be my Citizen Kane
, but it's not.”
Many cast members were from Schulz's friends, family, or neighbourhood. His daughter Jill was cast in the lead role of “the girl”, while son Monty Schulz helped write the script. Bit player Mollie Boice was discovered by Schulz from a Santa Rosa Little Theatre production of The Oldest Living Graduate.
Director Walter Miller's regular projects include the Academy Awards
telecast, and was used to working with name actors. Miller and Schulz had previously worked together, when the director worked on a broadcast of a Peanuts ice show. The movie's music was provided by Paul Rodriguez, who composed for Redwood Empire's ice shows.
As the animation/live-action technique requires, characters were animated later to work with the motions of the human actors. On occasion, Spike would be the only character to appear on screen, meaning only the set would be filmed. Director Miller commented “I never shot so much plain brown dirt in my life.”
Fake saguaro cacti were purchased for a thousand dollars each, as the actual cacti in the desert were not placed right for the action. The truck featured cost just $300, “and looks it”.
. The next day, This is America, Charlie Brown
aired "The Birth of the Constitution". It was originally titled The Girl in the Red Truck, and supposed to air in March.
Numerous production delays caused the program to be aired in 1988, shortly after Who Framed Roger Rabbit
. Roger Rabbit is widely considered to have significantly helped heralding in the Disney Renaissance
, and the rebirth of American feature animation in general. While films throughout the ages have used a mix of animation and live action (the Alice comedies
, Song of the South
, Mary Poppins
), Schulz worried that viewers would assume he copied the new film's technique. Jill Schulz was instructed by her father to clearly emphasize the program's conception date during interviews. The New York Times decided "the similarities between the two are superficial", describing it as "relatively primitive" and "generally clumsy", and that the interaction was "not terribly convincing".
Indeed, the show was almost universally panned, with Schulz's daughter shouldering most of the blame. John J. O'Connor, critic for The New York Times
wrote "Part of the problem may be that this production is a family project, the sort of thing that gets bogged down in good intentions and parental pride... Although Ms. Schulz is perky and likable, and she does a passable dance routine on roller skates, her performance does little or nothing to enliven the spiritless proceedings." Schulz notes his daughter's stated that the director was very strict, often yelling at her.
As of Good Grief being written in 1989, Schulz was still considering further attempts at a “masterpiece”. Johnson suggested it might be “a quiet story about cancer”, inspired by the special Why, Charlie Brown, Why?
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
TV special based upon the popular comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
, by Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
. The special is a hybrid of animation and live action footage, and features Spike instead of the core Peanuts characters. A spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
focused on Spike's unrequited love for a young woman, it was described as similar to Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
.
Plot
Spike waves to a young woman driving a red pickup truck through the desert of Needles, CaliforniaNeedles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
every day; it is the highlight of his day. In this combined animated and live-action special, we meet the young woman, aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
instructor Jenny who wants to be a big city jazz dancer. She and Spike drive around, looking at the desert scenery and spending some time at a roller rink. However, when Spike is accidentally thrown out of the skating rink he runs off, and is pursued by people on a nighttime coyote hunt.
A sub-plot sees Jenny's boyfriend set up an audition for her, which she is angry about because he did it without consulting her.
Production
It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown is a departure from the usual Peanuts specials. Apart from the animated introduction, the entire show is a mixture of live-action and animation. While most specials include a variety of characters from the comic strip, like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, to name a few, this program is centered on Spike, Snoopy's brother.The film starts with a brief animated introduction by Charlie Brown and Snoopy, introducing the character of Spike to audiences. Schulz apparently was against this scene, feeling that fans would already be familiar with the supporting character.
Production of the film took four years, and cost “millions of dollars”. A serious film buff who watched both foreign and art films, Schulz commented, “I wanted this to be my Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
, but it's not.”
Many cast members were from Schulz's friends, family, or neighbourhood. His daughter Jill was cast in the lead role of “the girl”, while son Monty Schulz helped write the script. Bit player Mollie Boice was discovered by Schulz from a Santa Rosa Little Theatre production of The Oldest Living Graduate.
Director Walter Miller's regular projects include the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
telecast, and was used to working with name actors. Miller and Schulz had previously worked together, when the director worked on a broadcast of a Peanuts ice show. The movie's music was provided by Paul Rodriguez, who composed for Redwood Empire's ice shows.
As the animation/live-action technique requires, characters were animated later to work with the motions of the human actors. On occasion, Spike would be the only character to appear on screen, meaning only the set would be filmed. Director Miller commented “I never shot so much plain brown dirt in my life.”
Fake saguaro cacti were purchased for a thousand dollars each, as the actual cacti in the desert were not placed right for the action. The truck featured cost just $300, “and looks it”.
Critical reaction
It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown was critically panned upon its initial airing. The special suffered due to its release just weeks after the popular theatrically released feature Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
. The next day, This is America, Charlie Brown
This Is America, Charlie Brown
This is America, Charlie Brown was an eight-part animated TV mini-series, depicting events in American history with characters from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. It aired from 1988 to 1989 on CBS. These eight episodes, originally released singly on videocassette, were released in a...
aired "The Birth of the Constitution". It was originally titled The Girl in the Red Truck, and supposed to air in March.
Numerous production delays caused the program to be aired in 1988, shortly after Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
. Roger Rabbit is widely considered to have significantly helped heralding in the Disney Renaissance
Disney Renaissance
The Disney Renaissance refers to an era beginning roughly in the late 1980s and ending in the late 1990s, during which Walt Disney Animation Studios returned to making successful animated films mostly based on stories that were known to many, restoring public and critical interest in Disney.The...
, and the rebirth of American feature animation in general. While films throughout the ages have used a mix of animation and live action (the Alice comedies
Alice Comedies
The "Alice Comedies" are a series of animated cartoonscreated by Walt Disney in the 1920s, in which a live action little girl named Alice and an animated cat named Julius have adventures in an animated landscape....
, Song of the South
Song of the South
Song of the South is a 1946 American musical film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. The live actors provide a sentimental frame story, in which Uncle Remus relates the folk tales of the...
, Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
), Schulz worried that viewers would assume he copied the new film's technique. Jill Schulz was instructed by her father to clearly emphasize the program's conception date during interviews. The New York Times decided "the similarities between the two are superficial", describing it as "relatively primitive" and "generally clumsy", and that the interaction was "not terribly convincing".
Indeed, the show was almost universally panned, with Schulz's daughter shouldering most of the blame. John J. O'Connor, critic for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote "Part of the problem may be that this production is a family project, the sort of thing that gets bogged down in good intentions and parental pride... Although Ms. Schulz is perky and likable, and she does a passable dance routine on roller skates, her performance does little or nothing to enliven the spiritless proceedings." Schulz notes his daughter's stated that the director was very strict, often yelling at her.
As of Good Grief being written in 1989, Schulz was still considering further attempts at a “masterpiece”. Johnson suggested it might be “a quiet story about cancer”, inspired by the special Why, Charlie Brown, Why?
Why, Charlie Brown, Why?
Why, Charlie Brown, Why? is the 33rd prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. It originally aired on March 16, 1990 and was also nominated for an Emmy.-Plot:...