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ACHIEVEMENT: WALK OF FAME HONOR: SNOOPY
dency toward humor and intelligence,
Schulz says her late husband knew he had
truly tapped into the beagle’s potential
when he allowed the pup to stand on its
hind legs and sit atop the doghouse. “He
[said] that changed the whole strip.”
From that point on, Charles Schulz
helped Snoopy discover his fantasy
life that rocketed his career forward to
become the famous and beloved character
that he is today. Not only did the
pup and his bird pals gain popularity in
the strip, they also became
Tipsheet
a sort of marketing national
treasure. In the world of
WHAT:
Snoopy
receives a flight, Snoopy became a symbol
for exploration with ties
star on the
Hollywood
Walk of to NASA, the Air Force communications
and MetLife
Fame.
WHEN:
to provide aerial coverage
11:30 a.m.
Nov. 2 during sporting events. He
WHERE: has also made his way into
7201 Hollywood
Blvd.
two of the most prized positions
in American culture as
WEB:
walkoffame.com
both a stamp and a temporary
part of the Google logo.
Snoopy will take another step forward
when he stars in the upcoming “The Peanuts
Movie” feature film, hitting theaters
Nov. 6. Though it centers around Charlie
Brown and his quest to find love with the
Little Red-Haired Girl, Snoopy still gets
plenty of attention. The film uses a unique
style of animation that attempts to reconcile
a current, three-dimensional look
with the strip’s two-dimensional integrity.
In “The Peanuts Movie” Snoopy is
voiced using archival recordings by Bill
Melendez who has historically been the
voice of Snoopy in addition to directing
many of the Charlie Brown TV specials.
Steve Martino, who directed “ The Peanuts
Movie,” says there was no point in
trying to replicate Melendez’s original
voiceover work. “As we listened to (the
archived recordings) and I started to cut
those into our story reels, we couldn’t
create anything other than that,” Martino
says. “Bill is so funny and Snoopy is so
hilarious in his voice, so he is Snoopy and
Woodstock.”
In terms of design, Martino says the
Snoopy in the movie is close to Schulz’s
drawings from the 1980s, something that
was a joint decision with the film’s writer
and producer, Craig Schulz, who also happens
to be the artist’s son. But he is quick
to add that there are others thrown in, for
example, some poses from the ’60s that
the director finds particularly hilarious.
“As Snoopy acts in such a big way,he’ll
strike poses from different generations.”
Paul Feig, one of the film’s producers,
posits that one reason Snoopy resonates
so deeply with readers across generations
is that the dog’s adventures mirror
the process of an artist. “(As an artist) you
start to look both beyond your world, and
then also into yourself to find things that
aren’t part of your life at the moment,”
Feig says. “What could I be today? I could
be an astronaut. I could be a World War I
flying ace. I could be anything, really.”
It seems long overdue that Snoopy be
recognized for spreading so much puppy
love. “Honestly, Snoopy has probably
entertained people for longer than most
people on the Walk of Fame,” Feig says.
“He’s been making people laugh for 65
years.” Cue the happy dance.
A STAR IS
BORN Snoopy
plays a large
part in the
upcoming
“The Peanuts
Movie.”
As Snoopy
acts in such
a big way, he’ll
strike poses
from different
generations.”
Steve Martino
SNOOPY TIMELINE:
HIS LIFE AS A DOG
1934
The Schulz family
acquires Spike,
the inspiration for
Snoopy.
1952
Snoopy’s
thoughts are
verbalized for
the first time.
1965
Snoopy adapt
the persona of
the World Wa
Flying Ace for
the first time.
2001
A series of stamps
showing Snoopy
as the World War
I Flying Ace are
released.
1950
Snoopy appears
in the “Peanuts”
comic strip for
the first time.
1957
Snoopy learns
how to walk on
two legs.
1969
The astronauts
on Apollo X carry
Charlie Brown
and Snoopy
into space.
2009
Google features
Snoopy and
Woodstock in
its logo.
THE PEANUTS MOVIE: 20TH CENTURY FOX/PEANUTS WORLDWIDE LLC.; 1934, 1952, 1957, 1965, 2001: COURTESY OF THE CHARLES M. SCHULZ MUSEUM AND RESEARCH CENTER, SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA; 1950, 2009: 2015 PEANUTS WORLDWIDE LLC.; 1969: NASA/COURTESY OF THE CHARLES M. SCHULZ MUSEUM AND RESEARCH CENTER, SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA
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