By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Charlie Brown began writing to a pen pal not long after the comic strip “Peanuts” debuted in newspapers back in 1950. No one has gotten a look at whoever was on the other end of his letters — until now.
Her name is Mia, and she’s a young girl from London of South Asian descent who uses a wheelchair. She glides into the spotlight in the animated movie “Snoopy Unleashed,” coming to Apple TV in 2027, helping Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang explore what being a pal is really all about.
“The story is really about what real friendship is about, and I think that continues to be something that’s relevant not only to kids, but adults,” says producer Bonnie Arnold.
“True friends love you for who you are. And that’s something that we not only have to learn as kids, but we have to remind ourselves as we become teenagers and young adults and adults and even in older age,” she added.
What’s the movie about?
In the 80-minute movie, Mia makes a surprise visit to a suddenly flustered Charlie Brown, who has to live up to the curated version of himself that he has presented in his letters. His relationship with Snoopy is then strained, and the dog bolts for a nearby city. Naturally, Charlie Brown and the gang, plus Mia, give chase.
With Mia, the creators wanted to birth someone as different from Charlie Brown as possible — a girl, not from a suburb or a rural town, who moves through the world differently, without a pet, and someone with confidence.
“Charlie Brown is probably one of the most insecure human beings that we know. That’s what makes him charming. It’s how we see ourselves in him. So we felt that we wanted Mia to be more comfortable with who she is,” says director Steve Martino, adding: “A big part of her role in the movie is to be a mirror to Charlie Brown, to journey with him and to reflect some things that he couldn’t see himself.”
An urban landscape
They landed on London as Mia’s home since that elevated the stakes.
“If this pen pal was going to come to visit, it would be a much stronger story if she came from much further away,” says Martino. “He has one shot to make a good impression.” (Plus, it gave Lucy the chance to believe somehow that Mia might be a royal ).
In the city, Mia is more comfortable than Charlie Brown and the gang, who are fish out of water, like encountering their first revolving door with amazement. The jazz score grows more frenzied as the children navigate honking traffic and the urban energy.
Snoopy’s trip to the city also introduces another new character: a nameless, gold-haired stray mutt who becomes his opposites-attract pal, like Mia and Charlie Brown.
“Snoopy definitely is more of a human-type character. He walks on twos and not fours,” says Arnold. The stray, on the other hand, “walks on fours, he barks, he pants, he’s more doglike, but he befriends Snoopy. Even though his actions are a bit puppylike, he’s a little bit more seasoned in the ways of being on the road.”
Issues of authenticity and presentation
The script was written by Craig Schulz — “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz’s son — and his own son, Bryan Schulz, along with Cornelius Uliano and Karey Kirkpatrick. To accurately portray life in a wheelchair, the creators consulted several groups, including Disability Belongs.
Lara Mehmet, a wheelchair user who lives just outside London, was picked to voice Mia after a long audition process and helped the script sound more authentic.
While viewers today are more familiar with texts, instant messages and social media posts, the moviemakers hope they’ll see the same issues of authenticity and presentation in a story sparked by snail mail letters.
“On social media, we like to curate and project a life that is the very best of who we are. And I thought that is such rich story material to dig into,” says Martino. “We communicate differently today, but feelings that are universal.”
“Peanuts” ran in more than 2,600 newspapers, reaching millions of readers in 75 countries before ending in 2000. Charlie Brown and Snoopy have since thrived in the digital age with fresh specials and series.
In addition to “Snoopy Unleashed,” Apple TV has season two of “Camp Snoopy” on tap for June, a new special “Snoopy Presents: There’s No Place Like Home, Snoopy” premiering at the end of July, and the “Peanuts” classics “This Is America, Charlie Brown” and “The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show” will be available on the platform in early July.
The moviemakers credit Schulz for leaving a legacy of very believable kids and an ability to tap into the human experience, with all its vulnerabilities.
“What Charles Schulz did in the comic strips so well is kind of touch on things that affect us all at all ages, right? Some universal truths about relationships,” says Arnold.
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of two of the scriptwriters’ first names. They are Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano, not Brian Schulz and Neil Uliano.