Apple TV+ Answers Who Are You, Charlie Brown? An incredible tribute to Charles Schulz, the man behind the pencil premiering on June 25, 2021.
Apple TV+ answers Who Are You, Charlie Brown? an incredible tribute to Charles Schulz, the man behind the pencil, premieres on June 25, 2021 via Apple TV+.
In February of 1999, 11 months prior to the passing of Charles M. Schulz, I made a trip out to Santa Rosa, CA with a classmate who was conducing an interview with the legendary cartoonist of my all time favorite comic strip. My classmate at San Francisco State University set up the interview at an ice skating rink no less, so I wasn’t going to steal her story, but I was definitely tagging along to meet the man behind Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and the entire Peanuts gang. I’ve even dated a few Lucy’s myself.
Mr. Schulz, dealing with cancer and we didn’t realize it at the time, maybe because we were in awe of him. Maybe because we did not want to see it, or maybe because the legendary introvert didn’t care much to show is suffering, who knows besides him and those closest to him.
Fast forward 21 years later and Apple TV+ releases the documentary Who Are You, Charlie Brown? a slightly less than an hour documentary that easily could have been turned into a docuseries, but just long enough that I want to believe Mr. Schulz would be satisfied in knowing that he was still appreciated 20 years after his passing.
Who Are You, Charlie Brown? features a list of celebrities including Paul Feig, Drew Barrymore and Billie Jean King, who was the inspiration for Peppermint Patty…now that was something new I learned from the documentary.
Mr. Schulz, like myself was an only child and maybe that is one of the reasons I connect with his work so much, but thankfully, Who Are You, Charlie Brown? goes deeper into his life, speaking with his widow Jean, who brought to life Sally’s affectionate pet nickname for Linus as the, Sweet Babboo and his love of symphonies that shined through whenever Schroeder sat down at the piano.
Who Are You, Charlie Brown? is a heartwarming documentary that is truly a love letter to someone who most of us only knew on the illustrated page that forged forward and reinvented his style after a stint in the hospital in 1980 that drove him to continue to create, which would have knocked a lesser man down…another little secret that you will learn in the documentary.
Truly, what can you say about a man who drew and inked every single comic strip from inception to retirement in 55 minutes? Apparently a whole hell of a lot and I still want six more hours of it! Looks like a trip to Knott’s Berry Farm is in order to get a Peanuts fix since it will be awhile before I can get up to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA again.
So, Who Are You, Charlie Brown? You are Mr. Schulz. You are me. You are everyone that has felt out of place or disenfranchised that didn’t quit. You are the everyman that we tend to root for in American society.
Charles M. Schulz gave us 50 years of comic strips I can go back and revisit anytime I want along with multiple incarnations through television specials, multiple series and The Snoopy Show that can be found on Apple TV+.
- Total Score
Summary
Quite frankly, the only reasons why Who Are You, Charlie Brown? is getting 4.5 Stars instead of 5 Stars is because it wasn’t long enough and some lunatic who was screaming about how much he hated Christmas in order to over-emphasize his enjoyment of the original, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
