Craig Schulz, Robb Armstrong & Raymond S. Persi, Talk ‘Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin‘ premieres globally on Friday, February 16, 2024.
AppleTV+, the current home of the Peanuts characters created by the legendary Charles M. Schulz have impacted both young and old since the 1950s. One character that was birthed during the Civil Rights Movement was Franklin Armstrong (taking the surname of cartoonist and c0-writer, Robb Armstrong).
A fan letter to Mr. Schulz said it was time to create an African-American character in the comics and on July 31, 1968, Franklin was born.
The First Appearance of Franklin Armstrong on July 31, 1968.
Now, over 50 years since his inspection, Franklin Armstrong gets his own Peanuts Special with, ‘Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin‘ premieres globally on Friday, February 16, 2024 on AppleTV+. Craig Schulz, son of Charles M. Schulz, cartoonist and friend of Mr. Schulz, Robb Armstrong and directior Raymond S. Persi took the time to talk to us about the new special, what it means to be the new kid in town and rectify a situation from the 1973, ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving‘, where modern eyes saw Franklin seated on his own side of the table as something racist. Yet for myself, I saw it as a child and thought, “Wow! Franklin has all the elbow room he wants!”
The younger Mr. Schulz, Mr. Armstrong and myself can all attest that Charles M. Schulz was the furthest thing from a racist and it was the animator’s decision not the elder Mr. Schulz who placed Franklin away from everyone else.
This interview for ‘Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin‘ shares our own fond memories of Mr. Schulz, the significance of Franklin as a character and his cultural impact society.
‘Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin‘ premieres globally on Friday, February 16, 2024 on AppleTV+.
Charlie Brown and Franklin during the Go-Cart Race in, ‘Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home Franklin’.
Official Synopsis:
The origin story for one of Peanuts’ most beloved characters, Franklin, follows how he approaches making new friends. Franklin’s family is always on the move with his dad’s military job, and everywhere he goes Franklin finds support in a notebook filled with his grandfather’s advice on friendship. But when Franklin tries his usual strategies with the Peanuts gang, he has trouble fitting in. That’s until he learns about the neighborhood Soap Box Derby race – according to his grandfather, everyone loves a winner! He’s sure that winning the race will also mean winning over some new friends. All he needs is a partner, which he finds in Charlie Brown. Franklin and Charlie Brown work together to build a car and in the process become good buddies. But as the race nears, the pressure mounts – can their car and their newfound friendship make it to the finish line?
Produced for Apple TV+ by Peanuts and WildBrain, the special is directed by Emmy Award winner Raymond S. Persi and is co-written by Robb Armstrong along with Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano, from an original story by Armstrong and Scott Montgomery. Executive producers are Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, Cornelius Uliano, Paige Braddock, Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts and Logan McPherson.
The all-new, highly anticipated Peanuts special ‘Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin‘, premieres globally on Friday, February 16.
