7 minute read
The Beagle Has Landed Again
Exec producer Mark Evestaff shares a few tidbits about The Snoopy Show, which charts the new adventures of the clever canine on Apple TV+.
Peanuts fans took a deep sigh of relief when The Snoopy Show joined the colorful lineup of animated fare on Apple TV+ in February. The new Peanuts/WildBrain co-pro follows in the pawprints of the Daytime Emmy-winning Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10 and the Emmynominated Snoopy in Space, two previous projects which re-introduced Charles M. Schulz’s beloved beagle and his friends to the streamer recently. As series showrunner and exec producer Mark Evestaff tells us, WildBrain acquired the rights to produce new Peanuts content in 2017. Stephanie Betts, the studio’s exec VP of content and current series, was tasked with building a team to develop some ideas for shows. So, she brought in Evestaff, executive story editor Alex Galatis, director Rob “Boots” Boutilier and creative consultant Kris Pearn (The Willoughbys) to work on the property. “Charles Schulz drew almost 18,000 Peanuts comic strips over 50 years — what popular culture professor Robert Thompson called ‘arguably the longest story ever told by one human being,’” notes Evestaff. “That wealth of strips became our main source of inspiration. After digging back in, it became clear there were so many Snoopy stories left to tell. His unique perspective, wild imagination and outsized personality were just too much to ignore. As we continued to develop the show, the panels from the comic strip became our foundation, constantly informing our storytelling, art direction and character development.” The Pooch’s Perspective
Evestaff, whose previous TV credits include Snoopy in Space, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Rocket Monkeys, says there are various ways in which the new animated take is different from previous adaptations of the beloved pooch. “We all love the classic Peanuts specials, but we really wanted to find a different angle into Schulz’s world,” he explains. “Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang still play a big role, but making our show more Snoopy-centric means that we won’t always be anchored to the neighborhood. Focusing on this perspective has allowed us to carve a path that isn’t simply trying to emulate the specials.”
According to the producer, because the “World Famous Beagle” has gone so many places and done so many things, they had more flexibility in the kinds of stories they have been able to tell. Evestaff notes, “We can fly around in Snoopy’s imagination, head out on a Beagle Scout adventure or visit Snoopy’s brother Spike in Needles, California. Our shows are also much shorter than the specials, with three sevenminute shows packaged together to make up one episode — a bit more aligned with the feeling of reading a daily strip.”
The productions’ animation is produced at WildBrain Studios in Vancouver, Canada, using Toon Boom’s Harmony software. “Over 120 talented artists and production staff who have gone beyond their job description and poured their hearts into creating this show,” says Evestaff.
To develop the right visuals for the show, directors Ridd Sorensen, Behzad Mansoori-Dara and Steve Evangelatos worked closely with art director Joseph Holt to create the look and feel of the show. “For the locations, it was important to honor the past, but we also made sure it felt updated,” says the producer. “Joseph started with the linework, looking at the kinds of pens and tips Mr. Schulz used to ink the strip. Then he applied a brighter palette and used complex textures to get more depth. He also integrated an offset look where the line work and color are slightly off in terms of registration. This made it reminiscent of the Sunday strips which were always in color.”
Series director Boutilier and his team were responsible for the show’s faithful design, which captured the quintessential look of the comic strip’s delightful characters. “They went to painstaking lengths to ensure the characters were on model and moved true to form,” says Evestaff. “This wasn’t easy, considering part of the charm of Mr. Schulz’s work is that these characters evolved over time and were not always drawn the same way. Also, because they’re pulled from a comic strip, the turnarounds don’t always make sense. Schulz was a cartoonist, but he was also a great designer. He always went for the best pose, and didn’t worry too much
Good Grief! They’re All Back: The Snoopy Show revisits the world of the imaginative beagle as well as many of the strip’s favorite characters, including (pictured on top) Charlie Brown, Linus, Franklin, Marcie, Sally and Pig Pen and Lucy (below).
about how the character got into those poses. Our team worries about that a lot!”
The team at WildBrain also worked closely with Creative Associates, the company that oversees all things Peanuts with an emphasis on preserving Schulz’s legacy. “That includes the Schulz family, along with CCO Paige Braddock and her team of artists,” says the producer. “We worked together on many stages of production including scripts, animatics, design and animation. It’s been a great partnership and has really grounded the show in the spirit of the original strip.”
One of the production’s biggest challenges was getting the big team of artists and production staff working from home in under a week after the COVID lockdown orders went into effect last year. “Our producer Kimberly Small did a remarkable job keeping the show on track through constantly changing circumstances, always managing to put the team and creative first while also somehow staying on schedule and on budget,” says Evestaff. “We know how fortunate we are to work in this industry, on such an iconic brand. We also understand that in these challenging times there’s the added responsibility of more eyes on screens, and the need for more joy and thoughtfulness in the content we produce.”
In Praise of Schulz’s Genius
The showrunner says one of the reasons Peanuts continues to attract new generations of fans each year is because Schulz was brilliant at distilling human (and beagle) shapes down to their most essential forms. “This simplified approach was very different for its time, when other comic artists were focused on more realistic or graphic renderings,” he points out. “The massive heads and cartoony proportions meant there was plenty of room for an endless array of expressions. ‘Charles Schulz drew almost 18,000 Peanuts comic strips over 50 years. After digging back in, it became clear there were so many Snoopy stories left to tell.’
— Showrunner/exec producer Mark Evestaff
The result, taking years to perfect, was deceptively simple. Snoopy alone went through a number of transformations before he first stood on two legs and stepped into his happy dance.”
He adds, however, that it wasn’t just the character visuals that set a new standard. What the young cast of characters said was also groundbreaking: “A kid questioning their place in the world, or coming to grips with big, existential questions, weren’t familiar themes at the time,” says Evestaff. “They still aren’t. I believe that’s a big part of what gives these characters such great emotional depth and a sense of timelessness.”
Looking back at all the work that resulted in a well-received new show, Evestaff says it’s been a dream come true to work with these characters. “WildBrain and Apple TV+ knew the importance of getting this right and put the resources and support behind it. My hope is that we can encourage a new generation to tune in and connect with Peanuts in the same way audiences have for over 70 years now.”
Of course, we have to ask Evestaff about his favorite character! “Good Ol’ Charlie Brown!,” he replies. “I love how much he wants to win, but he’s just too good at losing. I suspect every culture throughout time has had a Charlie Brown among their ranks. Who hasn’t been a Charlie Brown themselves at some point? But even after all that failure and rejection, Charlie Brown never gives up. Not on his kite, his team — and especially not on his dog. Without this ‘round headed kid’ bringing him supper, we wouldn’t have Snoopy. And without Snoopy, we wouldn’t have a show!” ◆
