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‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’ Interview: Ben Folds
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Premiering on Apple TV+ August 15th is the first Peanuts musical in over three decades entitled ‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical‘, which features original songs by Emmy Award nominees Jeff Morrow and Ben Folds (Ben Folds Five).

‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’ composer Ben Folds.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with musician and composer Ben Folds about his work on ‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’, his love for Peanuts, writing the music for the special, and why people still love Snoopy and Charlie Brown.
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You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

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(L to R) Lucy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Charlie Brown, Franklin and Marcie in “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

Moviefone: To begin with, were you a fan of Charlie Brown and Peanuts when you were growing up, and how did you get involved in the project?

Ben Folds: I mean, I grew up with it, like we all did. There are not many things that we can say that we all grew up with. The Peanuts world is, you know the tone, and you know the characters and Charlie Brown’s is just such a great character. I suppose that Charles Schultz probably saw himself as Charlie Brown, and I think many of us do. I felt like that when I was a kid and I kind of feel like that now. It’s a melancholic, but not depressive place, thoughtful, and he always telegraphs his moods. That’s just deep. So, I don’t know how you could not be a fan. It’s a world that we’ve all lived in and that shows you how good it is. You know, it’s half a century later and it’s surviving, amidst a lot of loud stuff for kids, for decades. This just keeps cruising through because it’s real, and this musical is the same way. It’s taps into the best of both. I mean, it’s gorgeous animation. It’s plenty entertaining. I mean, it’s a musical, you know. But at the same time, we’re allowed to be philosophical inside it, which is why I took the project.

(L to R) Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Sally and friends in ‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

MF: Can you talk about the process of writing the music for this special and was it a different process than when you write your own music?

BF: It’s not that different, which is what’s kind of interesting. Some of it is because luckily, my three songs are all Charlie Brown songs. So, I can sit inside his head and get there. They go from him being rather despondent about the state of the camp. It’s going to be mowed over, and they’re going to put malls up and all the generations before, and all the generations after them will be sad about this. He carries all that and over the course of it, of course, they begin to win the battle, so he’s coming up out of a hole. For me, it was like riding life, and I understand him. You know, the specter of Vince Guaraldi was there, I grew up with that and I can do a little bit of that for reference, but it wasn’t that important. What was the most important was the mood that Guaraldi was part of the team that helped set a world. Now, if the music for the original Peanuts had just been crazy stuff, that would have really changed the way that we see it and see the world.

(L to R) Sally, Charlie Brown and Snoopy in ‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

MF: Finally, can you about the legacy of Peanuts and the timelessness of the characters? Why do audiences still love Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and their friends all these years after they were first created?

BF: Peanuts has never been something that was so bright and loud that it just jumps out at you. For that reason, I know when I was a kid, I was attracted to that stuff. I liked all the crazy stuff. But what is there when the noise dies down is real life and real thoughts and somehow Peanuts has been able to create that world in a way that has always been entertaining and thoughtful. So, it’s like when all your fair-weather friends have stopped making loud noise and the sugar buzz has worn off, Peanuts is still there, 50 years later. So, when you work inside, you appreciate it even more because I realized how deep Charlie Brown’s personality is. It’s not in what’s said, it’s always been in what hasn’t been said. So, when you see a quiet kid in the back of the class, they get even more quiet and it’s something that might be a deep subject, but we know that they’re thinking about it. Isn’t that more effective than letting the kid spout every single little thing that he’s thinking? So, that informs the songwriting. I love this old school classic songcraft and this is the place for it. So, I feel like the gig had my name written on it personally, and I was quite happy to do it.

(L to R) Woodstock and Snoopy in ‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

What is the plot of ‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’?

In the first Peanuts musical in over three decades, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang break out in original songs by Emmy Award nominees Jeff Morrow and Ben Folds in the latest franchise special that invites kids and families to discover the magic of summer camp.

Who is in the voice cast of ‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’?
- Etienne Kellici as Charlie Brown
- Jayd Deroché as Charlie Brown Singing Double
- Hattie Kragten as Sally
- Terry McGurrin as Snoopy
- Isabella Leo as Lucy
- Lexi Perri as Peppermint Patty
- Wyatt White as Linus
- Caleb Bellavance as Franklin
- Rob Tinker as Woodstock
(L to R) Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown in ‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical’, now streaming on Apple TV+.

List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Peanuts’ Franchise:
- ‘A Boy Named Charlie Brown‘ (1969)
- ‘Snoopy, Come Home‘ (1972)
- ‘Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown‘ (1977)
- ‘Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don’t Come Back!!)‘ (1980)
- ‘The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show‘ (1983 – 1985)
- ‘This Is America, Charlie Brown‘ (1988 – 1989)
- ‘Peanuts Motion Comics‘ (2008)
- ‘The Peanuts Movie‘ (2015)
- ‘Peanuts‘ (2016)
- ‘Snoopy in Space‘ (2019 – 2021)
- ‘The Snoopy Show‘ (2021 – 2023)
- ‘Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin‘ (2024)
- ‘Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical‘ (2025)
Buy ‘Peanuts’ Movies On Amazon
August 22, 2025
Apple to Produce New ‘Peanuts’ Movie
Apple TV+ announces new ‘Peanuts’ movie. Photo: Apple TV+.

Preview:
- Apple is making a ‘Peanuts’ movie.
- The film will see Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang headed to New York.
- Production is scheduled to start next year.
Since it nabbed the rights to Charles Schulz’s ‘Peanuts’ characters, Apple TV+ has not been shy about developing new shows featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the characters.

In addition to carrying the legacy likes of holiday specials such as ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’, ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ and ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’, the company has modern adaptations including ‘Snoopy in Space’, a series of animated shorts featuring the ‘Peanuts’ gang and Snoopy as he fulfills his dream of becoming a NASA astronaut and ‘The Snoopy Show’.

Now, the company is looking to bring Snoopy and the rest back to the big screen, announcing that it’ll work with WildBrain Studios on a ‘Peanuts’ movie.

What’s the story of the new ‘Peanuts’ movie?

Apple TV+’s ‘The Snoopy Show.’ Photo: Apple TV+.

According to the press release from Apple, the new family film will see the ‘Peanuts’ gang go on an epic adventure to the Big City, learning the true meaning of friendship while meeting some surprising new friends along the way.

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Who is working on the new ‘Peanuts’ Movie?

Apple TV+’s ‘The Snoopy Show.’ Photo: Apple TV+.

Karey Kirkpatrick is writing the script, based on a story dreamt up by co-writers Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz (the sons of Charles) and Cornelius Uliano, who wrote the 2015 feature film ‘The Peanuts Movie’.

And this new film is shaping up to be a ‘Peanuts Movie’ reunion, with director Steve Martino also returning.

Bonnie Arnold, a veteran producer who has worked at both Pixar and DreamWorks will be involved with this new movie.

This is what Craig Schulz had to say:

“It is so special to carry on my father’s legacy with an original story from me, my son Bryan, and his writing partner Neil, We are excited to be partnering with Apple TV+ and working with WildBrain Studios to bring audiences a brand-new ‘Peanuts’ adventure, along with the talented Bonnie Arnold as producer and Steve Martino as director. ‘Peanuts’ fans have been clamoring for another feature for years, and this film will bring joy to our millions of fans around the world.”

Here’s what Apple’s head of children’s programming said about the new development:

“Fans of all ages have been enamored with ‘Peanuts’ on Apple TV+. With our unmatched library of ‘Peanuts’ titles, and award-winning collection of stories that bring kids and families together, Apple TV+ is the preeminent home for Snoopy and friends and offers a world class selection of series and films featuring the most globally cherished animated characters. We can’t wait for everyone to experience this heartwarming new adventure with Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the gang in the Big City.”

Does the new ‘Peanuts’ movie have a release date?

There is no release date set for the new movie.

Apple TV+’s ‘The Snoopy Show.’ Photo: Apple TV+.

Other Movies Similar to ‘Peanuts’:
- ‘A Boy Named Charlie Brown‘ (1969)
- ‘Snoopy, Come Home‘ (1972)
- ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving‘ (1973)
- ‘Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown‘ (1977)
- ‘Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don’t Come Back!!)‘ (1980)
- ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown‘ (1988)
- ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas‘ (1996)
- ‘The Peanuts Movie‘ (2015)
Buy Peanuts Movies on Amazon
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November 9, 2023
Everything You Never Knew About ‘It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’

On October 27, 1966, “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” premiered on CBS to millions of viewers. But, to this day, there are still a lot of things you probably don’t know about the animated Halloween special, like how the success of “The Great Pumpkin” saved the future of the Peanuts franchise, or how a loose tooth almost set back the whole production.

Here are nine things you never knew about “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

October 27, 2016
How James Bond and Charlie Brown Saved the Box Office

As expected, James Bond and Charlie Brown conquered the box office this weekend.

After the slump of the last few weeks, including the catastrophic finish a week ago that marked one of Hollywood’s worst weekends in seven years, audiences returned in droves and put the 2015 box office back on track for a record-breaking year. So why is there still a sense that the other shoe is waiting to drop?

On the surface, it seems like there should be nothing to complain about regarding this week’s box office. The Bond franchise proved it’s alive and well in its 53rd year with “Spectre,” whose estimated $73.0 million debut is just about equal to the entire box office from last weekend. It’s the second biggest opening ever for a 007 movie, after the $88.3 million earned by 2012’s “Skyfall.” Daniel Craig may be tired of playing the super-spy, but audiences clearly aren’t tired of seeing him.

At No. 2, “The Peanuts Movie” also opened big, with an estimated $45.0 million. That $118 million total for the top two movies is very strong, showing that there’s plenty of room in the marketplace for both an action film that plays to all ages and a family film based on a beloved franchise at the same time. “Peanuts” scored even better audience word-of-mouth than “Spectre,” earning an A grade at CinemaScore.

Even the remaining top five movies — holdovers “The Martian,” “Goosebumps,” and “Bridge of Spies” — did well this weekend. None lost more than 30 percent of last weekend’s business, an indication that all three movies are holding up well, even after four to six weeks of release. Overall, this week’s box office receipts totaled an estimated $164.5 million, a jump of 122 percent from last weekend’s crater. It’s the best weekend at the multiplex since “Ant-Man” opened in July. Plus, the year-to-date box office stands at $9.1 billion, nearly 5 percent ahead of this time last year and 1.3 percent ahead of 2013, the biggest box office year ever.

That said, there are still some caveats to this weekend’s results.
As well as “Spectre” did, it was widely expected to do better. Distributor Sony gave an absurdly lowball prediction of $65 million that allowed it to spin this weekend’s results as outperforming expectations, but most tracking services predicted the movie would open between $80 and $85 million. Adjusting for ticket price inflation, “Spectre” actually opened below 2008’s “Quantum of Solace,” ($78.1 million at 2015 prices), a movie that most Bond fans found disappointing.

Reviews of “Spectre” have been okay (62 percent fresh at Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 93 percent for “Skyfall”), and given the nostalgic appeal of the franchise to older audiences who still trust critics, that less-than-enthusiastic response could have discouraged some viewers.

As for “Peanuts,” its $45 million debut falls at the low end of expectations, which ran from $45 to $55 million. Some older viewers have grumbled that they found the 3D computer animation off-putting after half a century of watching Charlie Brown and Snoopy in hand-drawn 2D.
This is supposed to be the season when adult-oriented dramas open strongly in art-houses, generate strong reviews and word-of-mouth, then platform to wide release and enjoy modest nationwide success. That hasn’t happened this year with most award-hopefuls, with movies like “Steve Jobs” opening with strong reviews and high per-screen averages in a handful of theaters, only to stumble as they expand into general release. Only the crime thriller “Sicario” has done well this fall on the traditional platform pattern.

This weekend saw strong limited art-house openings from “Spotlight,” “Brooklyn,” and “Trumbo,” but except for period romance “Brooklyn,” it’s hard to imagine these movies doing much better in wide release. Like this fall’s other platform flops, “Spotlight” and “Trumbo” deal with difficult, uncommercial topics, and they’re not so obviously cinematic that people feel they need to see them on the big screen instead of waiting until they’re available at home.

The big lesson here, from both the art-house failures and the big-budget bombs, is that you can’t force people to see movies they’re not interested in.

Even well-marketed, highly-anticipated films like “Spectre” and “The Peanuts Movie” can draw only so big an audience if they’re flawed in execution. People have too many other entertainment options to mandate that they come to the multiplex for any movie that sounds like a less-than-compelling big-screen experience. There’ll be a handful of such event-movies over the next couple of months, but the Hollywood business plan of letting a handful of such events make up for slates of mostly lackluster movies isn’t sustainable forever.
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November 8, 2015
Final ‘Peanuts Movie’ Trailer Celebrates #FriendshipGoals

It’s been 65 years since Charles M. Schulz first created the Peanuts gang — and Charlie Brown and Snoopy’s friendship remains as strong as ever.

The final “Peanuts Movie” trailer celebrates the history of the classic comic — 17,897 strips, five feature films, 45 TV specials — and particularly, the love between a boy and his dog.
“A dog doesn’t try to give advice or judge you — just love you for who you are. It’s nice to have someone just sit and listen to you,” Charlie says. “Snoopy, what would I do without a friend like you?”

The trailer doesn’t detail much of the plot, since the first one took care of that. All you need to know is: Sally is bossy, Pigpen skates in a cloud of dust, Schroeder bangs away at a piano in his desk, and Linus hides under his blanket. The Peanuts gang never changes, and that’s part of their charm.

“The Peanuts Movie” opens in theaters November 6.

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October 29, 2015
‘The Peanuts Movie’ Trailer Is Too Adorable For Words

The Peanuts gang is ready to conquer new territory: the big screen!

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Pig Pen, etc. have become beloved characters for several generations via television specials like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Now, they’re making their first film, “The Peanuts Movie” — and it looks as light-hearted, sweet, and adorably funny as the classics we grew up with.
“The Peanuts Movie” updates the characters and story a bit — but not too much. There are modern songs, like DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” but the humor is still gentle and timeless (no snarky texts from Sally). The animation, now done with computers, looks great, but not too flashy and cutting-edge, and we’d wager that Charlie Brown and crew have long lives on the big screen.

“The Peanuts Movie” opens in theaters November 6.

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September 22, 2015
Charlie Brown Busts a Move in ‘The Peanuts Movie’

Determined to make a good impression on The Little Red Haired Girl, Charlie Brown gets some help in the form of dance lessons from his trusted pet Snoopy in the latest trailer for “The Peanuts Movie.”

But typical hijinks and failures are abound for unlucky Charlie Brown in the latest iteration of Charles M. Schulz’s famous cast of characters in the fifth full-length feature based on the comic strip (celebrating its 65th anniversary). This time around, the gang gets a splashy 3D makeover for a new generation — and it’s the first Peanuts film in nearly 35 years.

Along with the new trailer that debuted Tuesday, fans can create a customized character in their own image at Peanutizeme.com.

“The Peanuts Movie” opens Nov. 6.
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September 22, 2015
There’s a New Kid in Town in the New ‘Peanuts Movie’ Trailer

There’s a new kid in town in the new trailer for “The Peanuts Movie,” and no, it’s not Snoopy’s alter ego Joe Cool (though the sunglasses and turtleneck-sporting beagle does make an appearance).

The kid in question is none other than the Little Red-Haired Girl, the unseen source of Charlie Brown’s pining throughout Charles Schulz’s long-running comic series. Here, she’s just moved into Chuck’s neighborhood (her face is obscured from the audience for now), and he’s desperate to make a good first impression.

“This time, things will be different,” he declares, before promptly knocking over a pile of moving boxes, and a fence for good measure. Good grief, indeed.

Fans of Schulz’s series worried that it wouldn’t translate well to the 3D, CGI format, but those fears appear to be unfounded, as the lighthearted humor and smile-inducing spirit of the original comics (and their cartoon TV movie brethren) appear to be intact. As Charlie Brown confides his insecurities to Lucy, she urges him to “Show them you’re a winner.” So far, it appears “The Peanuts Movie” is doing just that.

“The Peanuts Movie” is due in theaters on November 6.

Photo credit: Blue Sky Studios

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June 16, 2015