Bill Melendez, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning animator best known for bringing Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts characters to life, died on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 2 at St. John’s hospital in Santa Monica. His career in the entertainment business spanned more than 70 years and gave us such classics as A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. He was to celebrate his 92nd birthday in November.
Melendez began his career at Walt Disney Studios, where he worked as animator on Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, Dumbo and various Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck cartoons. Years later, he moved to Warner Bros. to animate cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, among others.
Melendez left Warner Bros. In 1948 and spent the next decade and a half as a director and producer on more than 1,000 commercials and films for United Productions of America (UPA), Playhouse Pictures and John Sutherland Prods. It was at UPA that Melendez started doing work for New York-based J. Walter Thompson ad agency, whose client included Ford Motor Co. The carmaker expressed interest in using Peanuts characters to sell its cars on television. In 1959, Melendez showed his animation work to Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, starting a partnership and friendship that would yield more than 63 half-hour specials, five hour-long specials, four feature films and more than 372 commercials featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. Melendez also provided the voices for Snoopy and Woodstock.
Melendez also animated Garfield on the Town, Cathy, Babar Comes to America, and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, among others. His work earned him 17 Emmy nominations and eight Emmy wins, one Oscar nomination, two Peabody Awards, one Clio, three National Cartoonist Society Awards, and more than 150 Advertising Awards.
Under the leadership of Melendez’s son and other trusted execs, Bill Melendez Prods., Inc., sister studio Melendez Films in London and Sopwith Prods. (Melendez’s art distribution unit) will continue to animate, direct and produce features and commercials.
Melendez is survived by his wife of 68 years, Helen, two sons: Steven Melendez and (Ret.) Navy Rear Admiral Rodrigo Melendez, six grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held for family only. Donations can be made in Bill Melendez’s name to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
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