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In 1968, a Los Angeles school teacher named Harriet Glickman wrote to Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, only a few days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and urged him to introduce a Black character to his hugely popular comic strip. Schulz agreed and on July 31 of that same year, he introduced a sweet Black boy named Franklin to his comic. Almost 55 years later, the popular character stars in his own wonderful animated special titled Welcome Home, Franklin, which debuts on Apple TV+ in February.
This fifth collaboration between WildBrain Studios in Vancouver, Apple TV+ and Peanuts Worldwide introduces young viewers to Franklin Armstrong, a new kid in town who discovers that his usual friend-making tactics don’t work on the eccentric Peanuts gang. But when the Soap Box Derby arrives, Franklin is sure it’s a chance to impress new pals, so he enters the derby with the only other unpartnered kid in town: Charlie Brown.
A Tale of Friendship
“In the first collection of specials, we focused on holidays and their significance,” says the director, Raymond S. Persi, whose many credits include The Simpsons and three previous Peanuts specials It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown; One-of-a-Kind Marcie and Lucy’s School. “In this second collection, we spotlight the wider cast of characters in the Peanuts gang. This one is co-written by Robb Armstrong, who is the creator of the Jump Start comic strip and a friend of Charles M. Schulz, along with Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano, with an original story by Robb and Scott Montgomery. Interestingly, Robb Armstrong is also the real-life namesake Schulz used for Franklin’s last name!”
He adds, “Since in Franklin’s first appearance in the Peanuts strip in 1968, he’s seen introducing himself to Charlie Brown at the beach, we thought it was a great place to start a story about Franklin moving into town and trying to make new friends.”
According to Persi, he came on board to be part of the project’s story trust in late 2021, and the team began storyboarding in early 2022. “The schedule for Welcome Home, Franklin was about 16 months,” he notes. “We were lucky to have a bit longer than the average television schedule. This allowed us time to put a lot of extra thought into the story.”
The idea for every shot in the special was to let the emotion drive the look. “I worked closely with production designer Pascal Campion and his team describing to them the feeling of each moment and trusting their instincts to find the look,” says Persi. “There are lots of times in the special where the real world needed to fall away to put more focus on the experience the characters are having. In those moments, the environments become almost impressionistic. Additionally, it was important to capture the distinctive feel of Charles Schulz’s linework for the characters and props. The goal was to always try for a handmade feel.”
The Emmy-winning animation veteran says he really loves how the special charts the development of the friendship. “I love all the little in between moments that create lasting bonds,” he mentions. “We get to show how, sometimes, people grow closer because of their faults and not in spite of them. I reached deep into my elementary school memories for these moments! I also loved the juxtaposition between the quieter more reflective moments and wild soap box derby racing scenes. The various production teams gave it their all and created a dynamic, exciting and funny action sequence!”
He is also keenly aware of the importance of Franklin in the Peanuts universe. “At that time in U.S. history, we were going through a lot of social upheaval. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. had just been assassinated,” he notes. “When a Los Angeles schoolteacher named Harriet Glickman wrote to Schulz and asked him to add a Black character to the strip, he was reluctant at first because he wanted to make sure he was being respectful. After being convinced that just seeing a black character represented in the strip would be something positive, he decided to create Franklin.”
Embracing Diversity
When asked about the specific challenges of this project, Persi responds, “As the director, your job is to make decisions; let everyone on the team know what to do. With a project like this, I needed to make sure there was always time for me to listen as well. Franklin is a culturally significant character, and he means a lot of things to different people. It was important to include ideas that came up in discussions with my crew in a way that felt organic and served the story.”
Persi hopes that this new special reminds everyone to have empathy for one another. “We don’t always know what other people are going through, but what we do know is everyone is trying to connect and find friendship in this world.”
That’s a sentiment that the late Charles M. Schulz would truly appreciate.
Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin premieres on Apple TV+ on February 16.
