August 17, 2023

Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie premieres August 18, 2023 on Apple TV+

The new Peanuts animated special, Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie, premieres Friday, August 18, 2023 on the streaming service Apple TV+.

As you might guess from the title, the show focuses on the character Marcie; you can watch the trailer on YouTube.



Apple's description of the show:
Sometimes, the people who make the biggest difference aren’t the ones who grab the spotlight. In Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie, we get to see firsthand how our lovable introvert, Marcie, makes a monumental difference from behind the scenes for both her friends and her community. To train for the school golf championship, Marcie assists Peppermint Patty as her caddie, offering thoughtful and deliberate advice to help her win. Meanwhile, after coming up with brilliant solutions to her classmates’ problems – from hallway traffic jams to lunchtime pizza shortages – Marcie is unexpectedly elected as class president … a role she never wanted. 
Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Marcie struggles to cope with the expectations of her new job and retreats as far from the public eye as possible. As the golf championship begins, Marcie is still in hiding and Peppermint Patty is forced to tee off with Charlie Brown filling in as her caddie. But after some wise advice and a little introspection, Marcie realizes she can still make a difference for her friends and the school – she’ll just have to buck other people’s expectations and do it her own unique way.
For more information about Apple TV+, including how to watch and subscribe, visit tv.apple.com and this Apple support page.

August 2, 2023

Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving soundtrack to be released October 20, 2023

Break out the jelly beans and popcorn! The complete original soundtrack for the 1973 special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, composed by Vince Guaraldi, will be released by Lee Mendelson Film Productions on October 20, 2023, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the classic Peanuts holiday special.



In the show, Charlie Brown's plans for Thanksgiving go awry when Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends to join him for dinner... and he has to come up with a meal for them, even though he doesn't know how to cook (and he is "helped" by Snoopy and Woodstock, of course). Almost every scene in the show is accompanied by Vince Guaraldi's music, and famously includes the song "Little Birdie," sung by Guaraldi himself.

While a few cues from the special have been released on previous Vince Guaraldi compilations (for example, "Thanksgiving Theme" on Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits), most of the tracks have never been available before.

This new album will feature the entire soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in terrific stereo sound that showcases the music and instrumentation far better than in the broadcast show. And rest assured, the tracks - transferred in high resolution from the original studio session tapes - will all be sound-effects free.

Coming on CD, LP, and digitally, the 13 tracks of show score will be accompanied by 9 never-before-heard bonus and alternative tracks. The liner notes for the physical releases will have a track-by-track analysis by Sean Mendelson, musician, record producer and son of Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson.

After last year's release of the complete original soundtrack for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, it's exciting to get another high-quality album for another beloved Guaraldi score.

Currently you can pre-order the CD and regular black vinyl versions from the MVD Entertainment shop  (the album's publisher) or from Amazon; they should eventually be available from other retailers as well.

The LP will also be released in two color variants, "Jelly Bean Green" for Record Store Day and "Cranberry Sauce Red" from Target - you've got to love the color names!

You can see the official press release and additional details on the Mendelson Productions website, and preview the alternate track "Is It James or Charlie? (Bonus Mix With Whistling)" on YouTube.

Plus, be sure to check out Guaraldi historian (and FiveCentsPlease.org co-host) Derrick Bang's description of the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving soundtrack at his Impressions of Vince blog.

The track list of the release will be as follows:

Show score
1.Charlie Brown Blues
2. Thanksgiving Theme
3. Thanksgiving Theme (Reprise)
4. Peppermint Patty
5. Little Birdie
6. Thanksgiving Interlude
7. Is It James or Charlie?
8. Linus and Lucy
9. Fife & Drums Theme
10. Charlie Brown Blues (Reprise)
11. Thanksgiving Interlude (Reprise)
12. Thanksgiving Theme (2nd Reprise)
13. Thanksgiving Theme (3rd Reprise)

Bonus/Alternate tracks
14. Thanksgiving Theme (Alternate)
15. Peppermint Patty (Bonus Mix)
16. Linus and Lucy (Bonus Mix)
17. Thanksgiving Interlude (Alternate take 2, 4, and 6)
18. Thanksgiving Interlude (Alternate take 10)
19. Thanksgiving Interlude (Alternate take 14)
20. Is It James or Charlie? (Bonus mix with Whistling)
21. Clark and Guaraldi

June 9, 2023

The Snoopy Show Season 3 arrives on Apple TV+, new Peanuts specials announced for 2023 and 2024

The subscription streaming service Apple TV+ and Wildbrain have extended their partnership and announced several new Peanuts shows coming this year and next.

First, The Snoopy Show is back for a third season, with 12 new episodes available starting June 9, 2023 . As with previous seasons, each episode is about 22 minutes long, with three different story segments. You can watch the Season 3 trailer on YouTube.


Next, a new special titled Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie will premiere August 18, 2023.  You can watch the trailer on YouTube.  Apple's synopsis:
“One-of-a-Kind Marcie” follows Marcie, an introvert who loves her solitude but also enjoys helping her friends. As they train for the school golf championship, Marcie assists Peppermint Patty as her caddie, offering thoughtful and deliberate advice to help her win. Meanwhile, after coming up with brilliant solutions to her classmates’ problems — from hallway traffic jams to lunchtime pizza shortages — Marcie is unexpectedly elected as class president … a role she never wanted. Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Marcie struggles to cope with the expectations of her new job and retreats as far from the public eye as possible. As the golf championship begins, Marcie is still in hiding and Peppermint Patty is forced to tee off with Charlie Brown filling in as her caddie. But after some wise advice and a little introspection, Marcie realizes she can still make a difference for her friends and the school — she’ll just have to buck other people’s expectations and do it her own unique way.


Looking forward to 2024, we can expect a new series titled Camp Snoopy, which Apple describes as:
After discovering their troop is in danger of disbanding, Snoopy and the Beagle Scouts set off to the Great Outdoors to earn their performance badges, with the Beagle Scout Manual as their guide. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and friends enjoy their summer at Camp Spring Lake, crossing paths with Snoopy as they experience everything camp and the outdoors have to offer. 
Finally, another new special, Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin, is also due sometime in 2024:
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?

And for those who enjoy the classic Peanuts specials, Apple will be adding over a dozen more to the service on September 28, 2023. (Hopefully! I note that some of these were originally announced as coming on May 5, but have now apparently been delayed to September.) The list for September is:

A Charlie Brown Celebration
Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown
Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?
It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown
It's Magic, Charlie Brown
It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown
It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown
Life is a Circus, Charlie Brown
Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown
Play it Again, Charlie Brown
Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown
Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown
What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (animated adaptation)
You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown