E&P is reporting that 20 new 3-4 minute Peanuts animations are being released today on iTunes. The animated shorts are taken from classic 1964 comic strips and produced using Flash technology with new voices by Warner Bros. Motion Comics. Each episode contains 2 shorts for $.99. In an interview with E&P, Jeannie Schulz, the wife of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz maintains that the family oversaw the production of the animation to preserve the style of the earlier Peanuts animation.
“They’ve done a very cute job of making it really look like the old animation, but better. Better in that it’s brighter, the voices are still cute and charming.”
You can buy all 20 episodes for $7.99. E&P reports that for a short time fans can down load two episodes for free. At the time of this writing, no episodes were available on the iTunes store.
UPDATE: First episode (Linus for President / The Election) is now available (for free).
I haven’t seen these yet, but it sounds like an interesting, creative way to continue Schulz’s legacy. I like the idea that the videos are adaptations of actual strips.
My heart will always belongs to the classic Bill Melendez specials. That said, with the Schulz family overseeing this project, I’m certain this will be an exciting new chapter in the Peanuts animation legacy!!!
â??Theyâ??ve done a very cute job of making it really look like the old animation, but better. Better in that itâ??s brighter, the voices are still cute and charming.â?
I hate the word “cute.” Schulz’s work may have been “cute” on the surface but it was, and still remains, so much more than that. In fact, dig a little deeper and the truths the strip reflects are anything but cute.
But I applaud any effort to keep such a wonderful legacy in the public eye.
Wonderful animation and a great way to celebrate Charles Schulz’s legacy of greatness.
I am so happy to see more Peanuts animation being made and that it is staying true to the classic style. Whenever I read a Peanuts strip or see one of the animated shows, especially the holiday specials, I feel like I am six years old again.