(courtesy IMP Awards)
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The origin story for one of Peanuts‘ most beloved characters, the special follows Franklin as he moves to a new town and navigates new friendships. 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?Produced for Apple TV+ by Peanuts and WildBrain, the special is directed by Emmy Award winner Raymond S. Persi (The Simpsons, Wreck-It-Ralph) and is co-written by Robb Armstrong (Jump Start) along with Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, and Cornelius Uliano, from an original story by Armstrong and Scott Montgomery (The Snoopy Show). Executive producers are Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, Cornelius Uliano, Paige Braddock, Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts, and Logan McPherson. (courtesy Bleeding Cool)
The Peanuts comic strip by the legendary and much-missed Charles M. Schulz is the gift that keeps on giving, even after nearly a quarter of a century since the publication of the final comic and the death of the strip’s creator, only a day apart.
Much of that has to do with the timelessness of the themes of the comic strip which have found modern expression in the specials that keep finding their very welcome way to AppleTV+
The latest special to premiere on the platform is Welcome Home, Franklin, which gives us the origin story of a character who first appeared in Peanuts on 31 July, 1968, the first Black character in the strip who went to school with Peppermint Patty and Marcie, and who meets and becomes friends with Charlie Brown fairly early on.
This special looks as wonderfully heartwarming and emotionally thoughtful as any that have come before it, and it will be absolutely must-read viewing when it debuts on AppleTV+ on 16 February 2024.