Exclusive: Craig Schulz, Robb Armstrong & Raymond S. Persi talk Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin
Now playing on Apple TV+ is all-new, highly anticipated Peanuts special “Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin.”
Franklin is a character in the comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. Introduced on July 31, 1968, Franklin was the first black character in the strip.
In the 1994 animated television special You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown, Franklin's full name is given as Franklin Armstrong. According to Robb Armstrong, the African-American creator of the comic strip Jump Start, Schulz called him during the special's production and asked if he could make "Armstrong" Franklin's last name, and Robb Armstrong, considering it a "tremendous honor", gave his permission.
The Apple TV+ special is executive produced by Craig Schulz, and directed by Emmy Award-winner Raymond S. Persi.
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?
Blackfilmandtv.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with Craig Schulz, Robb Armstrong & Raymond S. Persi on the importance of Franklin in the Charlie Brown world.