Bryan & Craig Schulz | Creators of The Peanuts Movie

Bailarín Cellars celebrates those who do what they love. Their passion for life is unstoppable and their enthusiasm is infectious. We celebrate these "dancers" in our hero feature and learn from their words of wisdom.This month we celebrate the Schulz family, whose passion for their father and grandfathersmation legacy inspired a Golden Globe award-winning animation film last fall.

WHAT MAKES YOU DANCE?

By Bryan Schulz

"The Peanuts Movie was an impossible dream.  All I heard my whole life was we would not do another movie.  Everyone in the family was in agreement with this stance, and thus I took it as fact. My grandfather, Charles M. Schulz (Sparky), created the comic strip Peanuts and the Charlie Brown movies the world has come to love over the past 50 years. These works were not only legendary but also something we thought would never be revisited. When I was breaking into Hollywood everyone we met said a similar thing, “Yeah, your other ideas are good, but have you ever thought about a Peanuts movie?”  And the truth was, no, I never considered it.

That all changed about 5 years ago when my dad showed me a Peanuts short he put together to air after the Christmas special.  I knew there was something very good here, something that needed more than 20+ minutes to tell.  That’s how the idea of a full feature was born.  I later found out that my dad always knew at some point someone was going to make a movie.  He thought it would be better for us to do it now and get it right, than wait and have someone else come in and do it wrong. 

From the beginning our mantra was don’t screw this up.  Every decision and choice we made had to fit what PEANUTS is; from the sense of humor, to the language, to the character’s personalities, it all had to be just right.  Every day that we spent on the movie, we made sure it would be something the family and the fans would love.

For me, this whole thing was all about honoring Sparky and his work.  I worked harder on this project than anything I have ever done before. It was an honor I got to be a small part of something so big that means so much to so many.  This project will be something I will remember for the rest of my life.  What makes me dance you ask? I spent five years doing what I love to do with my dad and best friend, getting to work on something known and loved by millions worldwide.  It really doesn’t get much better than that."

Peanuts movie was released November 6, 2015 by 20th Century Fox and has won several awards including a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film.

Bryan and Craig Schulz