It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown
| It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animation/live-action TV special |
| Created by | Charles M. Schulz |
| Written by | Charles M. Schulz Monte Schulz |
| Directed by | Walter C. Miller |
| Starring | Jill Schulz Molly Brice Greg Deason Steve Stoliar Jason Riffle Bill Melendez |
| Composer(s) | Paul Rodriguez |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates |
| Producer(s) | Bill Melendez Lee Mendelson |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 27, 1988 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Snoopy!!! The Musical |
| Followed by | Why, Charlie Brown, Why? |
It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown is the 32nd prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It is a hybrid of animation and live action footage, and features Spike instead of the core Peanuts characters. A spin-off focused on Spike's unrequited love for a young woman, it was described to being similar to Beauty and the Beast.
Spike waves to a young woman driving a red pickup truck through the desert of Needles, California every day; it is the highlight of his day. In this combined animated and live-action special, we meet her, aerobics instructor Jenny, who wants to be a big city jazz dancer. She and Spike drive around, looking at the desert scenery and spending some time at a roller rink. However, when Spike is accidentally thrown out of the rink he runs off, and is pursued by people on a nighttime coyote hunt.
A sub-plot sees Jenny's boyfriend, Jeff, set up an audition for her, which she is angry about because he did it without consulting her.
It is a departure from the usual Peanuts specials. Apart from the animated introduction, the entire show is a mixture of live-action and animation. While most specials include a variety of characters from the comic strip, like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and Lucy, this one is centered on Snoopy's brother, Spike.
It starts with a brief animated introduction with Charlie Brown and Snoopy, introducing the character of Spike to audiences. Schulz apparently was against this scene, feeling that fans would already be familiar with the supporting character.
Production of the film took four years, and cost “millions of dollars”. A serious film buff who watched both foreign and art films, Schulz commented, “I wanted this to be my Citizen Kane, but it's not.”
Many cast members were from Schulz's friends, family, or neighborhood. His daughter, Jill, was cast in the lead role of Jenny, while his son, Monte, helped write the script. Bit player Molly Brice was discovered by Schulz from a Santa Rosa Little Theatre production of The Oldest Living Graduate.
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