by Lee Mendelson with Reminiscences by Bill Melendez
Publisher: ItBooks
Release Date: Oct 22, 2013
Source: sent by publisherMy Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
No holiday season would be complete without watching Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang give a forgotten tree a little love, recite the Christmas story, and sing "Silent Night."My Review:
For nearly fifty years, since first airing in December 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas has been one of America's most beloved television shows and is a holiday television staple. Every year millions of fans tune in to the Emmy-winning Christmas special featuring Vince Guaraldi's iconic jazz score and Charles Schulz's Peanuts characters as they remind Charlie Brown, and all of us, of the true meaning of Christmas.
A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition is a lushly illustrated tribute to the beloved television classic that takes readers behind-the-scenes of the Peanuts holiday special. It includes the script of A Charlie Brown Christmas, more than two hundred full-color pieces of original animation art, Vince Guaraldi's original score and publication notes for the songs "Christmas Time is Here" and "Linus and Lucy," and a look at the making of the feature from producer Lee Mendelson and original animator, the late Bill Melendez. The two share their personal memories and charming reminiscences on the Christmas special and reflect on their three decades of working with Peanuts creator, Charles M. Schulz.
A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition is a delightful and fitting salute to the holiday special that never fails to deepen your love of Christmas, touch your heart, and give you hope.
This beautiful book is a must have for fans of the television special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The book not only gives us a behind the scenes look at Charles M. Schulz and the actual making of the animated special, but we also get to read the actual script from the show, illustrated with scenes from the special. For a fan of the show, it's truly something special.
I loved to see the vintage advertising for the original special, and the vintage record covers. Images like this are pieced in throughout the book, along with vivid black and white photos of the actual making of the film. There are also original storyboards to enjoy, along with full page sheet music from the special. I was very impressed with how much memorabilia from the film is included in the book.
This would be a wonderful gift for a family member or friend who watches this special every year as part of their Christmas tradition. It's great to see so in depth what an impact this little tv special made on all of us!
Bottom Line: A beautiful book that includes a little bit of everything about "A Charlie Brown Christmas." It's a must have for fans!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I love A Charlie Brown Christmas and usually watch it several times each Christmas season. I watched a featurette on the making of the special that was really interesting and this book sounds equally fascinating. I'd certainly love to see the memorabilia. I will have to look for the book at the library. Thanks for your review!
ReplyDeleteI love Charlie Brown!! I haven't watched the Christmas special this year, but I really want too. Maybe I can find it on TV tomorrow or Wednesday. This book sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete-Lauren