The PEANUTS MOVIE: Meet the Stars

The PEANUTS MOVIE opens tomorrow and we are so excited!

Charlie Brown and the PEANUTS gang were part of my childhood. I remember

reading the comic strip in the Sunday paper with my Dad each week and of course we watched

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas during the holidays.

I have passed those traditions down to my children and I love that Camp Snoopy at

Knott's Berry Farm is PEANUTS themed, because it brings back so many fond memories

every time we visit as a family.

On Halloween, we had the rare and exciting opportunity to meet the writer, director,

and young voice actors that are giving life to the PEANUTS gang in The PEANUTS MOVIE.

The kids were so excited for the opportunity to meet "famous people" and have the chance

to ask questions and take photos with this adorable and friendly group of kids.

First, we got to meet Mariel Sheets, who gives voice to Sally. She was darling

and soft spoken and easy for the kids to talk to on a kid-to-kid level.

I had the kids prepare one question they wanted ask each person and JT asked

Mariel what her favorite part of the movie is. She said she loved the parts when Snoopy

is in his dreams because it was really cool.

When we talked with Steve Martino, The PEANUTS MOVIE director,

I asked him what it was like when he found out that Craig Schulz agreed to let them

do The PEANUTS MOVIE, after so many had been turned down before him.

He said it was a two-part feeling. He said at first it was euphoric because it was like,

'Yes! We get to do the PEANUTS movie!' However, the next second it was scary

because they had to do the PEANUTS movie and that was a tall order and they couldn't

mess it up because so much was expected and anticipated.

Noah Schnapp (Charlie Brown) and Francesca Capaldi (Little Red Haired Girl

were totally taken back when it was JT's turn to ask them a question.

I think they expected him to ask them about their roles in The PEANUTS MOVIE or

other projects and show they had worked on. However, when JT got his chance,

he asked them, "What's your favorite food?" They were both like, 'Oh!' and smiled

and had to think for a second and then Francesca told him she loved pasta and Noah

said he liked Italian food. It was sweet to see the kids connecting on a personal level on

a topic that all kids (especially boys) can relate to - FOOD!

My little Isabella was too starstruck and nervous to ask anything. She watches Francesca

on her show Dog with a Blog and they share the name Francesca (Isabella's middle name),

so all she could do was smile big and sit right next to her!

Our final last interview was with Mar Mar Walker (Franklin) and Alexander Garfin (Linus).
The kids asked what other projects that had worked on before The PEANUTS MOVIE.
They shared their previous projects with the kids and then I told them I look forward
to listening for their voices in The PEANUTS MOVIE.

It was such a fun experience and I wish we had more time with each young actor
to ask them several questions, but Grace was ready to move along and so we kept our
question brief so that she didn't cause her own scenes during the interview :)
I also wish we had the chance to talk with Craig Schulz, the writer and Charles Schulz's son,
but our line got fed the opposite direction of his spot. However, if I had the chance,
I would have asked him, "Why did you finally say to YES to Blue Sky? What made their
pitch stand out for you? And what do you think your dad would think of the movie?"

Be sure to see The PEANUTS MOVIE when it opens tomorrow at theaters everywhere!
It looks awesome and I can't wait to share the experience with my kids and make
new memories involving the PEANUTS gang!