Toon Zone Talkback - Peanuts Animator Bill Melendez Dies at 91

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punkbunny77

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This is the talkback thread for Peanuts Animator Bill Melendez Dies at 91.

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When I saw the start of the headline in our News Forum, I was really hoping it wasn't about what I was afraid it would be.

Even though the Peanuts specials slipped in quality from their high water mark, that high water mark (A Charlie Brown Christmas) still stands as one of the finest cartoons ever made, and is still the best Christmas special anywhere ever IMO.

He also showed up a year or two ago at the NY International Children's Film Festival, and I passed up the chance to interview him at the time, mostly because I was intimidated as hell at the prospect. With a career like his and the body of work, I just couldn't think I could do the man justice with the amount of time I'd have had to prepare for it. I should have just said, "To hell with it" and done it anyway, if nothing else for the chance to express how much I appreciated his work over the years.

R.I.P. Bill Melendez. You will be missed.

-- Ed
 
He was the voice of Snoopy, huh? Man, you just couldn't help but smile after hearing that adorable little laugh. My condolences to his family.
 
Oh, man. Well, he was 91 years old so it was sort of expected, at least he died peacefully.

RIP Bill Melendez. Vaya con Dios.
 
*insert sound bite of Snoopy going "AWRRRGGHHHHH!" here*

I'm glad ABC got a few more Peanuts specials out of him before he left. I was wondering why there hadn't been one this year, and thought "I hope it's not because he's ailing." Darn it.

Now the question is if they're going to make any more. Hopefully not.
 
Man, that's depressing. First Guaraldi, then Schulz, now Melendez - If Lee Mendelson dies, this'll be the end of "Peanuts" animation for sure. Rest in peace, Bill.

What's worse is that he was also one of the last remaining Warner Bros. animation veterans (I just listened to his DVD commentary on "The Big Snooze" from the second Looney Tunes Golden Collection a few days ago and he was still full of life and laughter, even at 87). Aside from Art Leonardi and Martha Sigall, who else is left?
 
Rudy Larriva, Tom Ray, June Foray, Stan Freberg, Larry Storch, and Gene Deitch are still with us. But the number is sadly growing slimmer each year.

This came as quite a surprise, since I too thought he seemed in good health and spirits in his late 80s/early 90s. RIP Bill. I'll watch some of your animation from Looney Tunes in your memory (such as material from "Baby Bottleneck").
 
Ed, I took the liberty of adding the note regarding Melendez's contributions as the voices of Snoopy, Woodstock, and Spike to MonkeyFunk's article just before it was published. I hope that wasn't out of line, but a lot of people aren't aware it was his voice that gave Snoopy that unique and unmistakable laugh.

We've lost yet another legend. I have some very specific memories from my childhood spending time with my family that are directly associated with several Peanuts specials. And as a kid, I named my very first dog "Peanuts"...appropriate, since he was a beagle. I wanted to call him "Snoopy" but that's what some kid up the street had already named his dog. I love many of the Peanuts holiday specials and they've been required viewing as an annual tradition in my family since I was almost too young to remember.

So I feel like I just lost a little piece of my childhood. Granted, Bill was 91 and lived a long and full life, but that doesn't mean his loss to the animation community and his family and friends has any less impact.

And here are some quick samples of classic Snoopy moments...appropriate considering this tribute thread:

A collection of Snoopy's "Bleah!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD2UyHq06kE

And I dare anyone to watch this clip and not smile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzoq-MiM8h0
(Well, except for that bit of animal "cruelty" at the end.)
 
Wow another legend in animation goes. He was a great artist and his voicing of Snoopy and Woodstock was funny. Aside from his work on the Peanuts specials, he also did great animation at Warner's. I can't judge his Disney and UPA work because I have never seen it.

RIP Bill Melendez (1916-2008):crying:
 
I couldn't help but smile at both of those clips, except the kid hitting poor Snoopy at the end of the second one.

This is so sad. I know that Bill Melendez was 91 years old, had a good long life and can finally rest, but it is still so sad to hear of his passing. I knew that he did the voice of Snoopy and did some wonderful artwork with the Peanuts specials, but I didn't know that he also did the voices for Woodstock and Spike too. I agree that the recent specials haven't been as good as the older ones, but I still watched them since it was Peanuts. I'm glad that he was involved for at least those.

I loved Peanuts, especially Snoopy. Peanuts was a huge part of my childhood. I remember watching all of the movies, specials and that television show that they had. And I loved it. I went down to the Charles Schulz Museum and Galley when I was little. I even met Mr. Schulz and took a picture with him, despite how nervous I was to even speak to him, which I still have and treasure to this day. Bill did such a great job with Snoopy's voice and now I feel so sad, just like on the day poor Mr. Schulz passed away. Now I want to hug all of the Snoopy and other Peanuts character plushes that I have in my room, which is a lot actually. Rest in peace Bill Melendez. I send positive thoughts for his family and for him to rest with happiness and that his work, in both voicing Snoopy, Woodstock and Spike and his wonderful art work on the specials and Looney Tunes, will not be forgotten.
 
Wow, I'm shocked. My thoughts are little scatter brained right now. I'm very sad to hear that he passed away, but at least he lived a long full life.

I can't begin to tell how much of an impact Mr Melendez's work had on my life as a child and how much it still means to me as an adult. Especially at this time of year, I mean who doesn't love the Peanuts Holiday Trilogy. I always watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on both the 1st day of October as well as on Halloween, a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has become part of my Thanksgiving day tradition over the last few years and of course the one that Started it all A Charlie Brown Christmas, and let's face no matter how many times we watch it's still as magical as the first time oh so many years ago.


Thank you for all the great memories Mr Melendez, and your legacy will live forever.
 
No matter how simple the animation looked on Peanuts, you can't help but to love his work, even if the recent Peanuts specials felt watered down a bit.


Thankfully, he lived a long life. Rest in peace Bill.



"Snickers like Snoopy, then cries"
 
Hey, 91 years is a good run, and he at least died peacefully.

The Charlie Brown specials were never the same after Charles Schultz's passing anyway.

R.I.P. Bill Melendez.
 
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