The “Peanuts” specials are a quintessential part of holiday traditions from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas. The animated specials hold a significant place in the hearts of American households. The iconic voices of Snoopy and Woodstock permeate American culture, and we have Mexican-born José Cuauhtémoc “Bill” Melendez. It’s another example of Latinos making American culture better.
Snoopy’s voice is from renowned Mexican actor Bill Melendez
According to the latest data, 30 million people tuned in to watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” in 2020. The holiday specials from the “Peanuts” universe are major parts of holiday traditions across the country. A Mexican-born actor is the voice behind the world-famous Snoopy.
José Cuauhtémoc “Bill” Melendez accidentally became the voice behind one of the most famous cartoon animals in existence. It was never his goal to voice Snoopy but Charles M. Schulz wanted Melendez’s voice.
Originally, Melendez approached Schulz with the idea of hiring a voice actor he knew to voice Snoopy. After all, Snoopy had speech bubbles over his head. According to Melendez, this meant that he clearly had something to say. When Schulz passed on the voice actor that Melendez recommended, Melendez came up with an idea.
Melendez recorded some dialogue at a quarter speed, then had the sound engineer speed it up. The mix of the audio and speeds gave us the Snoopy sound that we know today. However, in order to record it and get it into the show, Melendez had to join a union. He did, and the rest is now television history.
Melendez had a long career in Hollywood
Melendez was more than the voice of Snoopy. He was pivotal in the animation world, working closely with Disney animators. Disney hired Melendez as an assistant animator to Hawley Pratt, and he worked on some of the Disney classics, including “Fantasia,” “Dumbo,” and “Bambi.” He was instrumental in the 1941 Disney Strikes when animators shut down production.
For just under 4 months, animators picketed in front of the studios and demanded pay equity and working conditions for those in the union. Disney responded by firing the striking workers, but the company was later forced to recognize the Screen Cartoonist’s Guild. The recognition of the union included hiring back the animators that Disney fired.
After the strike, Melendez joined Leon Schlesinger Productions, which would later become Warner Bros. Cartoons. It was in 1959 that Melendez landed the gig that would change his life: “Peanuts.” The job started with working on commercials for the Ford Motor Company. The work was seen by a documentarian working on the movie “A Boy Called Charlie Brown” based on the popular comics. He continued to get closer to the “Peanuts” animation work, and it resulted in him creating an iconic holiday television special
Working for Schulz was a special treat as Melendez was the only person Schulz trusted to make the Peanuts television specials. The holiday specials have withstood the test of time. One of the most iconic holiday traditions is thanks to a Mexican animator, and that just seems right.
