During these holidays it is almost a tradition to watch episodes of series or cartoons dedicated to Christmas or the New Year, however, there is a classic that since 1965 has conquered children and adults: Charlie Brown’s Christmas.
The special episode of this famous character was born thanks to a Mexican known as Bill Meléndez and today we will tell you a little about him and this beautiful episode that to date is one of the audience’s favorites.
Who is Bill Melendez?
Bill Melendez was born a November 15, 1916 and his real name was José Cuauhtémoc Meléndez. It is originally from Hermosillo, Sonora, and left with his family to Douglas, Arizona for later settle in Los AngelesCalifornia, where studied at the Chouinard Arts Institute.
At the age of 22, in 1938, he was hired by Walt Disney and worked on short films like Pinocchio, Bambi, Fancy and Dumbo; as well as in the animated series of Mickey Mouse and the Donald Duck.
Afterwards, he went through the studies of Warner Brotherswhere he was an animator for short films Bugs Bunny, Porky and the Lucas Duck.
However, the Mexican is recognized for having a place in The history of animation to the lead he first Peanuts Christmas special together with the original creator of the Charles M. Schulz cartoon.
Charlie Brown Christmas Special
In the episode, Charlie Brown is depressed about the Christmas season seeing that most of his friends are surrounded by the phenomenon of consumerism and seeks to find the true meaning of this date so special around the world.
The Charlie Brown Christmas Special aired on December 9, 1965. and it was the big surprise because at first, CBS was not very happy with the production of the episode, but after its broadcast, the episode was seen for at least 15.4 million people in the United States.
Also, something that very few know is that in the episode Meléndez gave his voice to Snoopy, so the famous little dog ended up having the voice of a Mexican.
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This is how Bill managed to create a story that ended up becoming a Christmas classic, which is now treasured by Peanuts fans around the world.