José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez (November 15, 1916 – September 2, 2008) was a Mexican-American animator and producer, best known for bringing the Peanuts gang to animation.
Born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, Meléndez spent much of his early life going to school in Douglas, Arizona before attending the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, itself a predecessor of the modern-day CalArts. He went to work for Disney after graduating, working as an assistant animator on Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Bambi. An early supporter of unionization in Hollywood, he sided with the Screen Cartoonists Guild in the infamous Disney strike of 1941, resulting in him and many other well-known animators being let go from the studio.
Leon Schlesinger, producer of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series for Warner Bros., snapped up Meléndez for his own studio. He initially continued on as an assistant animator before being promoted to a full-fledged animator under Bob Clampett, where he developed an animation style similar to that of fan favorite Rod Scribner, albeit more restrained. When Clampett left following Schlesinger's retirement, Meléndez remained with the unit, now helmed by Art Davis, before the unit was shuttered altogether, leaving him to work under Robert McKimson for a short time. Among his most famous Looney Tunes scenes are Bugs Bunny forcing Elmer Fudd into a dress and wig in The Big Snooze, the Shakespearian dog's opening rant in A Ham in a Role, and the chorus boy scenes in What's Up, Doc?.
After being fired by WB animation head Eddie Selzer over political differences, Meléndez quickly found work at UPA, where he animated on some of the studio's most iconic shorts, including the Academy Award-winning Gerald McBoing-Boing, as well as directed a number of commercials. After leaving UPA, he continued to direct commercials for Playhouse Pictures and John Sutherland Productions before forming his own studio in 1963, Bill Melendez Productions, which was initially based out of his basement.
It was here that he got his big break. After previously animating the characters for Ford commercials and an unaired documentary on the strip, Bill Meléndez gave the Peanuts gang their very first half-hour special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, in 1965. Written by creator Charles M. Schulz and produced by Lee Meldelson, the special — initially written off as a bomb in the making — was a massive critical and ratings hit, leading to an entire series of Peanuts specials, as well as four theatrical features, a Saturday-Morning Cartoon series, and a miniseries about the history of the United States; Meléndez would produce all of these at his studio until 2006, two years before his death, as well as provide the voices of Snoopy and Woodstock (along with Snoopy's family in certain later specials).
Peanuts aside, Meléndez was also involved with a variety of other animated specials and TV series, ranging from original productions to adaptations, including other comic strips, most notably Garfield, as well as a single non-Peanuts feature, Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done. While he directed most of his own works, he occasionally delegated directorial duties to others; one side director in particular, Phil Roman, would use the Garfield specials he directed under Meléndez as the nucleus for his own studio, Film Roman. Throughout his career, Meléndez earned thirteen Emmy Award nominations for his work, winning six. He also landed an Academy Award nomination, five Grammy nominations, and two Peabody Awards for his Peanuts specials and films.
Years after his death, Blue Sky Studios would sample Meléndez's voice recordings of Snoopy and Woodstock for The Peanuts Movie.
- I Have Many Names: He was always credited as J.C. Meléndez in his Warner days, before going by his nickname Bill once he started his own company.
- Limited Animation: The animation in his cartoons were not super fluid but that was part of its charm. Admit it, would the Peanuts specials work well if the animation was really crisp and smooth?
- Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: While the Peanuts cartoons could focus on some harsh aspects of childhood, the animated specials he directed were still mostly heartfelt, feel-good. The rest of Melendez's work could also be quite idealistic as well.
