Do They Still Make Wooden Christmas Trees Charlie Brown? by Larry Leichliter

Larry Leichleiter Biography

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Lawrence “Larry” Leichliter, born May 24, 1941, is an American animator and director who began his work in animation in 1975 with the made-for-TV Peanuts special You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown. Throughout his career, he has worked on Peanuts animated television films, but he has also contributed to other successful animated series including Nickelodeon’s ChalkZone and The Mighty B! and Cartoon Network’s Time Squad, Squirrel Boy, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Sym-Bionic Titan, and Adventure Time.

Adventure Time also garnered him three Primetime Emmy Award nominations in the category “Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program” in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Ultimately he won an Emmy in 2015 for his work as animation director on Over the Garden Wall.

Larry Leichliter spent his childhood in Los Angeles, California watching cartoons like Betty Boop and Popeye and reading comics in the newspaper, where he fell in love with Peanuts comic strip. A reserved and introspective kid, he resonated most with Linus in particular, appreciating his loyal friendship with Charlie Brown and his musings on life.

Larry has been designing limited editions for Sopwith Productions, which archives Peanuts animation and sells the official art for Bill Melendez Productions, since 2013. His challenge and the fun of these designs, Larry says, is maintaining the integrity of the drawing and animation styles of the many animators he knew and respected during his tenure at Bill Melendez Studios.