The animator, who spent nearly 70 years in the profession, worked on Mickey Mouse cartoons, Pinocchio, and Fantasia before meeting Peanuts creator Charles Schulz; with his partner Lee Mendelson, Melendez “went on to produce, direct or animate some 70 Peanuts TV specials, four movies and hundreds of commercials.†The first of those specials was 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas. Melendez was also the voice of Snoopy, “who never spoke intelligible words but issued expressive howls, sighs and sobs.†[AP]
