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Charlie Brown 'cels' recall simpler time A cel from a "Peanuts" animated cartoon on display at Houston's Custom Framing & Fine Art in Ashland. Photo by John Darling Friday Oct 7, 2016 at 4:39 PM Oct 7, 2016 at 4:39 PM John Darling for the Mail Tribune Few characters are more beloved in our culture than Charlie Brown, the charming but oft-hapless lad from “Peanuts” — and his dog, Snoopy — who have adorned comic pages since Charles Schultz dreamed them up in 1950.  "Cels" — the movie frames used for animation, from the celluloid they were drawn on — from his much-watched TV shows are on view and on sale at Houston’s Custom Framing, at the Hersey Street Business Park, Suite 20, with animation artist Larry Leichliter of Ashland on hand to explain how they were created. The gallery show marks the 50th anniversary on TV of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” which introduced the movie-comic to millions.  The endearing cels recall simpler times, when Charlie Brown’s biggest problem was how to fly a kite and whether to trust the mean, misguided Lucy to hold the football while he kicked it (she never did, but he kept trusting her). “People are always curious about the process, how animations are made. It’s a tedious process, so many drawings for one second of film, but time flies, and it’s enjoyable, like being paid to play,” says Leichliter, who worked from 1972 to 1994 for Bill Melendez Studios, where all the Charlie Brown specials were made. After entering the business with no experience and eventually rising to director, being nominated for five Emmys and winning one — for “Over the Garden Wall — Leichliter retired to Ashland recently and is still working part-time for the Cartoon Network.  As he combs through a pile of cels, which will be mounted for the show, Leichliter muses over who drew them, out of a team of 20 animators, but is able to pick out his style and that of others, some of whom were good at animating dance and others for showing action. As director, Leichliter was in charge of many parts of a film — including storyboard, special effects, voice talent, background painting and “getting the quality right.” Leichliter notes that his 22 years with Melendez were the best, as it was a small studio, “more like a close-knit family. You learn more than at a big studio. It was a great training ground, and you spend a lot of time inventing ways to look at things.” The gallery, owned by Tom and Stephanie Houston, moved from East Main Street last July to 280 Hersey, where there’s more parking and it’s easy to load big pictures into your car. Now in the old location is The Culinarium, a gourmet food shop owned by Dave Jesser and chef Constance Jesser, who ran the now-closed Jacksonville Mercantile. “The (show) is a big deal for us — and Larry is a famous artist in his field and a real addition to the Ashland creative community,” says Stephanie. “Kids are welcome, and they love this kind of art.” Animation cels are highly collectable, and some galleries are devoted to them, she adds. Pieces from the show start at $250. An “original production cel” goes for $700, while the most expensive one, at $3,500, has the original background and several cels. Prices are before framing. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].