The ‘Peanuts’ gang features Spokane voice

“The Peanuts Movie,” the animated feature inspired by Charles M. Schulz’s landmark comic strip, is now open nationwide, and one of its stars is a Spokane native. Mariel Sheets was born and raised in Spokane and now resides in California. She voices Charlie Brown’s sister Sally in the film.

The Spokesman-Review spoke to Mariel, 10, in the days following the “Peanuts” premiere about her role in the movie and where she hopes her acting career might take her next.

Q. What was the premiere like?

A. It was a lot of fun. There was a gigantic before party, and there were all kinds of cool games with prizes. There was even a bunch of real snow. And then we all went in to see the movie, which was really, really fun.

Q. Did you meet anyone involved in the movie that you didn’t get to meet while making it?

A. Meghan Trainor was there, and I got my picture taken with her. She did a couple songs in the movie. And I got to see the other kids and the director (Steve Martino).

Q. When you were making the movie, did you all record your dialogue together?

A. We did it separately, but the director was always there with us – either in the headphones or physically there.

Q. What was it like meeting the other kids that were in the movie with you?

A. It was a lot of fun. I’ve always wanted to meet the characters, so meeting the actors is a lot like that.

Q. And what did you think of the movie?

A. I loved the movie. I love that it stayed true to what the comic strip was, and I love that it wasn’t exactly modernized.

Q. So the movie is set around the time the original comic strip was?

A. Yes.

Q. So it sounds like you were pretty familiar with Charlie Brown and “Peanuts” before landing the role.

A. Yeah. My whole family has been “Peanuts” fans for generations, so I grew up with it.

Q. Do you have any characters you’d consider your favorites?

A. My two favorites are definitely Woodstock and Snoopy. I love those guys. They’re so funny.

Q. What was it like being in the theater and hearing yourself on the big screen?

A. It was great, watching Sally come to life through my voice.

Q. Had you acted in a movie before this?

A. I worked in a small, independent film before, but this is my first big red carpet premiere.

Q. How do you feel about Sally as a character?

A. I like her a lot. She’s that little sister character everyone loves – it’s hard to have “Peanuts” without her. She’s always on the hunt for answers, and she’s willing to give things a chance. She’s the only one who gave the Great Pumpkin a chance!

Q. How did you get the role of Sally?

A. My manager, like a lot of auditions, she sent it in, and we thought, “Ooh, it’s Sally!” So we auditioned for it, and then we had a callback for it. And then they had me audition for basically every girl character in the whole movie, but I still ended up Sally for scratch tracks. Then they booked me for the final Sally in the movie.

Q. How long was the whole process?

A. Including scratch tracks, a little over two years. It was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun, too.

Q. It sounds like it was worth all the work in the end.

A. Sharing “Peanuts” with the world again is definitely worth it.

Q. Do you plan to continue acting after this?

A. I’m going to keep auditioning and take whatever jobs come to me. … I think I really want to have a live action or animated TV series that I’m a regular in. Being with the same people over and over again sounds like a lot of fun.