User:Toast for Teddy/sandbox/Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie

Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie, known simply as One-of-a-Kind Marcie, is a 2023 Peanuts animated TV special directed by Raymond S. Persi, written by Betsy Walters, and starring Arianna McDonald, Lexi Perri, and Etienne Kellici. It is the first Peanuts special to center around the character Marcie. The special follows Marcie being unexpectedly elected class president, and her struggle with being thrust into the spotlight and coping with the expectations of her new position. It was released on Apple TV+ on August 18, 2023. The special received unanimously positive critical reception, and won the Award for Best Animated Special Production at the 51st Annie Awards.

Plot
Marcie helps Peppermint Patty practice for the upcoming school golf tournament, acting as her caddie, as five younger kids spectate. This practice includes getting a ball out of a bunker by "carrying the sand". Later, at school, Peppermint Patty admires the school's championship cup, prematurely celebrating her own victory, while Marcie comments on the lack of mention of the caddies in the accolades. Franklin then reminds the students to vote in the upcoming student council election, as his term as class president is nearly done. As other students announce their candidacies, Peppermint Patty remarks that Marcie would make a good student council president due to her helpful nature. Marcie finds the prospect unappealing due to the busy, public-facing, and fast-paced nature of the job.

As the day continues, Marcie encounters various problems around the school. Mulling over these problems in her room after school, Marcie resolves to solve the problems herself. However, when she attempts to implement her solutions as the problems arise again the next day, her shyness and fear of public speaking prevents her. She later seeks out Lucy's advice at her psychiatric booth on how to be more assertive. Lucy's advice is unhelpful, and Marcie eventually rushes off to Peppermint Patty's qualifying golf game.

With Marcie's help, Peppermint Patty wins, and they advance to the championship. As Franklin congratulates Peppermint Patty, he also highlights Marcie as her caddie; when asked to make a public statement on the game, Marcie is overcome with anxiety, deferring to Peppermint Patty, before running away. She then encounters Charlie Brown, and the two have a conversation about Marcie's inability to assert herself or take charge. She eventually resolves to approach problems in her own way: implementing solutions ahead of time, so as to avoid doing so in the public eye. As the results of the student council election that day are tallied up, Marcie is elected class president through write-in votes due to her improvements to the school. Dreading the nature of the job, Marcie runs away in panic, deciding to stay in her room to avoid the job.

As the championship game begins, Peppermint Patty conscripts Charlie Brown to be her caddie in Marcie's absence, but he does a terrible job. Seeing that Peppermint Patty will lose if this continues, Carlin—one of the younger kids spectating their practice earlier—runs to Marcie's house to get her. Marcie resists, as showing up will mean giving a speech. Carlin helps her see that she doesn't need to be a leader if she doesn't want to, and can still help in less obvious ways. Marcie then arrives at the game, and it turns in Peppermint Patty's favor. At the last possible stroke, Peppermint Patty wins by "carrying the sand" once again.

After the game, when asked to give her first speech as class president, Marcie asks for time to prepare what to say. In her speech, she resigns as class president, acknowledging that she is better suited to working in the background. In the following student council election, Pig-Pen is elected class president, with Marcie continuing to help from the sidelines.

Voice cast

 * Arianna McDonald as Marcie
 * Lexi Perri as Peppermint Patty
 * Etienne Kellici as Charlie Brown
 * Antonina Battrick as Carlin
 * Isabella Leo as Lucy / Cry Baby Boobie / Tapioca Pudding
 * Wyatt White as Linus
 * Caleb Bellavance as Franklin
 * Lucien Duncan-Reid as Pig-Pen
 * Natasha Nathan as Patty
 * Charlie Boyle as Violet
 * Maya Misaljevic as Frieda
 * Terry McGurrin as Snoopy
 * Rob Tinkler as Woodstock
 * Will Bhaneja as Shermy / Floyd
 * Jackson Reid as Harold Angel / Thibault / Joe Richkid / Larry
 * Jacob Mazeral as Jose Peterson
 * Emily Mitchell as Ruby
 * Joshua Obasi as Milo
 * Owen Ross as Leland

Section references:

Production
One-of-a-Kind Marcie was announced on May 18, 2023 for Apple TV+, alongside other Peanuts content. Billed as the first special focusing on Marcie, the special was directed by Raymond S. Persi, written by Betsy Walters, and executive produced by Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, Cornelius Uliano, Paige Braddock, Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts, and Logan McPherson, with cognitive scientist Scott Barry Kaufman serving as the special's "introvert consultant". In July, an exclusive preview clip was shown at San Diego Comic-Con. The trailer was released on August 2. On August 14, another clip was released onto Apple TV's YouTube channel. On August 17, yet another clip was released on YouTube via Screen Rant. The special was released on August 18, 2023.

Critical response
One-of-a-Kind Marcie received unanimously positive reviews. Common Sense Media's Diondra K. Brown rated the special 4/5 stars, praising its positive messaging and describing it as "a great watch for viewers of all ages." Paste's Gillian Bennett scored the special 8.5/10, commending it for how much it added to Marcie's character in its short run time, describing it as "a pleasant surprise when forty minutes had passed feeling like fifteen." CBR's Sam Stone praised the art and animation style, which he called "gorgeous and vibrant" and "warm and inviting". MovieWeb's Caroline Miller rated the special 4.5/5, recommending it to viewers who "tune into Peanuts for the feel-good energy rather than the sadder or meaner stuff".