Review: A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas brings a few laughs to the holiday season

Now that Thanksgiving is over here in the States, it is officially Christmas season, and I have a slew of Christmas movies and specials to review here, starting with the just-released A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas, which is available to watch on YouTube.

I was surprised when I heard this special was coming out, because Chuck E. Cheese feels like a relic of the past to me. If you had asked me, I would've guessed that the company doesn't even exist anymore. I was never really a Chuck E. Cheese kid -- I don't even know if I've ever been. For such outings in my childhood, we would venture out to DZ: Discovery Zone, which I feel pretty certain doesn't exist anymore, and if they do, they certainly aren't releasing animated Christmas specials.

For what's arguably first-and-foremost an advertisement trying to get kids to beg their parents to go to Chuck E. Cheese for their next birthday, I have to say, this special is a lot of fun. And it doesn't wear its capitalist ambitions in any loud ways. It feels pretty in-line with what you would expect from any Christmas special: fun gags, Santa Claus, talk about what makes Christmas special. It's all genial and fun. It goes down easy, even if it's likely to be forgotten.

Chuck E. is joined by a cast of friends for this special: Helen the chicken, Bella the rabbit, Jasper the dog, Munch the monster, and Pasqually the Italian. The characters all have bright, unique personalities. Even with only about 50 minutes of movie, we get a great sense of who they all are, and they all get fun moments and solid jokes to deliver. 

We meet the gang (minus Pasqually) as they're out and about to deliver Christmas decorations to a town that is desperately in need of them. The town's current Christmas level is worryingly low, with basic decorations, if any, adorning the buildings. Matters take a turn for the worse when almost all of the orders get cancelled. It's a sign of the times: Christmas spirit is at an all-time low, and not only locally. After looking into matters further, Chuck E. and friends find out that Santa himself isn't really feeling it this year. Which launches them into action.

Chuck E. is obviously a master party planner -- "The right party can solve any problem," he claims -- but due to some mishaps with his recent Christmas decorating, he decides to go by the book as he plans a surprise Christmas party to get Santa back in the right headspace, and thus hopefully save Christmas overall. So the decorations must be basic, the invitations hand-written, the songs repetitive. No room for creativity or imagination, lest it all go up in flames.

Attempting to thwart the party planning is Leggymos, a Lord of the Rings-inspired elf who wants to bring Christmas to an end. In his eyes, elves are meant to be going on grand adventures, battling evil creatures, etc., not making toys in Santa's workshop. He's a fun villain, even if his schtick does get a bit old.

As does a lot of the humor on display here. The film is funny, but it sort of wrings every good joke it has for all they're worth. Not the greatest sin to commit, and some of them stay funny throughout (the best is how Bella is so cute that everyone can't help but comment on it every time she talks, even when decrying propaganda or insurance premiums), but by the time the credits were rolling, I was ready.

Do I think A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas is going to become required viewing for a lot of people on a yearly basis? No. But it's a fun little watch to help ring in the holiday season.