Chuck E. Cheese To Star In His First-Ever Holiday Special

Pizza chain mascot Charles Entertainment Cheese, better known to fans as Chuck E. Cheese, is starring in a new animated holiday special The Chuck E. Cheese Christmas Special, scheduled to debut this holiday season.

The project is from HappyNest Entertainment, a joint venture from UTA and Stampede Ventures. The special is directed by Steve Trenbirth (The Croods: Family Tree, The Jungle Book 2) who is working from a script from industry veterans Zac Moncrief (Phineas and Ferb, Family Guy, Fairly Oddparents, Ghee Happy) and Jon Coltan Barry (Phineas and Ferb, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, and Lego City Adventures). Moncrief is also co-directing, and he is executive producing with Barry.

Disney veteran Bobby Pontillas (Moana, Big Hero 6, Zootopia), who also co-directed the Oscar-nominated short One Small Step, redesigned the characters for animation. Animation is being handled by Pixel Zoo Animation Studios out of Brisbane, Australia, with a team of artists and animators led by founder and CEO Paul Gillett and head of studio Sebastian Gonzalez.

The voice cast includes Nathan Kress (iCarly) in the titular role of Chuck E. Cheese, alongside Grey Griffin, Nolan North, Kari Wahlgren, and Fred Tatasciore.

The special features an all-new original Christmas song co-written by Jon Coltan Barry, Zac Moncrief, composer Ben Bromfield, and Barry’s father, Jeff Barry — a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee behind timeless hits like “I’m a Believer” for the Monkees, “Sugar Sugar” for the Archies, and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home”) popularized by Mariah Carey and Michael Buble.

“This is more than just a tv special — it’s a milestone moment for the Chuck E. Cheese brand,” said Melissa McLeanas, VP of global media, licensing & entertainment at Chuck E. Cheese. “We’re entering the entertainment arena in a way that builds on our nostalgic legacy while charting a new future for our characters as a storytelling franchise.”

The 48-year-old Chuck E. Cheese company views this not just as a one-off special but part of a broader campaign to create a “storytelling universe” around the brand, which operates 600 locations around the world and attracts over 40 million visitors annually.

HappyNest is an independent, franchise-first kids and family entertainment media company that is focused on developing kids franchises. Recently, HappyNest announced Paris and Pups, a kids’ animated series with Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media and 9 Story Media Group (a subsidiary of Scholastic Media) that is inspired by Hilton’s real-life pets.