A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas
| A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Zac Moncrief Steve Trenbirth |
| Written by | Zac Moncrief Jon Colton Barry |
| Produced by | Zac Moncrief Jon Colton Barry |
| Starring | Nathan Kress Kari Wahlgren Nolan North Fred Tatasciore Grey DeLisle Michael Gough Trevor Devall Max Mittelman |
| Music by | Zac Moncrief Jon Colton Barry Ben Bromfield Jeff Barry |
| Animation by | Pixel Zoo Animation Studios |
Production companies | CEC Entertainment Concepts, L.P. HappyNest Entertainment |
| Distributed by | HappyNest Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 50 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas is a 2025 American animated television special. It is the first TV special that features the mascot characters from the Chuck E. Cheese chain of family entertainment centers, and features the voices of Nathan Kress, Kari Wahlgren, Nolan North, Fred Tatasciore, Grey DeLisle, Michael Gough, and Trevor Devall.
Produced by HappyNest Entertainment and Pixel Zoo Animation Studios, It was released on YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Roku, Kidoodle TV, HappyKids, YouTube Kids, Samsung, LG, and Fire TV on November 27, 2025, serving as a backdoor pilot for a full series that's currently in the works.
Plot
Cast
- Nathan Kress as Chuck E. Cheese and Elf #1
- Kari Wahlgren as Helen Henny, Mrs. Claus/Sandy, and Elf #2
- Nolan North as Jasper Jowls and Rooftop Driver
- Fred Tatasciore as Mr. Munch, Troll King, & Santa Claus
- Grey DeLisle as Bella Brinca, Mrs. Brinca, and Pedestrian
- Michael Gough as Pasqually, Mr. Brinca, and Tree Lot Owner
- Trevor Devall as Leggymos, Ronnie, and Party Store Employee
- Additional voices are provided by Max Mittelman.
Production
In September 2020, CEC Entertainment CEO David McKillips said that the company had recently launched an entertainment division, the goal being to produce movies and TV shows featuring the CEC cast of characters.[1] Prior to this, a 1983 Christmas TV special was released, titled "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't", which was produced by a Pizza Time Theatre subsidiary named Kadabrascope. It was planned to air on NBC that holiday season, but due to Pizza Time Theatre's financial troubles around that time partly caused by the video game crash of 1983, it was instead released at Pizza Time Theatre albeit mostly unfinished. And the most recent Film & TV endeavor was the 1999 direct-to-video film, titled "Chuck E. Cheese in the Galaxy 5000", produced by FUNimation Entertainment (Now Crunchyroll, LLC following Sony's acquisition of Anime SVOD service Crunchyroll in 2021).
In June 2025, CEC Entertainment announced the special, Initially titled "The Chuck E. Cheese Christmas Special", which will serve as a backdoor pilot for a full series entitled "Chuck E. and Friends", which as of January 2026, the series has not yet officially been greenlit. It was also confirmed that the special would be produced by HappyNest Entertainment and animated by Brisbane-based Pixel Zoo Animation Studios.[2]
Casting
The special features Nathan Kress as the voice of Chuck E. Cheese, as well as the voices of as well as Grey DeLisle, Nolan North, Kari Wahlgren, Fred Tatasciore, Micheal Gough and Trevor Devall.
Release and reception
The special premiered on both the official Chuck E. Cheese YouTube channel and on Amazon Prime on November 27, 2025.[3] Prior to that date, a fifteen-minute watch party was held in all Chuck E. Cheese locations on November 23, at 10:30 am.[2]
The special was described as a ”heartfelt new comedy-adventure in the North Pole (complete with charming original songs)”.[4] The Daily Beast recommended the production.[5] ”A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas is pro-ghost kitchen propaganda that, in keeping with the company’s animatronic band roots, includes a musical number where Chuck E. and his pals sing about how the world would be lost without Christmas”, wrote another review.[6]
References
- ^ Diaz, Eric (September 24, 2020). "Pizza Mascot Chuck E. Cheese Jumping to Movies and Cartoons". Yahoo. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ a b Maas, Jennifer (June 17, 2025). "Chuck E. Cheese Animated Christmas Special Starring Nathan Kress in the Works From 'Phineas and Ferb' Vets, HappyNest (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Chuck E. Cheese Christmas Special will debut on Thanksgiving". Quartz. November 20, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (November 21, 2025). "How 'A Chuck E. Cheese Christmas' Creators Delivered a Festive First for the Big Cheese (Exclusive Clip)". Animation Magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Hoffman, Jordan (November 25, 2025). "Yes, There Is a Chuck E. Cheese Animated Christmas Special". The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Singer, Matt SingerMatt (December 1, 2025). "There's Now a Chuck E. Cheese Christmas Special For Some Reason". ScreenCrush. Retrieved January 28, 2026.