The ChubbChubbs!

The ChubbChubbs!

Film poster
Directed by Eric Armstrong
Produced by Jacquie Barnbook
Written by Jeff Wolverton
Starring Bradford Simonsen
Jeff Wolverton
Eric Armstrong
Mortonette Jenkins
Peter Lurie
Rick Zieff
Music by Chance Thomas
Edited by Robert Gordon
Production
company
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • July 3, 2002 (2002-07-03)
Running time
 5 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The ChubbChubbs! is a 2002 American computer-animated comedy short film by Sony Pictures Imageworks. It was directed by Eric Armstrong, produced by Jacquie Barnbrook, and written by Jeff Wolverton.

The ChubbChubbs! won an Oscar for Best Animated Short in 2002.[1]

The short "was originally conceived as a pipeline test to help determine the studio’s strengths and weaknesses in producing all-CG animation within the Imageworks production environment."[2]

Plot

Meeper, the janitor of an alien pub called the Ale-E-Inn, has higher aspirations—a karaoke performer. After he accidentally electrocutes a singer, he is ejected from the pub. Outside, he is told by an incautious Gungan that "The ChubbChubbs are coming!" Meeper sees aircraft land in the distance, and huge, weapon-bearing monsters exit the craft. He assumes these are the ChubbChubbs.

Meeper rushes to warn the pub, and some chicks he finds pecking at the ground outside, but each of his attempts further injures the singer. The patrons are finally warned by a different visitor. The pub is emptied, and everyone takes off into the night, leaving Meeper behind. The monsters are almost at the pub. Meeper hides the chicks under his bucket in an attempt to save them, and then launches into a rendition of Why Can't We Be Friends? until, caught up in the song, he trips over the bucket, revealing the chicks. The monsters flee, screaming, "It's the ChubbChubbs!" The chicks reveal their razor sharp teeth and devour the monsters, who are actually known as Zyzaks. They gather around Meeper, who says, "So... You guys into Karaoke?"

As the credits roll, Meeper and the ChubbChubbs sing a rewrite of Aretha Frankin's Respect in the pub. When the song is finished, there is dead silence. The ChubbChubbs glare and reveal their teeth, and the crowd hastily bursts into applause.

Cast

Release

The ChubbChubbs! was theatrically released on July 3, 2002, along with Men in Black II.[3] Due to its success, it was re-released on July 19, 2002, with Stuart Little 2.

The short got a DVD release on November 26, 2002, as a bonus attached to Men in Black II.[3][4] On April 11, 2003, the short was released on its own DVD, and with a running time of 5 minutes, 37 seconds is considered likely the briefest DVD ever released.[5] The ChubbChubbs! and its sequel The ChubbChubbs Save Xmas were released on October 9, 2007, for the first time on Blu-ray, attached as a bonus to Surf's Up.

Adaptations

A feature-length animated film and a television series based on the short were in development in 2003, at Sony Pictures Animation.[6][3] Dan Wilson and Dave Gilbreth had been hired to write the film's screenplay,[7] but since then, there has been no further news about the projects, which were most likely cancelled.

Sequel

The sequel, The ChubbChubbs Save Xmas, was theatrically released on August 8, 2007, along with Daddy Day Camp.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ "The 75th Academy Awards". Oscars. March 23, 2003. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  2. ↑ Raugust, Karen (May 30, 2006). "The Value of Shorts". Animation World Network. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Gold, Noe (December 9, 2003). "The hubbub over 'ChubbChubbs'". Variety. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  4. ↑ Siechen, Todd (November 26, 2002). "Men in Black II". DVD Talk. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  5. ↑ Kleinmann, Geoffrey (April 15, 2003). "The Chubbchubbs!". DVD Talk. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  6. ↑ Sony Pictures Digital (May 9, 2003). "Sony Pictures Animation Announces Projects for Directors Jill Culton, Anthony Stacchi, Roger Allers, Brenda Chapman and the Brizzi Brothers" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  7. ↑ Brodesser, Claude (October 22, 2003). "Short 'Chubbchubbs' is going long for Sony". Variety. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  8. ↑ "The ChubbChubbs are Back!". ComingSoon.net. August 6, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  9. ↑ PIMPJOE_ESB (August 8, 2007). "Catch the ChubbChubbs Saving Xmas With "Daddy Day Camp"". CountingDown.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
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