Cheech & Chong's Animated Movie

Released by: 20th Century Fox
Released on: 4/23/2013
Directors: Branden Chambers, Eric D. Chambers
Cast: Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong
Year: 2012
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The Movie:

Quite a bit of time has passed since “Cheech & Chong” was part of a movie title, and a couple of brothers saw it fit to bring them back and in animated form. A mix of classic bits the duo pumped out on vinyl is mixed in with new sketches (not written by the pair, according to the end credits). None of the sketches are related though, and there is not a plot to the movie. Added to the show is a character in the form of a crab, as in pubic lice, who wants nothing more than to snack on the weed saturated blood Chong unknowingly is tempting him with. The crab sort of ties all the sketches but without anything really funny, showcasing lots of Wile E. Coyote-type moments where his quest is foiled.

Does it work? Not really. They tap into the classics like “Let's Make A Dope Deal”, “Dave's Not Here”, “Sister Mary Elephant”, “Blind Melon Chittlin'”…pretty much all the well-known acts, including the butt-sniffing dogs they portrayed on stage. For those familiar with the material, it might bring a smile or two, but if you've heard it a zillion times the animation doesn't make it funnier at all. And speaking of not funny, the newer material they were given to voice isn't funny. The pubic lice is just stupid and adds absolutely nothing to movie.

The animation seems moderately low rent, and appears to be attempting to tap into Ren & Stimpy a bit, by way of the style and also the gross-out moments. On example of a gross-out is of Chong the dog taking a dump. The audience is treated to the dog's asshole, all puckered and splattered with poop debris, as it quakes and shivers and pushes out a crap. It's nasty for sure. But that's really as bad as it gets in that department.

Music from Up In Smoke is used, specifically “Lost Due To Incompetence” (cool tune) as well as original audio recordings the two made decades ago. Its mixed pretty well with added sound effects and some variations on the recordings, like in “Let's Make a Dope Deal” when the two stoners are talking in the background. That gets brought to the front and is more audible than in the record. So the animators tweaked things a little, but that's ok. It doesn't detract from the movie, it's just noticeable to those familiar with the material.

Stoner humor is funny when done right and Cheech & Chong movies are a riot, but sadly this one falls far short of even touching those movies in entertainment value. Rehashed and revised Cheech & Chong is ok, but Cheech & Chong material written buy someone not Cheech or Chong is about as good of a concept as remaking classic movies. But hey, maybe this will hit a note with a younger audience and put the pot-smoking hippies back in the limelight.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Cheech & Chong's Animated Movie has a 1080p AVC encoded picture and it looks fantastic. The colors hit you over the head and the image is clear and sharp. The art is very line heavy and the dark borders of everything enhance the rich colors. No aliasing or artifacts of any sort were noticed, and there seemed no defects in the transfer. Audio-wise, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is available, delivering a robust sound with some satisfying sub-woofer action. Sound effects pop off here and there in the rear, and they make decent use of the surround technology. Everything is clear and defect free.

The disc is accompanied by not one, not two, but three commentaries. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong do one, Brandon and Eric Chambers lay one down, and then last is Tommy Chong and his son Paris talking throughout the movie. And if your just dying to watch the movies three times in a row you can do so and listen to all three commentaries in the “4.20 Mode”. Seems like overkill, but the commentary by the actors is an interesting one. The two men play the “Remember When” game and talk about the various sketches, giving some cool background stories. "Medical Marijuana Blues" Session with Blind Melon Chitlin' runs a little over five minutes, showing Chong recording some dialogue. Last is a three and-a-half minute slideshow with pictures of the men doing their act along with cartoon stills.

The Final Word:

Kind of a disappointment to be honest. The cover looks promising and the picture quality is great. But aside from the Cheech and Chong commentary, it's really not worth the time.

Click on the images below for full sized screen caps!