Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (lost animated commercial for restaurant chain; 1979)
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Various animation cels from the commercial.
Status: Lost
From December of 1979 through early 1980, Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre aired a 30-second, animated commercial. Little is known about this commercial and there are very few remnants left of its existence.
What We Know
Animation Cels
Some animation cels from this commercial were saved and are now owned by Smitty's Super Service Station owner Damon Breland. The cels were first seen in a YouTube video by Sets, Streets & Eats, where he visits Smitty's[1], However most the shots don't show the cels upclose. High quality scans of the cels were briefly posted to the Facebook page for Showbizpizza.com, but were quickly removed. The images have been saved and re-uploaded on the Internet Archive[2].
The Pizza Times Newspaper Clipping
The Pizza Times was an in-store newspaper made for employees at Pizza Time Theater locations. In Volume 1, Number 1, published in December of 1979, a small blurb under the "Have you heard about..." section talks about a 30-second commercial for birthday parties that will be airing on local TV stations (Most likely in California as most PTTs were located there).[3]
Pizza Time Theatre Inc. Franchise Brochure
In a 1979 brochure for Pizza Time Theatre,[4] it mentions 30-60 second TV ads as a part of the advertising package. This commercial may be a part of that package.
Rat Tales Comics
The same artist who drew the Rat Tales comics which were sold in Pizza Time Theatres at the time, supposedly worked on the storyboards and animation for this commercial. When comparing the cels and the comics, they do seem to be quite similar in style.
List of Possible TV Stations [5]
Los Angeles Area
KTLA, KTTV, KMEX-DT, KABC-TV, KHJ-TV
San Francisco Area
KPIX, KQED, KBCW (KBHK), KICU, KTVU, KGO-TV
Other Areas
KNXT
Notes
- It is rumored that Colossal Pictures worked on this commercial.
- It is believed the ad was entirely animated, however, it may have been a live-action hybrid.
Gallery
Commercial Stills
Images
A cel of Chuck E. Cheese.
A cel of Pasqually, the italian pizza chef.
