A War on Audio-Animatronics?

[_caleb]

What's great is that Aaron Fetcher the creator of The Rockafire Explosion is still going on making shows with his AA Band on his youtube channel. Plus Creative Engineering is based in Orlando as well..He had the band also used for a Clo Green show in Vegas as back up singers for one of his songs...

Creepy.

 

[Seabasealpha1]

What's great is that Aaron Fetcher the creator of The Rockafire Explosion is still going on making shows with his AA Band on his youtube channel. Plus Creative Engineering is based in Orlando as well..He had the band also used for a Clo Green show in Vegas as back up singers for one of his songs...

I have happily enjoyed a bunch of Mr. Fetcher's videos on youtube...they're still really entertaining! I feel like he got screwed in the whole CEC/Showbiz merger though...

 

[ppete1975]

Iot beat to the ceelo using the old animatronics I have a feeling the chuck e cheese is more about the cost of purchase/repair/upkeep than it has to do with anything else. I'm sure its a nightmare keeping them running and having someone who can repair them at a glorified pizza parlor, while Disney and universal its just part of the everyday.

 

[ppete1975]

I have only seen youtube but the new rocket animatronic in guardians looks awesome, and I wasn't expecting it to be there. On some videos theres a gasp as I think no one that hasn't seen the ride was expecting it.. well done disney

 

[EagleScout610]

As a child of the 80's I firmly believe that CEC should have been ditched and the Rock-a-fire Explosion gang should have taken over... I personally hate Chuck...(and yes, I take my kids...) but I often long for Showbiz. Give me Fatz or give me death!

Don't worry. Someday when projections rule...Fatz Geronimo shall still remain President of the World

 

[Kram Sacul]

Rocket looks great, but what's so advanced about him?

His movements are smooth and his entrance is memorable. It's all a tease though. The actual ride is basically bouncing around in front of a big screen tv to overplayed pop music. Fun and thrilling but disappointing.

 

[TheAristocourt]

I recently took my six-year-old nephew to Universal and out of all the rides, E.T. was his favorite. For a screen-crazy kid that loves tablets and begs for an iPhone, I found it pretty interesting. He's still talking about the animatronics and "flying over the city" a month later. Kinda refreshing.

 

[Figments Friend]

I have happily enjoyed a bunch of Mr. Fetcher's videos on youtube...they're still really entertaining! I feel like he got screwed in the whole CEC/Showbiz merger though...

Aaron declined the offer the owners of CEC Entertainment at the time made to him, thus why the Rock-aFire Explosion animatronic shows disappeared from the restaurants.

A little history to help clarity -
Chuck E. Cheese's began as Pizza Time Theater in 1977, opening it's first location in San Jose, CA.
PTT Inc. was founded by Nolan Bushnell, the pioneer behind the classic period of Atari.
The original concept was geared more towards young adults and teenagers, not small children.
It was a fun, creative exercise with a wacky sense of humor...and it caught on like wildfire almost instantly.
Pizza Time Theater was a huge success with just a few years, so naturally there were copycats....

Showbiz Pizza Place came into being in 1980 when Bob Brock, who at that time was working for PTT opening franchises in the Midwest, decided to 'go renegade' and open his own knockoff concept.
Bob didn't use the PTT exclusive 'Cyberamic' AA shows for his first location, but instead contracted with Aaron at Creative Engineering to supply the 'Electronimation' AA animated show.
The deal gave Bob exclusive rights to use CEIs impressive show in their Showbiz restaurants, but Aaron and his company retained the rights to the show itself and its characters.
Keep this in mind...as the story continues.

As you can well image, Nolan and his team at PTT Inc. was not happy about this.
PTT Inc. sued the Brock Corporation for basically ripping off their concept which was making hand over fist truckloads of money.
To settle the lawsuit, Showbiz Pizza Place would have to pay the owners of the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theater concept several million in dollars over the course of several years.

In 1983 the great 'Arcade Crash' hit and both businesses suffered heavy losses.
In 1985 PTT Inc. officially went bankrupt, and was bought out by their arch rivel Showbiz Pizza.
The reason for the buyout was simply to the settle the standing massive court debt still owned to PTT.
The only way to pay back all the money still owned was to buy them out.

So by the mid-1980s, Showbiz Pizza Time Inc. ( as Showbiz's owners called themselves post-merger ) now owned BOTH the Showbiz and CEC restaurant concepts.
They also now owned all of PTT Inc.s assets and restaurants, as well as the rights to all the CEC characters.
They did NOT however own the rights to the Rock-aFire Explosion characters.
Aaron and his company Creative Engineering owned those rights.
For a few more years the company ran both concepts as seperatly branded entities, but that was not to last.

By the early 1990s, Showbiz Pizza tried to buy the rights to the Rock-aFire characters from Aaron, but he declined.
Because of this, the company was forced to drop them from their stores and instead remodeled all Showbiz locations into new CEC branded restaurants.

Known as 'Concept Unification', Showbiz's owners decided it was time to streamline all of their locations under one branding banner.
Since Aaron refused to sell the rights to his show and characters, they were removed from the picture.
Showbiz Pizza as a restaurant ceased to exsist, and the exsisting Rock-aFire AA shows were all converted into CEC characters ( known as the '3-Stage' layout ).

So the Rock-Fire, and Showbiz, disappeared because Aaron stuck to his guns and didn't sell out.
I'm glad he didn't, as otherwise the highly entertaining RAE show material and characters would have been neutered and turned into toddler fodder.
One only has to look at how they toddlerized the original wiseguy rat who was a entertainer at heart into today's overly cutified 'mouse' for evidence.

-

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

.

Known as 'Concept Unification', Showbiz's owners decided it was time to streamline all of their locations under one branding banner.
Since Aaron refused to sell the rights to his show and characters, they were removed from the picture.
Showbiz Pizza as a restaurant ceased to exsist, and the exsisting Rock-aFire AA shows were all converted into CEC characters ( known as the '3-Stage' layout ).

Making this....

And Refitting them like this...

They refitted Chuck (Rolfe), Helen (Mitzi), Munch (Fatz), Jasper (Beach Bear) and Pasqually (Dook la Rue) and removed Billy Bob..

Also it's interesting to find out that the new voice of Chuck E Cheese is Jarret Reddick..The Lead sing of Bowling for Soup...And they also did a version of their hit 1985. This also shows how the Concept Unification AA's were refitted


You may have also heard him from a certain show that use to air on Disney Channel as well....

 

[Horizons78]

Aaron declined the offer the owners of CEC Entertainment at the time made to him, thus why the Rock-aFire Explosion animatronic shows disappeared from the restaurants.

A little history to help clarity -
Chuck E. Cheese's began as Pizza Time Theater in 1977, opening it's first location in San Jose, CA.
PTT Inc. was founded by Nolan Bushnell, the pioneer behind the classic period of Atari.
The original concept was geared more towards young adults and teenagers, not small children.
It was a fun, creative exercise with a wacky sense of humor...and it caught on like wildfire almost instantly.
Pizza Time Theater was a huge success with just a few years, so naturally there were copycats....

Showbiz Pizza Place came into being in 1980 when Bob Brock, who at that time was working for PTT opening franchises in the Midwest, decided to 'go renegade' and open his own knockoff concept.
Bob didn't use the PTT exclusive 'Cyberamic' AA shows for his first location, but instead contracted with Aaron at Creative Engineering to supply the 'Electronimation' AA animated show.
The deal gave Bob exclusive rights to use CEIs impressive show in their Showbiz restaurants, but Aaron and his company retained the rights to the show itself and its characters.
Keep this in mind...as the story continues.

As you can well image, Nolan and his team at PTT Inc. was not happy about this.
PTT Inc. sued the Brock Corporation for basically ripping off their concept which was making hand over fist truckloads of money.
To settle the lawsuit, Showbiz Pizza Place would have to pay the owners of the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theater concept several million in dollars over the course of several years.

In 1983 the great 'Arcade Crash' hit and both businesses suffered heavy losses.
In 1985 PTT Inc. officially went bankrupt, and was bought out by their arch rivel Showbiz Pizza.
The reason for the buyout was simply to the settle the standing massive court debt still owned to PTT.
The only way to pay back all the money still owned was to buy them out.

So by the mid-1980s, Showbiz Pizza Time Inc. ( as Showbiz's owners called themselves post-merger ) now owned BOTH the Showbiz and CEC restaurant concepts.
They also now owned all of PTT Inc.s assets and restaurants, as well as the rights to all the CEC characters.
They did NOT however own the rights to the Rock-aFire Explosion characters.
Aaron and his company Creative Engineering owned those rights.
For a few more years the company ran both concepts as seperatly branded entities, but that was not to last.

By the early 1990s, Showbiz Pizza tried to buy the rights to the Rock-aFire characters from Aaron, but he declined.
Because of this, the company was forced to drop them from their stores and instead remodeled all Showbiz locations into new CEC branded restaurants.

Known as 'Concept Unification', Showbiz's owners decided it was time to streamline all of their locations under one branding banner.
Since Aaron refused to sell the rights to his show and characters, they were removed from the picture.
Showbiz Pizza as a restaurant ceased to exsist, and the exsisting Rock-aFire AA shows were all converted into CEC characters ( known as the '3-Stage' layout ).

So the Rock-Fire, and Showbiz, disappeared because Aaron stuck to his guns and didn't sell out.
I'm glad he didn't, as otherwise the highly entertaining RAE show material and characters would have been neutered and turned into toddler fodder.
One only has to look at how they toddlerized the original wiseguy rat who was a entertainer at heart into today's overly cutified 'mouse' for evidence.

-

The things I learn on this board!

Great post!

 

[Seabasealpha1]

Making this....

And Refitting them like this...

They refitted Chuck (Rolfe), Helen (Mitzi), Munch (Fatz), Jasper (Beach Bear) and Pasqually (Dook la Rue) and removed Billy Bob..

Also it's interesting to find out that the new voice of Chuck E Cheese is Jarret Reddick..The Lead sing of Bowling for Soup...And they also did a version of their hit 1985. This also shows how the Concept Unification AA's were refitted


You may have also heard him from a certain show that use to air on Disney Channel as well....

Le sigh...

Still though, sad to see the Rock-a-fire Explosion and Showbiz Pizza swept into the dustbin of history...

I suppose in some (or several) alternate universes, Fats the the rest of the band are alive and well, and are screamed for by the kids like CEC is now...

Thanks for the post!

 

[Figments Friend]

The things I learn on this board!

Great post!

Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed.

I've been a fan of Pizza Time Theater and early 'Chuck E. Cheese's' since 1981 when I visited my first location in Brandon, FL.
Since then I have amassed a huge collection of memorabilia and historical artifacts from just about every era the concept has gone through over the last 40 years.
I prefer the earlier period in the concepts history, back when it was truly unique and quite cool.
Modern day CEC doesn't appeal to me.

I'm often contacted by the company itself for archive purposes, and was very active in the more serious side of the PTT / CEC fan community some years back.
I've worked officially for both CEC and Creative Engineering some years ago, and confess to even owning several of PTTs animatronic figures.


So yeah....I know their history.


-

 

[PaisleyMF]

One thing that I find captivating is that Disney has been using projection far longer that people care to remember, One Attraction comes to Mind and that is Haunted Mansion. Even technically these are not AA they have a lot of projection use and these are Madame Leota, the Singing Bust and Little Leota...

Projection is a cheap way to create content and effects and well done can be amazing. I think some of the Hybrids AA are well done (Buzz Lightyear, Mr Potato Head, the Seven Dwarfs... Also something like What Universal did with Spiderman / Transformers or the Harry Potter Attractions is well done. But so is the effects at Tower of Terror...

There is an edge on any projection system, but a well done attraction that may not be seen... (unless you watch the Wizard of Oz and see Dorothy heading to the wall while walking on the Yellow Brick Road...)