Film / Chuck E. Cheese in the Galaxy 5000

A real cheesy space adventure!

Come on everybody, think it's time we get together again,
Toes are tappin'
Then before you know it, you'll be goin' with the flow and barely notice
Your fingers are snappin'
So come along with me, your buddy Chuck E. Cheese,
I'd like to be your captain,
If you climb in the Adventure Machine!

— Chuck E.

Chuck E. Cheese in the Galaxy 5000 is a 1999 direct-to-video film produced by Funimation. It follows Chuck E. Cheese and his friends competing in the Galaxy 5000 against a team of cheaters to win $50,000 for Charlie Rockit so his aunt and uncle can buy a new tractor. Basically, this is what happens when you send the mascot(s) of a pizza joint to an F-Zero race. The entire film is available on YouTube.

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Chuck E. Cheese in the Galaxy 5000 provides examples of:

• Adaptation Personality Change: Charlie Rockit looks and behaves nothing like he does in the showtapes.
• Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Chuck E. briefly musses Charlie's hair during "The Galaxy's for You and Me".
• And That's Terrible: The X-Pilots are called "jerks", "buffed-out buffoons", and "bullies" within their first three minutes of screentime; granted, those descriptions are entirely accurate.
• Applied Phlebotinum: Zoom Gas, the fuel used by the X-Pilots to cheat at races and "break" speed records.
• Are We There Yet?: Munch asks this just after the Songbird takes flight during the qualifiers, which leads to Jasper giving the following statement.
  Jasper: We're not goin' anywhere, Munch! This race goes around in a big circle!
• Ascended Extra: Charlie Rockit was just a minor character who appeared in-between the restaurant's main show segments in puppet form. This film changes him into a live action child and makes him a major supporting character who joins Chuck E.'s team for the race.
• Award-Bait Song: "The Real Me" (which Helen sings on a balcony at night after Chuck E. meets Astrid for the first time)
• Berserk Button: Don't ever bring up the mention of chickens being cooked and sold in a restaurant within Helen's earshot; once Jasper made that mistake (by saying he saw a "Help Wanted" sign at the Chicken Palace), it sets her off.
  Helen: Oh, where do humans get off anyway, eating poor little defenseless birds?! Are they crazy?!! Where would they be without their eggs for breakfast every morning? And how do they repay us?! By giving us the deep fry?!! OHHHHH!!!!!
  Jasper: Uh, Miss Helen? As a member of a non-human species, I can relate.
  Helen: Yeah, right, Mr. Man's Best Friend! OHHHH!!! (clucks furiously)
• Betty and Veronica: Helen becomes the Betty to Astrid's Veronica, toward Chuck E.'s Archie.
• Big Bad: Dr. Zoom, whom the X-Pilots work for and is the creator of Zoom Gas.
• Big Finale Crowd Song: "We Did It", the end finale song led by Chuck E. during the post-race celebration as the entire cast celebrates his racing victory and their true teamwork.
• Big "NO!":
  • Helen screams one as she is being seized by the X-Pilots before getting locked up.
  • The X-Team have several of them after the Songbird beats them in the final race.
• Big "SHUT UP!": After the X-Pilots accidentally expose their Zoom Gas secret to Helen and they argue, Dr. Zoom appears and yells, "ENOUGH, YOU FOOLS!" to stop them, segueing into the Villain Song.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Astrid, the girl Chuck E. falls for, looks nice and beautiful on the outside, but she is really a mean and manipulative Gold Digger who is only using her relationship with him to win the race.
• Break the Cutie:
  • Failure at attempting Vega-2 causes Chuck E. to gradually lose hope at ever winning, and the crash at Dead Man's Canyon is what causes him to fall to his lowest point and suffer a near-Heroic BSoD. It's only when Harry gives him advice and helps him train does he get his spirits lifted and feel more confident in himself.
  • Helen doesn't take it well when Chuck E. calls her "one of the guys" when falling for Astrid, making her jealous as she stomps off, but he doesn't understand how it made her feel. This doesn't last long, as after learning Astrid didn't like him as he thought, he goes back to liking Helen more.
• Broken Pedestal: After realizing Astrid was only liking him to win the prize money and she ditches him for the X-Pilots, Chuck E. immediately loses all admiration of her.
• Counterpoint Duet: The final part of "I Know I Can" becomes this, with Chuck E. and his gang singing about his confidence with the X-Team singing a Dark Reprise of "Zoom Gas", as they go neck-and-neck before the finish line.
• Crowd Song: Two of them.
  • "The Galaxy's for You and Me", an upbeat dance number led by Chuck E. in the restaurant at the beginning as he decides to enter the Galaxy 5000 and the rest of the patrons cheer him on.
  • "We Did It", the closing number sung by the whole team of heroes over Chuck E.'s victory at winning, and they are joined by a majority of other spectators who sing and celebrate with them.
• Crystal Ball: Harry has one in his cave. It shimmers like a disco ball to help Chuck E. relax and feel more focused during his Training Montage; later he uses it to watch the Galaxy 5000, only to lose reception due to being outdated.
• Damsel in Distress: Helen ends up as this, courtesy of Dr. Zoom deciding to use her alongside the other trapped poultry to mass produce his Zoom Gas. She eventually becomes a Damsel out of Distress when she uses one of her feathers to pick the lock and get herself freed.
• Dance Party Ending: The film ends with Chuck E. and friends singing and dancing to "We Did It" to celebrate their victory at winning the race and not giving up.
• Dark Reprise:
  • A repeat of "Zoom Gas" is heard as the counterpoint during "I Know I Can" as the X-Team is close to yet another consecutive win before the Songbird catches up.
  • From the point where Chuck E. flies to Dead Man's Canyon alone to practice Vega-2 only to lead to the big crash in Harry's cave, the usual rock/fanfare leitmotif associated with the racing scenes is played in an apprehensive, frightening, and urgent manner.
• Demoted to Extra: While Charlie is given much more focus than in the animatronic shows, Pasqually is only present for about the first eight minutes, and stays behind on Earth while Chuck E. and the rest of his gang go to Planet Orion.
• Distant Duet: A four-way variation occurs with "I Know I Can"; one portion is sung by Chuck E. and his team in the Songbird, another by Dr. Zoom and the X-Pilots in the X-Racer, a third by Harry in the caves, and the last by Helen in the wings watching Chuck E. on the jumbotron.
• Drugs Are Bad: Zoom Gas, created by the villain Dr. Zoom, is meant to represent steroids and narcotics, especially given how Dr. Zoom talks about it:
  Dr. Zoom: "So what if it makes mush of your brain? Would you rather have a high IQ or go on to money and fame?"
  • Not to mention the contrast at the end between the X-Pilots trying to win by using the stuff and Chuck E. beating them via his own hard work.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Chuck E. faces loads of obstacles, being betrayed by Astrid and getting advice from Harry, which he uses to finally surpass the X-Pilots' Zoom Gas and win the Galaxy 5000; the bad guys are also arrested for their Zoom Gas scheme, and Chuck E. makes amends with Helen and the gang before everyone celebrates their victory.
• The Eleven O'Clock Number: "I Know I Can", sung by Chuck E. and his teammates during the climatic final race of the Galaxy 5000 against the X-Pilots.
• Extremely Short Timespan: The whole film is set over a period of three days.
• Extreme Sports Plot: Chuck E. and co. join the race in hopes of using the prize money to help Charlie's aunt and uncle buy a new tractor. This point is only brought up once other than in the first scene and the ending.
• Flash Mob: Chuck E. starts one in Pasqually's diner in the beginning, rallying everyone there to cheer him on at the Galaxy 5000, accompanied by his song, "The Galaxy's for You and Me".
• Flying Car: The space jets, vehicles ridden by the Galaxy 5000 participants that resemble futuristic cars themselves. The Songbird's original form resembled a run-down jalopy from the '90s, but becomes more contemporary after Chuck E. tricks it out.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In the opening scene at the diner when Jasper suggests getting jobs at a chicken restaurant, Helen is against it and goes on a rant over how cruel it is to harm her kind. After being captured and brought to Dr. Zoom, it is revealed chickens are being juicified to create the Zoom Gas.
  • Note that when Chuck E. is around Astrid, neither engage in any "close friend" behavior like how he did with Helen, nor does she show any hints of a romantic side like how Helen does. While Chuck E. was with the former, they put their arms around each other, Chuck E. gives her flowers, and feels comfortable with her sitting on him after landing on Orion; when with the latter, Astrid only kisses Chuck E. on the nose and doesn't hold his hand or put her arm around him, nor does he give her any gifts. Also, she doesn't look at Chuck E. during the soda shop scene, instead looking at her mirror compact the whole time. This is a clue that Astrid is only interested in the prize money and doesn't mutually love Chuck E. like Helen.
• Frying Pan of Doom: Once Helen gets out and Dr. Zoom arrives to juicify her, there is a whacking sound as Dr. Zoom comes out before fainting; when Helen arrives on the scene, she reveals a frying pan which she used to knock Dr. Zoom in the head.
• Furry Confusion: Helen is captured and imprisoned with non-sentient chickens to be "juicified" to make Zoom Gas.
• "Gaining Confidence" Song: "I Know I Can", which starts out with Chuck E. still feeling doubtful over beating the X-Pilots in the final race, and his teammates join in and give him words of encouragement which gradually causes him to increase in confidence until he achieves Vega-3 and becomes full-on fearless and self-assertive, culminating in the Songbird managing to overtake the X-Pilots on the final stretch and crosses the finish line first.
• Group Picture Ending: The last shot of the movie is a flashing freeze-frame on Chuck E. and friends celebrating their victory which segues into the end credits.
• Hammerspace: During "The Galaxy's for You and Me", Chuck E. does a magic trick where he produces a bouquet of flowers out of nowhere behind his back before handing them off to Helen.
• Harmless Electrocution: Jasper experiences this as he re-connects the wires to the Songbird when it doesn't start off when the qualifiers begin. The resulting effect leaves his body inverted in color for a few moments, and everyone in the vehicle stares at him.
• The Heavy: While Dr Zoom is the Big Bad, the X-Pilots are the most active in the plot while Zoom never directly interacts with Chuck E Cheese himself.
• "I Can't Look!" Gesture: Jasper covers his eyes in fear during the qualifiers when the Songbird gets sent falling down a canyon after getting hit and diverted by the X-Racer.
• Identical Stranger: Harry, the cave-dwelling hermit Chuck E. meets after crashing into the underground caves, looks very much like Pasqually back on earth, complete with a similar-looking mustache, but has longer and messier hair. The first time he sees him, Chuck E. even notices the resemblance.
• I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: Dead Man's Canyon, a canyon which takes up the last stretch of the Galaxy 5000 before the finish line. The X-Pilots were able to easily achieve Vega-2 through it with the Zoom Gas, but when Chuck E. attempts at it, he loses control which leads to the big crash. After getting some training from Harry, he tries again at Vega-3, and is successful.
• Insecure Protagonist, Arrogant Antagonist: Chuck E. takes on the role of the insecure protagonist who feels unsure and nervous of himself and his piloting skills, and facing the fact he's racing against the X-Pilots Peter and Ivan, who serve as the arrogant antagonists who are always gloating about their past victories and rubbing it in his team's faces, just before the reveal they were cheating by using Zoom Gas to achieve a speed of Vega-2.
• Internal Reveal: While the audience sees Helen get kidnapped and brought to Dr. Zoom where she learns of the Zoom Gas and that the X-Pilots are cheaters, the heroes don't know this until after Helen has broken out and she lets them in on it all.
• Kick the Dog: While thinking Helen has betrayed Chuck E. to hang out with the X-Pilots (which she was faking), they just had to go to the Soda Shop and rub it (along with their qualifier victory) in his face.
• Letting the Air out of the Band: When the Songbird is first revealed in its original form, the background music is playing an out-of-tune rendition of "Alouette" which winds down to a stop.
• Light Is Not Good: Dr. Zoom, the villain, wears a white suit and hat.
• Loose Lips: After the Villain Song when the X-Pilots seize Helen, Dr. Zoom mocks her with the idiom, "Loose lips sink ships." Then Helen points out she doesn't have lips, prompting Dr. Zoom to make up, "Loose beaks cause leaks."
• Medium Blending: Scenes on Planet Orion (as well as the Awesome Adventure Machine laboratory) mix Chuck E. and friends in live action with CGI surroundings.
• The Mole: Helen becomes this to the X-Pilots in order to find out the secret to their cheating. Unfortunately, Chuck E. took this as a form of betrayal and felt humiliated even more when they mock his qualifier loss.
• Non Sequitur, *Thud*: After getting hit in the head by Helen's Frying Pan of Doom, Dr. Zoom briefly sings a mangled version of "Zoom Gas" before passing out.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Jasper in the beginning when he makes the mistake of mentioning chickens being cooked in front of Helen, setting her off. Cue his shocked "Oops!"
  • Chuck E. and co. when they see the X-Pilots overtake them in the qualifiers, leaving them in the dust.
  • Chuck E. when he sees Helen with the X-Pilots, thinking she betrayed him, followed by Jasper, Munch, and Charlie getting the same reaction seconds later.
  • Helen when she is being caged by Dr. Zoom to become a mass-producing Zoom Gas victim.
  • Chuck E. again when he is unable to man the Songbird properly during Vega-2 at Dead Man's Canyon and is about to crash into the caves.
  • Munch, Jasper, and Charlie when Astrid reveals her true Gold Digger nature in the soda shop the morning of the final race.
  • Chuck E. a third time when he sees Astrid flirting with the X-Pilots, realizing she never loved him as he thought.
  • Chuck E. and co. get a huge one in unison when the X-Pilots divert them off-course during the final race, sending them back to last place until his friends encourage him to not give up.
  • Both Peter and Ivan when Chuck E. achieves Vega-3 and surpasses them in the final race, beating them, followed by Dr. Zoom getting the same seconds later.
• Ominous Pipe Organ: Dr. Zoom is introduced with dramatic pipe organ. The pipe organ is also heard in parts of his Villain Song.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Harry's British accent sometimes slips into the Italian accent of his Earth doppelgänger in a few scenes.
• Overly-Long Gag: Dr. Zoom's henchmen spend a long time trying to deny that they're using Zoom Gas after letting their secret slip to Helen. They get so confused that they spend over 20 seconds going back and forth like this: "Yeah!" "No!" "No?" "Yeah!" "Yeah!" "No?"
• Patter Song: "The Galaxy's for You and Me" has Chuck E. squeezing in about 16-18 syllables for every main part.
• Pep-Talk Song: Harry has "True Potential" to help Chuck E. feel better and more confident in himself as he trains him for the final race, after crashing into his caves and feeling he won't be able to win.
• Potty Emergency: After taking off at the qualifiers, Munch suddenly has an urge to go to the bathroom and asks if they pull over, but Jasper insists he hold it in. After the Songbird finishes last, Munch asks if he can go now that they've returned.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Dr. Zoom stops the X-Pilots from getting into a physical fight with Chuck E, only so they would beat him in a race instead.
• Reflective Eyes: Seen on Chuck E. in Extreme Close-Up when he first attempts at Vega-2 during the qualifiers and again just before the big crash into Harry's cave, to visually show how blurry it feels to him when going that fast.
• Romantic False Lead: Astrid, to Chuck E; while he feels attracted to her, little does poor Chuck know that she is only interested in the prize money. Astrid ends up ditching him for the X-Pilots later on.
• Rule of Symbolism:
  • Both the Vega-2 and Vega-3 speeds are a representation of Chuck E.'s uncertainty and confidence, respectively. The X-Pilots were able to easily achieve it through using Zoom Gas, but Chuck E. couldn't; when he attempted at it the night before the final race, he loses control and crashes. Then when the Songbird is diverted off-course and falls back to last place during the final race and it came time to achieve Vega-3, this segues into the "Gaining Confidence" Song where Chuck E. finally realizes his true potential and overcomes all his self-doubts, successfully achieving that speed which allows the Songbird to surpass the X-Pilots and win.
  • Dead Man's Canyon, which takes up the last three miles before the finish line, is a visual representation of the final obstacle standing before Chuck E. and the last challenge he needed to overcome in order to win, as he was unable to handle Vega-2 while flying through unlike the X-Pilots, who used the Zoom Gas to help them see better. After Chuck E. returns from training with Harry and activates Vega-3, he was able to make it through this time by using what he learned, and with that, he wins.
• Scene of Wonder: After Chuck E. and co. first arrive on Planet Orion, they take about half a minute to notice its astounding and wild atmosphere around them just before meeting the X-Pilots.
• Short Screentime for Reality: Pasqually's pizza restaurant and the laboratory where the Awesome Adventure Machine is kept are the only places we get to see in the real world, as opposed to the wild and bright CGI world of Planet Orion which takes up the majority of the show.
• Shout-Out: Munch and Jasper sing the chorus of "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music in the first scene.
• Sidekick Song:
  • "The Real Me" by Helen, as she expresses her jealousy over Astrid and wishes Chuck E. would see her for who she truly is.
  • "Snowball's Chance in Texas" by Jasper, during his performance at the soda shop following Chuck E. barely managing to make the qualifiers and Helen's supposed betrayal to the X-Pilots.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Pasqually is only present for the first quarter of the show and stays behind while Charlie and the rest of Chuck E.'s gang goes with him to Planet Orion, but he is the one who first brings up Charlie's issue in the beginning, and the one who first mentions the Galaxy 5000, inspiring Chuck E. to decide to enter the race to raise the money.
• Soundtrack Dissonance: Jasper's song in the soda shop, "Snowball's Chance in Texas", is a lighthearted and upbeat-sounding country song when the lyrics are meant to be tragic and gut-wrenching based on what Chuck E. has experienced.
• Source Music: The trilling of an old piano is heard in the background when Chuck E. "smells adventure" just before "The Galaxy's for You and Me", and during the zoom-out when the patrons clear the way from him, a pianist is revealed to be playing said piano in the foreground.
• This Is Gonna Suck: After Jasper brings up getting jobs at a chicken restaurant to help Charlie which sets Helen off on a tirade, Munch and Pasqually can be seen cringing in fear just before she blows.
  Munch: Uh-oh...
• This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: The evening after the qualifiers, Chuck E. decides to take the Songbird out for a practice flight alone to attempt a speed of Vega-2. Jasper insists he come with him, but Chuck E. denies his help.
  Chuck E.: I've got to do this, Jasper! If I don't try to make it through Dead Man's Canyon at Vega-2 speeds now, we won't have a chance tomorrow!
  Jasper: Well then, I'm coming with ya!
  Chuck E.: Sorry, Jasper, this is something I have to do alone.
• Training from Hell: In the way of a crash course in what appears to be physics, dodging randomly occurring explosions while balancing on pillars, running a giant hamster wheel and playing a game of whack-a-mole... where the moles whack back. All in one night.
• Training Montage: Half of "True Potential" is this, ranging from Chuck E. trying out ridiculous exercises such as geyser jumping, wheel running, and life-sized whac-a-mole, being presented a lecture on Vega-2, and ending with a relaxing zen lesson with Harry's crystal ball.
• Triumphant Reprise:
  • A soft and heartwarming rendition of "The Real Me" can be heard during the scene where Chuck E. and Helen are apologizing to each other.
  • "We Did It" is a triumphant vocal reprise of the leitmotif heard at the start of the show when Chuck E. and friends were entering the diner, which also played when they arrived at the Awesome Adventure Machine and just before the final race began.
• Villain Ball: Dr. Zoom didn't really think it through all the way when he jailed an anthropomorphic chicken who can pluck out a feather in order to escape without any supervision.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: After Astrid sees the Songbird cross the finish line and the X-Team are arrested, she leaves the stadium in a huff and is not seen again for the rest of the movie.
• Villain Song: Dr. Zoom and his henchmen sing "Zoom Gas", about the titular Zoom Gas, a G-rated version of steroids that Zoom created for his henchmen to cheat their way to victory in the race. He also sings about how Zoom Gas is made from chicken juice, and immediately after the song, he takes Helen captive to juicify her.
• Wax On, Wax Off: Subverted briefly during Chuck E.'s training with Harry. The last thing he does before leaving for the Galaxy 5000 is waxing his table; Chuck E. thinks this is an exercise to strengthen his arm muscles so he can steer better, but Harry quips he did that because he just wanted his table shined.
• Whack-a-Monster: One of Chuck E.'s vigorous training sessions with Harry has him stand in the middle of a molehill and whack them with a flyswatter before they whack him.
• Wham Line: Ivan saying "And we use a lot of Zoom Gas!" is what alerts Helen to the revelation behind the X-Pilots' cheating, and the two try to cover it.
• Would Hit a Girl: Dr. Zoom tries to turn Helen into chicken juice to use in his Zoom Gas. Also of note, Helen refers to the other chickens as girls too.
• Would Hurt a Child: The X-Pilots don't seem to care that one of the Songbird's passengers is a young boy as that did not stop them from attacking the Songbird or trying to knock it out of the race.

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Yeah, yeah, if you're doin' good
Sharin' love
You're bound to get a little
A little help from above, whoa-oh
If you're right, not wrong
Then you'll be strong
And the winds of goodwill will push you along