Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, America’s other Doobie Brothers, are currently enjoying renewed success on their reunion tour, Cheech & Chong Light Up America, and are set to blaze new territory: animation. The Hollywood Reporter announced that the duo’s classic library has been optioned by Big Vision Entertainment and Chamber Bros. Entertainment to be used in an animated film: Cheech and Chong’s Smokin’ Animated Movie. Eric and Branden Chambers, of the latter company, will direct, with Big Vision’s Houston Curtis producing. Lou Adler, the owner of Ode Records and the Cheech and Chong library, and who discovered Cheech and Chong in the 1970s, will exec produce.
Cheech and Chong had a number of successful comedy albums beginning in the ’70s and also starred in a number of cult films including Up In Smoke, Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie and Nice Dreams. After parting ways in the ’80s, Cheech went on to a somewhat more successful solo career, appearing in such films and TV shows as Oliver & Company, The Lion King, Nash Bridges, From Dusk Till Dawn, Lost and Cars. While Tommy Chong has appeared in That ’70s Show and Half Baked, but more recently has made news for his 2003 arrest and jail term for distributing drug paraphernalia via his company, Chong’s Bongs. Nevertheless, one of his better productions has been actress daughter Rae Dawn Chong.
Said Chong of the pending project: “It’s great to be doing a movie where Cheech and I never have to
get out of bed or be on camera.” Added Marin, “It’s about time that we got animated because we’ve been doing
animation without the animation for years. Whether
you watch it smokin’ a fattie or stone-cold sober, it’s just plain
funny.”