The reason I saw CHUBBCHUBBS! is not at all typical. I never saw HAPPY FEET (which was bundled with CHUBBCHUBBS! when released) but saw just this short film because I read a review on IMDb for THE CATHEDRAL--a picture that lost to CHUBBCHUBBS! for the Oscar for Best Animated Short in 2003. This reviewer thought THE CATHEDRAL "was robbed" and they hated CHUBBCHUBBS!--and this encouraged me to see for myself if they were right.From the onset, CHUBBCHUBBS! was an entirely different film than THE CATHEDRAL--having all the charm and polish you'd expect from a large CG studio, whereas THE CATHEDRAL looked more like a cut scene from a video game or an experimental film. While I strongly want to encourage young film makers, the quality and polish and completeness of the CHUBBCHUBBS! production was obvious--telling a first-class story in a manner that will not only impress film snobs but families as well. In fact, of all the Oscar-nominated films that year, the best short of the year probably was still THE CHUBBCHUBBS!, but I was surprised as how wonderful and original DAS RAD was--it sure was better than THE CHUBBCHUBBS in several ways, though I think THE CHUBBCHUBBS is definitely more the crowd pleaser.Because other reviewers have discussed the plot, I'll just wrap it up by saying while this is far from the best short I've seen in recent days, it is very enjoyable and is good for a nice laugh. I particularly liked all the references to previous sci-fi films, such as STAR WARS, E.T. and FORBIDDEN PLANET.

ChubbChubbs, apparently, are frightening beasts that threaten the happy existence of the creatures living on the planet in question, which includes the alien from the Alien movies, Jar Jar Binks, and Yoda and Darth Vader in a wrestling match in the bar in which our hero works when we meet him. Our hero, as it were, is a lowly janitor, completely awkward an graceless but a lover of music and performing. As an alien Aretha Franklin is on stage singing Respect, he grabs his mop and sings hilariously into it, dancing around until he spills his mop water onto the plug, frying Aretha and getting himself kicked out into the cold.Once outside he is confronted by a whole line of vicious looking beasts, and does the only thing he can think to do. He starts singing and dancing for them. When one of them gives in and starts singing and clapping along, much to the chagrin of his fellow mean-looking beasts, it reminded me of something the Blue Man Group would do. This is just a clever film. I think there were a couple of other animated short films nominated for the Oscar for 2002 that should have won over this one (Cathedral and Rocks), but this is still a wonderful film. Also make sure to watch through the credits for the hilarious closing performance!

Meeper is a janitor in an alien nightclub. He dreams of being a singer though he is clearly not very good at all. When yet another clumsy accident occurs he is tossed from the club out on the ground. While there he notices a large cloud of dust approaching – the chubbchubbs! He tries to warn the nightclubbers, completely unaware that this may be his big break in show business.I saw this film on the DVD for MIIB and wasn't sure what to expect or even if it was a spin off from the movie. I had heard of it's Oscar nomination at the time so assumed that it was either really good or that it had got well known off the back of the film. Watching it reveals it to be a nice little short – unassuming and perhaps slightly unworthy of the praise heaped on it (for content anyway) but still fun. The plot is very thin and is really only a setup for some amusing jokes. Most of them are good for kids but adults will enjoy them anyway.The one thing that let me down was the fact that the film made fun of Jar-Jar Binks (an activity surely everyone supports) but only for 15 seconds! I wanted this mock Jar-Jar to be in it longer to be used better as a target! However Meeper is quite a cool little character and is amusing enough to carry the lead. The plot's thinness is a problem as it doesn't really have anywhere to go to justify the running time – it could easily have lost a minute and still done the same job. However these are minor quibbles.Technically the short looks good and the animation is smooth and clever. It is funny without ever getting you in stitches like it could have done with a bit more work on the script and plot – it sort of plateau's instead of building. Overall this was a pleasant surprise on my DVD. I don't know if it is worth seeking out by itself but it is worth a watch if you get a chance.

The graphics were quite good, appearing (at least in small form) to be on a par w/ Pixar's.But the visual gags are the best part of this short. In particular, the references to "Star Wars" and "E.T." Other than those, "Chubbchubbs" was a cute and consistently amusing, yet never hilarious animated short.