life as a dog…

Circus Circus is what I consider old Las Vegas.  It’s not Rat Pack Las Vegas, but old nonetheless.  Unfortunately, Circus Circus also shows it’s age.  About the only reason I know anyone would go there is for cheap hotel rooms.  Hopefully, with the newest addition, that may change.  The Chuck Jones Experience opened at the Casino about a week ago.  Being a huge fan of old Warner Brothers cartoon, I had to go.

The first thing to note is the location.  It’s in the back of the casino, past the Adventuredome entrances.  Not the greatest of locations – there is going to be very few people who stop in by chance.  This is more of a destination location – if you are there, you more than likely sought it out.  The front of the exhibit is the gift shop.  One might not even know there’s more to it than the gift shop.  As they browse, they’ll probably realize it when they see the ticket counter next to the entrance of the exhibit.

When you first enter the exhibit, you have entered the world of Bugs and Daffy and Elmer and all the rest.  The walls are styled after the classic Warner Brothers scenics.  The first cartoon referenced (that I noticed, anyway) was the Rabbit of Seville.  Bugs is putting tonic on Elmer’s head.  From there, you enter a small theater that is playing old cartoons.  I am not sure if it plays entire cartoons, as I only walked through – I didn’t take a seat.  After the theater, you enter the cartoonist’s office.  I’m not positive if any of the furniture is original.

The next room you enter is a room with black walls and floor.  Up against one wall is the “How Do You Measure Up?” section.  There are cutouts of the Tasmanian Devil, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and Yosemite Sam.  You can stand next to them as someone takes your picture.  I never really thought about how tall these characters would stand in real life.  Interesting premise, that’s for sure.  Nobody would have guessed a rabbit or duck could be that tall.

The next room you enter is perfect for taking pictures of yourself with characters.  You’re in the middle of a film production of one of the Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons.  There are four life-sized figures here.  Daffy is directing and Bugs is operating the camera.  Look up to see Wile E. Coyote.  Roadrunner is also looking up at him.  I never realized the Roadrunner was that big, either.  At the exit of the room is a nice wall-sized stylized black and white portrait of Jones.  (Also pay special attention to the “rules” of the Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons.  Interesting bit of information there that I had never known (like the fact that the Roadrunner can never in fact leave the road – which would make him NOT a roadrunner).  Once you’ve passed this portrait, you’ll get to see a room full of sketches and drawings from Jones.  Quite a few are non-Warner Brothers subjects.

Around a corner is perhaps my favorite item.  Sitting on an easel is a color sketch of the Looney Toons characters in a Robin Hood scene.  From there you are surrounded by Looney Toons framed drawings and sketches.  The next room has a Chuck Jones “quiz” machine – the Quiz-a-Nator.  You’ll find out little tidbits about Jones – birthdate and such.  The next room doesn’t really fit style-wise with the rest of the exhibit.  It’s not out of place, but just seems different.  On one wall are video screens showing different projects of Jones’s, including Looney Toons and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.  On the opposite wall is the filmography of Chuck Jones.  I knew he did a lot, but didn’t realize it was that large.  Untold number of recognizable names – even if you didn’t know the name, if you saw the cartoon, you’d know it instantly.

The next room has all the interactive displays.  You can check out a Zoetrope in the middle of the room.  You can also play Foley Artist with a scene from Rikki Tikki Tavi.  I’d love to see them make available a copy of what you made.  As it is now, you just can hear it play back your effort.

After that room is one more small room chock full of sketches and drawings mixed with pictures of Jones and his crews at work.

From there the exhibit exits back into the gift shop.  There are the typical gift shop items – small books, magnets, toys.  But one section of the gift shop also has limited cels of animation for sale as well as higher-end figurines.  They are not limited to Warner Brothers or Chuck Jones items.  You will also find Disney and Peanuts items for sale.  I also saw a few Hanna-Barbera related items.

The things I found most interesting in the Experience were not the interactive bits, but the drawings.  Specifically the raw drawings and sketches.  Kids I’m sure will like the interactive parts (don’t they always?).  I also found the non-WB drawings nice.  I don’t know if many people realize what Chuck Jones did beyond Warner Brothers.  That’s a shame, because there was so much more after the studio closed their animation.

The admission price on the website is listed at about $20 ($15 if you are a local).  I’m not positive if it’s worth that at the moment.  But from what I’ve been told, my view of the price should change.  There are planned additions to the exhibit – including more interactive displays.  I really hope the Chuck Jones Experience survives and thrives.  I’m sure I’ll make another trip when more is added.

More picture HERE