COMICPALOOZA Welcomes Comedy Legends, CHEECH & CHONG Among Show-Stopping Guests
Comedy Duo, Star Wars Icons Ming-Na Wen and Temuera Morrison, 80’s star Anthony Michael Hall and More Join Houston’s Pop-culture Festival on June 20–22, 2025
Houston’s biggest pop culture convention capped off its guest-line up with a show-stopping wave of guests, including comedic duo Cheech & Chong, award-winning actor, Temuera Morrison along with Disney legend, Ming-Na Wen and beloved 80’s star, Anthony Michael Hall.
Additionally,fan-favorite voice actors James Cheek, Keith Silverstein, Spike Spencer, Daisuke Tsuji and renowned video game composer, Grant Kirkhope will make an appearance at this year’s convention. The festival returns to the George R. Brown Convention Center June 20–22, 2025 promising an unforgettable celebration of all fandoms including anime, comics, gaming and so much more.
On the heels of their new movie ‘Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie,’ Grammy-Award winning duo Cheech & Chong make their way to the Space City as they reminisce on their triumphantfive-decade career that has spanned generations. Tommy Chong is a comedian, best-selling author and activist, fans may also recognize him from his roles as ‘Leo’ in That 70’s Show, ‘Yax’ in Zootopia, and‘Bryan’ in Lopez vs. Lopez. Cheech Marin is a multi-talented star known for his work as an actor, comedian, director and musician. Some of his many credits include ‘Felix Gumm’ in the Spy Kids franchise, ‘Banzai’ in The Lion King, and‘Carlos’ in Lopez vs. Lopez.Cheech is also a passionate advocate for Chicano art and has built one of the largest private collections, which is now housed at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, California.
Temuera Morrison is best known for his unique path through the Star Wars galaxy portraying ‘Jango Fett’ and his numerous clones in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Additionally, he iscredited for his leading role in The Mandalorian as ‘Boba Fett’ and its spinoff, The Book of Boba Fett.
Iconic for originating the role of the warrior princess Mulan in Disney’s 1998 animated film, Ming-Na Wen rounds out the group of stars from the Star Wars universe. She currently portrays the mercenary assassin Fennec Shand in Disney+’s Star Wars spin-offs The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Additionally, Wen has credits in the Karate Kid franchise, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and several HBO Max series.
While 80’s Brat Pack icon, Anthony Michael Hall, may first be remembered for John Hughes classics Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science, he most recently co-starred in Amazon’s popular action hit Reacher, and has joined the cast of the upcoming season of Netflix’s Wednesday. Hall rose to fame with his breakout role as Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation, alongside Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, while other notable credits include Edward Scissorhands, The Dark Knight, The Goldbergs and, the leading role in Dead Zone.
James Cheek is best known for voicing San Lang/Hua Cheng in Heaven Official’s Blessing — the first Chinese animation dubbed by FUNimation. His credits include One Piece, The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody, and I’m the Villainess So I’m Taming the Final Boss. As a staff writer for Crunchyroll, he’s penned episodes for fan favorites like Link Click and The Witch and the Beast. Keith Silverstein, a renowned voice actor, is celebrated for his work as ‘Hisoka’ in Hunter × Hunter, ‘Kimimaro’ in the Naruto franchise, and ‘Gabriel Agreste/Hawk Moth’ in Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Other notable roles include ‘Torbjörn’ in Overwatch and ‘Zhongli’ in Genshin Impact.
Anime legend Spike Spencer has voiced hundreds of anime episodes across beloved franchises including Neon Genesis Evangelion, Pokémon, Bleach, Naruto, Boruto, Black Butler, Hunter x Hunter, and many more. Beyond anime, his voice credits span video games like League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Persona 5, and Bioshock Infinite, as well as animated features such as Playmobil: The Movie and Monster High. Daisuke Tsuji is a renowned actor and voice actor most notably known for voicing ‘Jin Saki’ in the hit game Ghost of Tsushima. Additional roles include ‘Kaito Kawaguchi’ on Invasion, ‘Yoshi Takatsu’ in Brockmire, ‘Katsumi ‘Recon’ Kimura’ in Call of Duty: Mobile, ‘Takeda Nobutada’ in Naraka: Bladepoint and‘Hiro ‘Oni’ Watanabe’ in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Grant Kirkhope is the award-winning composer behind some of the most recognizable video game soundtracks including GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Piñata, Donkey Kong, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Civilization: Beyond Earth and Perfect Dark to Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse.
The super charged guest lineup marks the last wave of celebrity announcements, joining Hayden Christensen, cast members from the award-winning Sci-fi TV show Resident Alien, Alan Tudyk, Corey Reynolds, Sara Tomoko and Alice Wetterlund, and more. Among the star-studded celebrity guests, attendees can expect an electrifying weekend of pop-culture complete with a bustling exhibition floor, entertaining and educational programming, featured events, including the ever-popular Cosplay Contest, as well as the return of the Friday Night Bash and introduction of a Saturday Night Rave. The full event schedule, additional celebrity guests, and new attractions will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Featured Photo: Photos By Matthew Ryan Ramirez