Barely holding onto a place in the classic animated pantheon, chattering chipmunks Chip ‘n Dale made their mark pestering Donald Duck in the ‘40s, had their own series of shorts in the ‘50s, then, seriously past their prime, a late-‘80 tv run as Rescue Rangers. The latter apparently retaining affection for the 40-somethings involved in this reboot. (They probably grew up with them in syndication.) The point is, no one’s going to object to nearly anything director Akiva Schaffer (with a SNL background) and writers Dan Gregor & Doug Mand (lots of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) come up with for them. And what they wanted to do was a sort of WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?/’88 meta-adventure, with the chipmunks on the comeback trail. One gets the CGI treatment and the mix of techniques include Live Action combined with hand-drawn color and b&w, digital, Stop-Motion, sock puppet, Muppets and a welcome diss at Motion Capture avatar creepiness. (What? No love for CLUTCH CARGO's cut-outs and living mouths?) Good fun at first as the boys bond in 3rd grade, pal along into showbiz, then bicker their way out of tv success. But by the twenty minute mark, it all starts to feel relentlessly inventive & self-congratulatory, cleverness unable to cover a lack of involvement or charm. (It really is like ROGER RABBIT.) A very long 97 minute sit.
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?/’88 which suffers in remarkably similar ways. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2021/12/who-framed-roger-rabbot-1988.html
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: Youtube is loaded with Chip ‘n Dale surveys. (Resolution levels vary, but they do seem to stay online, which goes to show how little Disney thinks of their commercial value.) Many of the shorts still very funny, a throwback to the anarchism of early ‘30s Mickey Mouse. And all up to Disney animation standards of their period. (The tv series only slightly above Hanna-Barbera limited animation drek.) Best are probably the first Duck-free shorts of the early ‘50s. Look for a super Christmas-themed one.
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