Plot: A comeback 30 years in the making, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers catches up with the former Disney Afternoon television stars in modern-day Los Angeles.
Review: Back in 1989, Disney Afternoon was an animated block of shows featuring refreshed characters from the House of Mouse including DuckTales, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck. The block also featured classic duo Chip and Dale in a detective series titled Rescue Rangers. With an incredibly catchy theme song, the series lasted for three seasons before getting canceled. Despite regularly ranking as one of the best animated series of all time, Rescue Rangers has remained off the air for almost three decades despite appearances in video games and other shows. Now, after almost a decade in development, Disney’s feature film take on Rescue Rangers is here. While the trailer presented another forgettable clone of Alvin and the Chipmunks-esque animation blended with live-action, I am happy to say that Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is the best hybrid release since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. With a seriously tongue-in-cheek brand of comedy thanks to Andy Samberg and John Mulaney, this movie is as much fun for kids as it will be for adults who loved the original series.
Opening with a quick origin story of how Chip and Dale met as kids, Rescue Rangers quickly runs through the pair’s rise to fame as TV stars before a falling out sent them their separate ways. As adults, Dale (Andy Samberg) makes money at fan conventions while Chip (John Mulaney) works as an insurance salesman. Dale yearns for a revival of their old television series while Chip just wants to move on. They are soon involved in a missing person’s case being investigated by a rookie detective named Ellie (KiKi Layne) who also happens to be a superfan of Rescue Rangers. Their investigation escalates and pulls in their old friends Monterey Jack (Eric Bana), Gadget (Tress MacNeille), and Zipper. Chip and Dale must overcome the rift between them to save the day.
Right out of the gate, Rescue Rangers reveals itself not to be another silly kids’ movie. The world in this movie, like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, features animated characters living alongside real people. The actors in animated shows are actually living cartoons ranging from black and white cel animation to CGI renderings to claymation and uncanny valley video game creations. The cross-promotion Disney had to go through to bring in characters from other studios is impressive as the story mocks everything from Disney classics to rival franchises. Rescue Rangers does feature a mystery plot reminiscent of the original series but is also a movie about Hollywood as well with a lot of references to the behind-the-scenes world of filmmaking. There is also a large roster of talent voicing characters including Keegan Michael-Key, Seth Rogen, Dennis Haysbert, and many more.
The issue with so many animated-live action movies is that it never quite feels like the CGI characters are physically in the same space as the living actors. The Alvin and the Chipmunks movies were the low bar for this style while the recent Sonic the Hedgehog movies brought back some semblance of fun. Here, KiKi Layne gets the most screen time as a physical presence and works well alongside Mulaney and Samberg. J.K. Simmons is also quite funny as the grizzled claymation Detective Putty. My favorite appearance in the entire movie, aside from Seth Rogen playing multiple characters, has got to be one early in the film that recurs at a key point in the story. I won’t spoil it here, but anyone who was active on the internet in the last few years will get it right away.
My reluctance for this film originated with the screenplay which was written by Doug Mand and Dan Gregor, the writers responsible for the Robert Downey Jr bomb Dolittle. But, under the direction of The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod), I became more confident in this being different than an average Disney money grab. Both John Mulaney and Andy Samberg play their parts well and with a family-friendly perspective, both comedians bring an edge and multiple layers to these characters that make them work better for the adults watching this alongside their kids. Like the best animated films, Rescue Rangers has a lot of jokes that will fly right over the heads of younger viewers but will have their parents laughing. Throughout the movie, I was surprised that a movie coming from Disney would mock their own IP so ruthlessly as well as that of their competition. But, kudos to all those involved for making this movie extra funny.
Maybe the name recognition of Chip ‘n Dale isn’t what it used to be, but this movie would have been great to see on the big screen. With tons of references to tons of Disney movies as well as other studios and franchises including Sonic the Hedgehog, Marvel, DC, Lego, Nickelodeon, Rick and Morty, Beavis and Butthead, Peanuts, The Simpsons, Masters of the Universe, Dragonball, and much more, Rescue Rangers skewers everything and everyone in equal measure. By combining self-referential and industry humor in a story that takes pride in serving as an homage to a contemporary classic series, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers works as a great family-friendly comedy as well as the long-awaited follow-up fans have been waiting thirty years for.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers premieres on May 20th on Disney+.
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