Disney+ Releases New Look at Upcoming 'Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers'
Disney+ released a new trailer for the upcoming Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie starring John Mulaney and Andy Samberg as the titular chipmunks. It’s been thirty years since their original Disney Afternoon series, but this isn’t a reboot. It’s a comeback for the beloved chipmunks.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a blend of live-action and different styles of animation. Dale underwent CGI surgery to give him a modern look. Dale’s change in image is an attempt to relive the glory days of Rescue Rangers. He makes as much of a living as he can from appearing at the nostalgia conventions, but he’s without his partner in crime. Chip has settled into a comfortable life of domesticity in the suburbs. He works an insurance job and Rescue Rangers is only a faraway memory for him. Unlike Dale, Chip didn’t get the CGI surgery and is still cel-shaded animation like the rest of the Rescue Rangers crew.
Chip and Dale must come together again when Dale gets a call that one of their co-stars from Rescue Rangers has been kidnapped. It’s the latest in a string of cartoon kidnappings in the past six months. Chip isn’t totally interested in getting involved with police investigations, but agrees for the sake of his friend. Dale, on the other hand, is thrilled at the opportunity to bring the Rescue Rangers back to life.
The version of Los Angeles that’s depicted in the trailer seems to blend characters from numerous Disney properties such as a depressed, angry, fully grown Peter Pan (Will Arnett), a Gumby-esque cop (J.K. Simmons), and the live-action Lion King Pumbaa (Seth Rogen). There’s also a glimpse of a Cars car on the streets, a woman dressed up as Moana at a fan convention, and mice wearing Star Wars costumes. The trailer is a ‘Where’s Waldo’ game of beloved characters and franchises.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers seems to be bridging the gap between the adults who grew up with the original Disney Afternoon show and kids who are living in a meta-universe dominated world. Given the popularity of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the success of Free Guy, it’s no surprise that Disney is doubling down on blurring the lines of their franchises. Not only is it enjoyable to see familiar faces pop up, but it allows for interesting team-ups and situations that could not otherwise happen.
The rest of the voice cast is filled with recognizable names across all genres. Tress MacNeille and Corey Burton are reprising their roles from the original series. MacNeille voiced Chip in Rescue Rangers, but will be mainly voicing Gadget Hackwrench in the film. Burton voiced Dale in the original series, but is Zipper the housefly for the movie. However, both MacNeille and Burton have brief reprisals of their chipmunk counterparts during the film.
One of the live-action roles is Ellie Whitfield, a rookie detective who is on the case of the missing cartoons. Ellie is portrayed by KiKi Layne from The Old Guard, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Coming 2 America. Other as-of-yet unnamed cartoon roles will be voiced by actors like Keegan-Michael Key, Eric Bana, Flula Borg, and Tim Robinson.
Mulaney and Samberg are not the only Saturday Night Live alums taking part in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. The film will be directed by Akiva Schaffer, who was part of Samberg’s music/comedy group, The Lonely Island. The script comes from Dan Gregor and Doug Mand who previously wrote for The CW’s acclaimed series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.