Plot
Alvin, Simon, and Theodore meet their musical match after returning to school and entering into a battle of the bands competition in hopes of saving the school's troubled music program. Sent to live with Dave Seville's younger nephew Toby (Zachary Levi), the three lovable marmots decide that getting an education is more important than belting out pop tunes. But the school's music program is about to go belly up, and the only way to save it is to win the 25,000-dollar prize in the upcoming battle of the bands. Though the Chipmunks are confident they have the songwriting skills to steamroll the competition, a newly formed singing trio dubbed the Chippettes promises to give them some stiff competition on-stage. Brittany, Eleanor, and Jeanette are indeed the real deal, and the closer the competition gets, the more Alvin, Simon, and Theodore realize that in order to win, they'll have to give it everything they've got. ~ Jason Buchanan, RoviReview
Nowadays, revamping a classic cartoon is as conventional as it is predictable -- making a sequel even more so -- and with Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, there's no lack of the high-pitched raucousness that riddled its predecessor.After a freak accident hospitalizes Dave Seville (Jason Lee), the pop sensations Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) find themselves in the care of Dave's nephew, Toby (Zachary Levi), a layabout gamer with no discernible aspirations. In an attempt to obtain a normal life, the Chipmunks return to the hallowed halls of high school, where they battle jocks, try to fit in, and attempt to balance a home life with a social life. Naturally, this leads to strained relationships, dramatic crises -- well, as dramatic as a lightweight kid flick about singing critters can get -- and, inevitably, the learning of important life lessons.
Director Betty Thomas keeps the action zipping along with plenty of wacky high school hijinks, but suspension of disbelief is necessary to tolerate some of the plot points. The meat of the story is pretty simple -- it has to be to capture the attention of a younger audience. The Chipmunks are tasked with saving the school's music program by winning the 25,000-dollar prize in the battle of the bands competition known as Music Mania. This time around the new element is, of course, the introduction of the Chipettes -- Brittany (Christina Applegate), Eleanor (Amy Poehler), and Jeanette (Anna Faris), up-and-coming starlets who channel Beyoncé in their performances. The girls are taken in by Ian Hawke (David Cross), former Chipmunks manager and all-around bad guy, who promises to make them famous and pits them against the Chipmunks in the battle of the bands competition.
The computer animation keeps the film interesting, from the detail of the Chipmunks' and Chipettes' facial expressions to their movements, which add a certain amount of realism to the characters. The pint-sized trio are admittedly adorable, which serves as a much-needed reprieve between bouts of inept narrative and dated pop-culture one-liners like, "I'm the king of the world" and "It's on like Donkey Kong," but the "aww" moments grow old quickly and the film drags on, leaving the audience to wonder when it's going to be over. At the end of the day, this movie is really for the kids who saw the first movie, enjoyed it, and want to experience the next chapter in the Chipmunk adventure. ~ Alaina O'Connor, Rovi
Cast
- Zachary Levi - Toby
- David Cross - Ian
- Jason Lee - Dave
- Justin Long - Alvin
- Matthew Gray Gubler - Simon
- Jesse McCartney - Theodore
- Amy Poehler - Eleanor
- Anna Faris - Jeanette
- Christina Applegate - Brittany
Credit
Bo Johnson - Art Director, Juel Bestrop - Casting, Seth Yanklewitz - Casting, Rosero McCoy - Choreography, Alexandra Welker - Costume Designer, Richard Graves - First Assistant Director, Betty Thomas - Director, Matthew Friedman - Editor, Arnon Milchan - Executive Producer, Steve Waterman - Executive Producer, Karen Rosenfelt - Executive Producer, Michele Imperato Stabile - Executive Producer, Kim Santantonio - Hair Styles, Renee J. Vaca - Hair Styles, Kelly Muldoon - Hair Styles, David Newman - Composer (Music Score), Julianne Jordan - Musical Direction/Supervision, Maggie Elliott-Germain - Makeup, Marcia Hinds - Production Designer, Anthony Richmond - Cinematographer, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. - Producer, Janice Karman - Producer, Paul Sonski - Set Designer, John Moio - Stunts Coordinator, Alan E. Lorimer - Special Effects Supervisor, Leigh Shanta - Unit Production Manager, Michele Imperato Stabile - Unit Production Manager, Jon Vitti - Screenwriter, Jonathan Aibel - Screenwriter, Glenn Berger - Screenwriter, Ali Dee Theodore - Executive Music Producer, Rebecca Robertson-Szwaja - Script Supervisor, Eric Sherman - Second Assistant Director, Chris Bailey - Supervising Animator, Steve Dubin - Visual Effects Producer, Merribelle A. Anderson - Key Hairstylist, Elena Arroy - Key Make-up, David Lombard - Leadman, Matthew Magnolia - Visual Effects, Karen Agresti - Set Decorator, William Aldridge - Special Effects Foreman, Lori McCoy-Bell - Department Head Hair, Cheri Minns - Department Head Makeup| Alvin and the Chipmunks: Sing-Alongs - Ragtime Cowboy Joe (1994 Film), Alvin and the Chipmunks: Rockin' with the Chipmunks (1990 Film) | |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: Trick or Treason (1994 Film), Always (1989 Film) |
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