After great success on television decades ago, a couple of SNL veterans have joined forces to bring Chip n’ Dale back… and on the big screen, no less. Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers lands on Disney+ on May 20 and finds Mulaney voicing Chip while the Hotel Transylvania star Samberg, lends his vocal gifts to Dale.
Chip n’ Dale first garnered their own fame in the 90s with their hit Disney Channel show, Rescue Rangers. The idea behind this big-screen incarnation is that three decades have passed since Dale essentially ruined everything—he took the lead in a network a, his show with Chip then gets canceled and that solo show for Dale… never made it beyond a pilot before it too was dropped by the network.
Fast forward 30 years and Chip has moved past acting in this landscape that is reminiscent of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, what with its combination of real-world locales and people seamlessly interacting with animated characters in Los Angeles. He is now selling insurance and doing quite well thank you. Dale has been working the nostalgia circuit (fan conventions and the like) clinging to the dream that success, him, and the entertainment business all share a place in his future.
When the two are forced together after a series of events result in a member of the original show’s cast going missing (the Eric Bana voiced Monterey Jack). At first, it feels a little contrived, but within moments, Chip and Dale are hamming it up as if not a day has gone by. That has everything to do with the innate chemistry between the leads. Mulaney and Samberg clearly have an unspoken bond that dates to their Saturday Night Live days and a shared sense of humor.
There have been calls for a reboot for years, but with the two chipmunks living separate lives for decades, that hope has remained unfulfilled. As the pair work together to try to solve the mystery involving their missing pal/colleague, what they enjoyed about each other starts to rise to the surface.
It’s a moment that’s a little bit meta, what with the ongoing discussion in Hollywood of reboots/retools/remakes that bleeds into the Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers movie.
Even if the story meanders a little, the overall plot movement will keep kids locked in and even adults will be free from mind wandering. In fact, there are a few toss-away lines or moments that salute or are inspired by classic pop culture references—i.e., Indiana Jones, which will go over your kids’ collective heads.
This film is an enjoyable endeavor, and the ultimate complement is when a nine-year-old finishes the Chip n’ Dale cinematic experience and they immediately want to witness it again.
Filmmakers scored an enormous and esteemed cast that includes Will Arnett, Era Bana, Dennis Haysbert, Keegan-Michael Key, J.K. Simmons, Seth Rogen, Flula Borg, Tress MacNeille, and Tim Robinson.
Arnett as Sweet Pete is a lesson in brilliance of creation behind and in front of the camera. Who Pete is in this world is pure joy and as Arnett voices him, it is perfection incarnate. Rogen’s turn as Bob the Warrior Viking is wildly entertaining. He even is up for a few jokes that are directed at him… and his unique laugh!
But this is absolutely the Samberg and Mulaney show, and each brings their “A” game.
Mulaney shines. There’s something about his seemingly effortless delivery that appears to require very little of the actor. In fact, it is just the opposite. There’s a charm and panache to his Chip that is irresistible.
His partner in crime, so to speak, Samberg is clearly having a ball tackling Dale. The star of the Double “O” Dale pilot that never took off still doesn’t quite see his role in breaking up the dynamic duo all those years ago. But that is one of the solid aspects of this film is its ability to work in a lesson or two for the youngsters ever so subtly. Here, making amends for personal choices and actions and recognizing their effect on others, is a powerful thing to learn via a couple of animated chipmunks.
Grade: B