Reappraisal: Alvin and The Chipmunks- The Chipmunk Adventure

I suppose I may as well explain myself. 

Reappraisal is a new series I've started for the dual purpose of reassessing films of old and exploting my readers for whatever I might earn from my Amazon Associates account. The primary focus will be to draw attention to over-looked classics (and obscure oddities), though I will occasionally attempt to dethrone false idols. 

This first edition's subject is something of a pity review, an attempt to restore honor to a thoroughly sullied name. Are there better films? Films more obscure and more deserving of attention? Aboslutely, but how many of those films belong(ed) to franchises that recently spawned anything that could be dubed a "squeakwel?" [Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Single-Disc Version)] (I'm unemployed, so you'll have to forgive me for whoring myself out on occasion)

Without further addo, Alvin and The Chipmunks- The Chipmunk Adventure.       

I'll be blunt: this is a guilty pleasure. In the interest of gauging the ratio between guilt and pleasure, I'll say this one is worth owning for anyone who remembers the Chipmunks cartoon series from the 80's- or simply has an affinity for retro music and animation- but it's not worth the embarrassment of  allowing one's friends, colleagues, loved ones, etc. to see said DVD proudly displayed, much less watching it with them. Why the embarrassment? If you honestly don't already know, then you've probably never seen anything (much less anything animated) that was produced in the 1980's and marketed towards children. 

For starters, the story: The Chipmunks- including the trouble making Alvin, the brainy worry-wort Simon, and the chubby but kind-hearted Theodore- are envious of their adoptive human father Dave, who is taking a business trip to "Europe." (Translation: whatever part of Eurasia the plot needs him to be in) Whilst in an arcade venting their frustrations with their female friends/rivals/love-interests the Chipettes (all three of whom dress in the same colors and have roughly the same character traits as their male counterparts), Alvin's bragging that he could navigate around the world in a hot air ballon with ease is over-heard by a pair of sibling diamond smugglers. The crooks hit upon the infalably brilliant idea of funding a convoluted race around the world between the Chipmunks and the Chipettes as a front for their illicit enterprise, and the young rodents are all too eager to accept this offer, completely unsuspecting of any ulterior motive. What do the villains' claim their reason is for paying six children to endanger themselves? "We're very wealthy, and very bored." Complications, stereotypes, bad jokes, and musical numbers ensue in various countries around the world. 

If that synopsis doesn't already have you blushing then the voice acting certainly will. I'm not sure how well any actor can voice a character when their speech needs to be sped up considerably to achieve the desired effect, but whether or not it's anyone's fault, the dialogue can be painful to listen to. All of the chipmunks over-emphasize every alternate word in such a way that it seems the producers may have been worried their audience would forget the characters' personalities within ten minutes. The worst of the bunch is easily Simon (voiced by Ross Bagdasarian Jr., not that it matters) who seems conditioned to drag out the last word of every sentence into a faux-academic whine. Most of the human characters are easier on the ears but the chipmunks are the ones we hear the most and they can get quite grating. 

The other half of the audio, the music that is, is of course essential to any chipmunks movie, since the boys are a singing group (which calls into question why their father and songwriter would be taking a business trip without them, but I digress) and the results are good- certainly as far as kids' films are concerned. The songs are catchy and energetic without being excessively stupid; it's not Beatles but it's not Jonas Brothers either. The uber high voices sound great, especially when harmonizing, and the musical flavors on display are as varied as the locales. 

And herein lies the issue of guilt vs. pleasure: a lot of what makes Chipmunk Adventure hard to watch (in company anyway) is what makes it fun to watch. The songs will be stuck in your head indefinitely, but you'll get some funny looks if you get caught singing them under your breath; the story, characters, and jokes are all too goofy not to love, but also too goofy to receive anything but blind dismissal from any dignified blogger (oxymoron of the year right there). Embarrassment is really the only thing keeping you from enjoying Chipmunk Adventure, because no matter how legitimate its faults technically are, judged on its own merits as a viewing experience it's undeniably joyous. It "borrows," certain elements from Around the World in 80 Days, but stealing from stories that are older than dirt is perfectly acceptable and even the most stereotyped characters are incredibly fun to watch as they chew the scenery like a lawn mower on loan to a community theater. On top of everything, the animation and artwork are frequently stunning: gorgeous and detailed backgrounds, fluid motions, clever lighting, and marvelous use of color.

Ultimately, Chipmunk Adventure is that one friend we all have. Do you want to take him home to your parents, follow his advice, or prop him up as a shining exemplar of human culture? God no, but do you think he cares? He's got the big book of acceptably racist humor, a full tank of helium, and the greatest hits of Duran Duran, and he's having a party. Whether or not you can take off your adult armor for a little over an hour and enjoy the party is up to you.      

I'll gladly accept suggestions for future Reappraisals, but bear in mind that I'd prefer to limit selections to movies released 10 years ago at the very least. The idea is to highlight more obscure pieces, though I might consider more famous ones, but if you suggest a so-called "classic," bear in mind that I may be inclined to call into question its position of honor.