Updated on December 10, 2021
Interesting news, Disney fans. Disney characters Chip and Dale are getting their own live action/CGI feature film. The film will apparently be based on the late 1980s animated series “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers,” which saw the two chipmunks join forces with several others to form an animal detective/rescue agency.
More details on this news may be seen at Cartoon Brew and The Mary Sue.
Chip and Dale have been Disney mainstays since their debut in 1943. Their classic theatrical shorts saw them mostly fighting Pluto or Donald Duck over some reason or other (usually nut- or tree-related, or being harassed by Pluto/Donald). Since the end of “Rescue Rangers,” Disney’s usage of the chipmunk pair have usually either been the classic versions (in “House of Mouse” and in merchandise) or their “Rescue Rangers” versions (the recent Boom Studios comic book, plus merchandise with the characters lingered well into the 90s).
While there’s plenty of people who grew up with and fondly recall “Rescue Rangers,” I’m a bit surprised to see Disney plans to revive them, and on the big screen no less. Given the track record of live-action/CGI films (“The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle,” “The Smurfs,” etc.), I worry we’ll see something along the lines of the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movie (that other famous set of cartoon chipmunks). Still, Disney’s track record recently has been pretty strong, and it does involve their classic theatrical characters, so we’ll see how they do with this film. At the very least, “Rescue Rangers” characters like Gadget, Zipper and Monterey Jack will see the light of day in animation for the first time in years.
