Remakes, reboots, requels, either way you put it’s exhausting, leaving many people feeling like “there’s just nothing original anymore.” Then there are moments when something comes along that fully embraces legacy; it’s flaws and all. In Disney+’s upcoming feature Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers, a hilarious comedy that will bring the beloved ’90s animated series into live-action with John Mulaney and Andy Samberg as the infamous chipmunks. And judging by the newly released trailer above, this appears to be a love letter to fans of both Disney and animation, featuring cameos from Roger Rabbit, Aladdin, The Three Little Pigs, Scrooge McDuck, My Little Pony, MC Skat Kat from Paula Abdul’s 1989 music video Opposites Attract and the live-action disastrous CGI cats from the CATS movie and more.
A comeback 30 years in the making, the hybrid live-action/CG animated action-comedy catches up with the former Disney Afternoon television stars in modern-day Los Angeles. Feeling like a Hollywood exposé story about the ‘90s series, it covers all things fandom from the NES love to the stuffed animals to the phonograph and old-school microphone to a room full of Rescue Rangers merchandise
30 years later, a post-surgery Dale is now in full CGI mode while the rest of the Rescue Rangers team remains in 2D as they explore a world where many different animated characters co-mingle with the live-action population. While paying respect to the evolution of animated it also laughs at itself as a CGI version of Seth Rogen looks like a Shrek (or maybe it’s Beowulf) mobile game tie-in to Robert Zemeckis’ The Polar Express.
In Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Chip and Dale are living amongst cartoons and humans in modern-day Los Angeles, but their lives are quite different now. It has been decades since their successful television series was canceled, and Chip (voice of Mulaney) has succumbed to a life of suburban domesticity as an insurance salesman. Dale (voice of Sandberg), meanwhile, has had CGI surgery and works the nostalgia convention circuit, desperate to relive his glory days. When a former cast mate mysteriously disappears, Chip and Dale must repair their broken friendship and take on their Rescue Rangers detective personas once again to save their friend’s life.
Directed by SNL and The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer in the director’s chair, Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers just might be one of the funniest movies of the year and a surprise hit. Joining the cast is Will Arnett, Dennis Haysbert, Tim Robinson, Chris Parnell, J.K. Simmons, Keegan-Michael Key, and The Simpsons’ Tress MacNeille.
Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers will release on Disney+ on Friday, May 20th. Until then make sure you catch up on all four seasons on the streamer.
