‘Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers’ Review (Disney Plus)

Stars: Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, KiKi Layne, Will Arnett, Eric Bana, Flula Borg, Dennis Haysbert, Keegan-Michael Key, Tress MacNeille, Tim Robinson, Seth Rogen, J.K. Simmons, Da’Vone McDonald | Written by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand | Directed by Akiva Schaffer

The Disney “Afternoon Collection” has a special place in the hearts of a lot of Americans of a certain age. However here in the UK we didn’t get that specific block of animation, instead we got the likes of Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, Duck Tales and Talespin as part of various children’s TV blocks – be it early morning at the weekend and the after-school slots that every kid watched between 3.30-5.30pm. Which means you think that there isn’t that same sort of affinity with these shows. But you’d be wrong. Those shows, along with Darkwing Duck, hold a special place in the hearts of a LOT of adults who great up in what many would call the last great era for TV animation from Disney – an era before kids show seemingly aimed at lower demographics and focused on education not entertainment.

Personally, those shows don’t resonate as much with me. I was slightly too old to appreciate those Disney animated series at the time – though, like anyone who watched TV at the time, I could still pick out the iconic theme songs for each series from just a few notes. That’s how much impact they had. Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and Duck Tales also had an impact elsewhere. Video games. Yes, many, myself included, would call the games Capcom produced for the NES, based on all four of the Disney shows – Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, Duck Tales, Talespin and Darkwing Duck – as classics of the 8-bit era. Which is why we’ve had the Disney Afternoon Collection not only released on last last-gen consoles but also re-released for the current generation of consoles too! You can’t keep a classic down it seems…

But can you revive it? Update it for the same generation that grew up on it. The same generation that is now pop-culture savvy, that has made geek the norm? Yes. Yes you can. And you can have a LOT of fun while doing so!

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, which debuted on Disney+ this past weekend, picks up years after the Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers cartoon went off the air, some thirty years (literally following the real-life timeline of the show) later in fact. The titular stars of the show, chipmunks Chip and Dale live very different lives. Chip now works as an insurance salesman living with his dog and enjoying his life away from the spotlight; whilst Dale has undergone “CGI enhancement” surgery (a hilarious nod to traditionally animated shows being changed to CGI when they’re rebooted/revived for a new generation) and is doing the convention circuit with other has-been – or in the case of Ugly Sonic (yes the original CGI design of Sonic from the recent movie!), wanna-be talents that use conventions to make money, meet fans and most-importantly feel like they’re still relevant in the eyes of their fans (and to some extent their own psyches).

When Monterey Jack (voiced by Eric Bana) is kidnapped, Chip and Dale must reunite, reteam and – with help of [human] detective Ellie Whitfield (KiKi Layne) solve the case of their missing friend, along the way uncovering a series of mysterious disappearances all connected to the bootleg animation industry. Yeah, you read that right… “bootleg animation industry,” one of the many ways Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers pokes fun at the very industry it’s a part of. It’s also one of MANY hilarious jokes that are woven into the very core of the film – a film that plays out as a daft but fun adventure for kids but for adults… Well, it’s like the LEGO Batman movies, PACKED with a plethora of in-jokes, references and hidden easter eggs (so many that you can rewatch the film and still spot things you missed the first, second or third time around!)

But Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers is also a loving nod to animation over the years. There are references to shows old and new, the very idea of reboots, failed IPs, or cult animated shows and characters that are played for laughs but at the same time there’s a reverence to the very same. It’s a wonderful mix of laugh and heart which, given the involvement of two-thirds of The Lonely Island – Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer – is to be expected. If you’ve seen their 2016 film Popstar, it took the same tact, it had the same balance of heart and laughs, and the amount of times I’ve seen THAT film means Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers is probably going to be on regular rotation in my household too!

For those that follow film news, gossip and reviews (and if you’re reading this review that’s you) writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand (How I Met Your Mother, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) have crafted a film that also satirizes the very industry it is a part of, saying a lot about reboots, remakes, sequels; the machinations of Hollywood; the fickle nature of the industry AND its fans; and much more. For a film about two former cartoon characters in what you could call the “twilight” of their careers, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers is more relevant now than ever.

And it’s not afraid to poke fun at itself either. Making Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers one hell of a fun family film.

**** 4/5

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers is available to watch on Disney+ now.