The Chipmunk Adventure
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Chipmunk Adventure | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Janice Karman |
| Produced by | Ross Bagdasarian Jr. |
| Written by | Ross Bagdasarian Sr. Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Janice Karman |
| Starring | Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Janice Karman Dody Goodman |
| Music by | Randy Edelman |
| Editing by | Tony Mizgalski |
| Distributed by | Theatrical: The Samuel Goldwyn Company DVD: Paramount Home Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | May 22, 1987 |
| Running time | 77 min. |
| Country |  |
| Language | English |
| Gross revenue | $6,804,312 |
| Followed by | Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Chipmunk Adventure is a 1987 animated film featuring the characters from NBC's Saturday morning cartoon Alvin and the Chipmunks. Marking the first appearance of The Chipmunks in a feature film since their 1958 debut, The Chipmunk Adventure was directed by Janice Karman (one of the very few times women had done so for an animated feature), and features the voices of Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., Janice Karman, and Dody Goodman.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
 |
The plot summary in this section is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the article. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot. |
 |
All or part of this article may be confusing or unclear. Please help clarify the article. Suggestions may be on the talk page. (February 2008) |
When Dave Seville goes off to Europe on a business trip, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are left at home with their rather absent-minded babysitter, Miss Miller - much to the chagrin of Alvin, who dreams of world travel. While the three are playing a game of Around the World in Thirty Days with the Chipettes, Alvin and Brittany begin to argue over which would win an actual race around the world. Their conversation is being eavesdropped on by siblings Klaus and Claudia Vorstein (two diamond smugglers running out of ways of getting their wares to customers without government interference). They approach the children, telling them that they will provide them with the means for a real race around the world by hot air balloon, with the winner receiving $100,000.
After tricking Miss Miller with a phony phone call from Dave, the Chipmunks and Chipettes meet at the sibling's mansion, where they are told the rules: each team is given a separate route to follow, along with a chest of dolls, made in their own likenesses, which they are required to drop off to verify that they have visited all checkpoints. Upon dropping off one of their own dolls, they will receive a doll made in the likeness of the opposing team. In reality, these dolls are filled with diamonds, and the dolls received are filled with cash, given to them by the buyers.
Before they take off, Simon warns Jeanette not to take the easternly route because of a hurricane. However, Brittany over hears him and right away doesn't believe him, saying that he's getting as bad as Alvin.
Both teams begin their travels, while the Chipmunks go to Mexico City, the Chipettes are caught in a hurricane before reaching Bermuda, just like Simon said. Unknown to both teams, however, they are being trailed by two rather-intimidating looking INTERPOL agents, sent by Inspector Jamal, who was informed by Klaus and Claudia's butler, Mario, of their little operation. They silently follow the children as the Chipmunks travel through South America and Africa, visiting Machu Picchu, Rio de Janeiro, Angel Falls, Istanbul, and Venice. More time is given to the countries and sites the Chipettes see, including the white cliffs of Dover, the Netherlands, Switzerland, London, Rome (where they visit the Colosseum), the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Germany.
Both teams meet up in Athens, where Alvin and Brittany begin bickering, each claiming they can "out rock and roll" the other. This results in the performance of the song "Girls (and Boys, in this case) of Rock & Roll" amongst the Grecian ruins, with Dave and the two INTERPOL agents nearly spotting them.
The Chipettes then travel on to Egypt, passing the Sphinx. There, they are chased by a group of men on camel. Despite their attempts to fight them off, the girls are captured, and brought to their young prince, (voiced by Nancy Cartwright). The Prince falls in love with Brittany. The prince agrees to return the valuable dolls to Jamal, but declares that he is keeping the girls, and making Brittany his bride. Despite being showered with gifts, including a baby penguin, the Chipettes are desperate to make an escape. Still unaware of the contents of their dolls, they secretly try to retrieve them - only to find them guarded by snakes. Brittany and Jeanette try to "charm" the snakes by singing "Getting Lucky", they grab the dolls and heading out a window, just as Eleanor arrives carrying a small cooler.
The film now cuts to the Chipmunks, camping at a jungle in Howland Island while taking a shortcut. Theodore senses something is wrong, and he know something's out in the jungle. Simon and Alvin just think his imagination is running wild, Alvin saying, "Oh, he's still scared of the bogeyman."(despite the fact that the bogeyman is merely a fictional character) Upon waking up the next morning, they find Theodore missing. While trying to find him, Alvin and Simon are taken captive by some local natives. They soon learn that Theodore is being worshipped as the natives' "Prince of Plenty". While Alvin and Simon are being forced to wear loin clothes and made Theodore's servants, the Chipettes learn that Eleanor's cooler contains not only food, but the baby penguin, whom Eleanor feels needs to be returned to its parents. After the song "My Mother", as sad and moving song, the girls soon agree, and head to Antarctica. However, Claudia is alerted to the girl's actions by her henchmen, and concludes that they must have discovered the diamonds, and are trying to make off with them. She orders her henchmen to get the dolls back. As the girls deliver the penguin to its parents, they are attacked by Claudia's henchmen. The Chipettes wrestle with the men as they attempt to steal the dolls, and a doll tears as the henchman falls from the balloon. The henchmen are snowballed by the penguins, and the girls escape. They notice the doll lying on the floor of the balloon, and picking it up, diamonds fall out of it. Opening a Chipmunk doll, they find it full of bills; the Chipettes realize that the whole race was just a set-up for delivering the diamonds. Deciding the Chipmunks are likely in danger as well, they head off to find them.
Alvin and Simon, now Theodore's attendants, are forced to search a nearby cave for mushrooms for "Prince Theodore". Alvin, having enough, exclames, "Three O'clock in the morning, and Prince Theodore has a craving for mushrooms! I hope he chokes on them!" Inside, they find a series of ideograms on the walls, which Simon translates as "Sacrifice the Prince of Plenty on the full moon." Alvin looks at Simon and exclames, "Over my dead body!" In the next sene, all three Chipmunks are tied to stakes, hanging above a pit full of crocodiles. A very mad (and scared) Simon exclames to Alvin, "You mean, over our dead bodies!" In a desperate attempt to delay their own deaths, they sing the song "Wooly Bully", which lasts just long enough for the Chipettes to rescue them. Together in the Chipettes' balloon, the kids decide to return to Lakehurst. They are met at the airport by Klaus and Claudia, and are forced into a car under the false threat of Miss Miller being killed. Dave is arriving home to the airport at the same time, and hears Alvin's cries for help. Inspector Jamal runs up, identifying himself, and he and Dave begin to make chase. While it at first appears that Klaus and Claudia will escape, they are accidentally run off the road by Miss Miller, who was heading to the airport to pick up Dave. The police arrest Klaus and Claudia, and the movie ends with Brittany and Alvin arguing over who really won the $100,000. However, Dave simply breaks up the argument and guides them to Miss Miller's car, where the others await. Before the end credits roll, Alvin hounds Dave about the race to the point where he yells, "ALLLLLLLLVVIN!!!", like he always does.
[edit] Cast and characters
- Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. as David "Dave" Seville, the adoptive father of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, Dave is a songwriter who has his hands full keeping track of Alvin's doings.
- Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. as Alvin Seville, the middle child of the three brothers and the leader, who always wears a red sweater with a yellow "A" on it, with a matching red cap (which he, most likely, would give his life for). He is known for his arrogance and egotism. Both of these traits often get him (and inevitably his brothers) into trouble.
- Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. as Simon Seville, the oldest of the chipmunks, who always wears a blue sweater and blue glasses. Simon is highly intelligent and extremely practical, with a very dry sense of humor. He often tries to stop Alvin's schemes, but somehow gets sucked into them.
- Janice Karman as Theodore Seville, the youngest of the three who always wears a green sweater. He's the loveable sweetheart. Theodore is more passive and kind-hearted than the other two. He enjoys eating, and can easily be bribed by Alvin with food.
- Dody Goodman as Beatrice Miller,
- Janice Karman as Brittany Miller, the "Alvin" of the Chipettes, is just as arrogant and egotistical. She's also the middle child. She often bosses her two sisters around.
- Janice Karman as Jeanette Miller, she's like Simon, Jeanette is more intelligent than her siblings,and, like Simon, the oldest. However, she is clumsy, timid, and less likely to attempt to stop Brittany when she's scheming.
- Janice Karman as Eleanor Miller, Like Theodore, she's the youngest of the Chipettes. Eleanor is plump and motherly, but can stand up for herself. She, unlike Jeanette, has no problem standing up to Brittany when she believes something is wrong.
- Susan Tyrrell as Claudia Vorstein/Furschtein, a European diamond smuggler. Claudia is extremely ruthless, mean, and a spoiled brat, but at least more confident than her brother, Klaus, if not more intelligent. She dotes on her small dog, Sophie.
- Anthony De Longis as Klaus Vorstein/Furschtein, a European diamond smuggler, Klaus lacks his sister's willingness to go to extremes. He is easily intimidated by Claudia, and reminded often of past failures. He has a fondness for Pierre Cardin socks, and enjoys picking fights with Claudia's dog, Sophie, who's just as spoiled and as braty as her mama. Furschtien (IMDb's credits list their last name as Furshtien, while the film's closed captioning spells it as Vorstein)
- Frank Welker as Sophie Vorstein/Furschtein, Claudia's small dog who likes annoying Klaus. Once ripped one of Klaus' Pierre Cardin socks and put a hole in his floating bed, making him speed around the pool for getting her wet.
- Ken Sansom as Inspector Jamal, a detective for the Lakehurst branch of INTERPOL, who has been trying to capture Klaus and Claudia.
- Nancy Cartwright as Arabian Prince, a spoiled and bratty Arabian prince who wants Brittany for his bride.
[edit] Production
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) |
After the success of his animated cartoon series on NBC, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. began developing a concept for a full-length feature film. Fortunately for Bagdasarian Productions, the box-office failure of Disney's The Black Cauldron in 1985 had led to the layoff of a number of Disney animators, who Bagdasarian promptly hired to work on his film. The result was extremely high-caliber animation.
Bagdasarian and his wife Janice Karman decided to finance the project themselves, having generated so much revenue from the Alvin and the Chipmunks TV series. Their decision to work with several overseas studios led to major production delays. By late 1986, production had fallen far behind schedule. A shortage of time and money resulted in major cuts being made to the film (the final version that was released in theaters was just over an hour long). The Chipmunk Adventure opened May 22, 1987, and performed poorly at the box office, earning only $6,804,312, but became a cult classic on home video.
This film was produced by Bagdasarian Productions, and distributed to movie theatres by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. It was released on VHS by Lorimar in the 1980s, and Universal Studios Home Entertainment in the late 1990s. On May 23, 2006, the movie was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment, digitally remastered from the original 35mm film and presented with 5.1 surround sound. A special edition DVD re-release of the film with a bonus CD (which is the same soundtrack disc) was released on April 1, 2008, which matches that of the live-action/computer-animated Alvin and the Chipmunks and another DVD volume of Alvin and the Chipmunks Go to the Movies.[1]
[edit] Soundtrack
The film's opening score was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As both The Chipmunks and Chipettes are considered to be musical groups, they perform many songs through the film. Some of these songs were written specifically for the movie, while others are covers of old classics. On April 1, 2008, the soundtrack was re-released as a bonus CD on the film's DVD.
The soundtrack to The Chipmunk Adventure is available on Amazon.com. Track listing:
- "Chipmunk Adventure Theme" - Royal London Philharmonic Orchestra
- "I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Cuanto le Gusta) - The Chipmunks
- "Off to See the World - The Chipmunks and the Chipettes
- "Weekend in France, Italy, England, Amsterdam, Greece..." - David Seville and the Chipmunks (heard instrumentally in the film)
- "The Girls and Boys of Rock and Roll" - The Chipmunks and the Chipettes
- "Flying With the Eagles" - The Chipmunks and the Chipettes (not heard in the film)
- "Getting Lucky" - The Chipettes
- "Mexican Holiday" - The Chipmunks (heard instrumentally in the film)
- "My Mother" - The Chipettes
- "Wooly Bully" - The Chipmunks
- "Diamond Dolls" - The Chipettes (unlike the film version, the soundtrack version sounds low-pitched)
- BONUS TRACK: "Leader of the Pack" - The Chipettes
[edit] Songs heard in the film but not on the album
- "Underwaterture" - Randy Edelman. Lengthy piece of music recorded for the underwater sequence. Unreleased on record.
- "Come On-a My House" - Dody Goodman. Unreleased on record. Sung briefly by Miss Miller.
- "A Matter of Fact" - Electric Light Orchestra. Recorded in 1986 by that band as source music for the film's "Wooly Bully" sequence. First released as the B-Side to the UK version of that band's "So Serious" single, four months ahead of the film's release. Unavailable in the U.S. until 1990 in its inclusion on that band's first box set, Afterglow.
- "Witch Doctor" - Dody Goodman. Unreleased on record. Sung briefly by Miss Miller.
[edit] Deleted scenes
- Production stills and concept art available on the DVD show that there was originally a scene in which the boys are captured by dogs in Russia.
- Early concept art also reveals that the producers originally intended to have a scene where the boys drop off a doll in a church confessional and that the sacrifice scene was originally set on top of a Mayan pyramid instead of a crocodile pit. Another sketch shows the boys in some sort of sewer or prison with two men prying open bars at an opening at the top.
[edit] External links
