In order to give America’s favorite high-pitched animated singing group a social life, three girlfriends were added to the '80s series Alvin and the Chipmunks, aptly named The Chipettes. Shortly following their introduction, the show continually evolved from simply Alvin and the Chipmunks to its final season incarnation in its eighth year on the air in 1990 as the show’s concept morphed once again and the title changed to The Chipmunks Go to the Movies. Spoofing everything Alvin style from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids to King Kong, our three beloved rodents offered child-friendly versions of Hollywood blockbusters, dropping objectionable material, shortening the running time to suit youthful attention spans and instead inserted their own blend of mischievous mayhem and musical numbers.
Following the release of a wonderful collection of vintage episodes of the original '80s series with Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Alvinnn!!! Edition, Paramount Home Entertainment, transferred yet another in a series of excellent DVDs consisting of all things Alvin. Featuring a trio of three of the most popular movie-themed episodes, they’ve now served up Alvin and the Chipmunks Go to the Movies: Daytona Jones and the Pearl of Wisdom. Including not just the titular episode (modeled primarily after Raiders of the Lost Ark) but also Batmunk and Robomunk (Batman and Robocop, respectively), these highly energetic, fast-paced and funny takes on '80s blockbusters are a must for fans of not only the films themselves but especially Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.
While the animation appears as though it hasn’t been touched--now playable in Dolby Digital Surround-- the show sounds better than ever and additionally works with closed-
caption-equipped televisions for the hearing impaired and, despite the lack of extra features, the full screen episodes can alternatively be played one at a time or all in a row so they flow continuously together for a mini 68-minute Alvin marathon.
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