Perhaps the weakest entry in the three disc collection but still far above average for animated shows is Alvin and the Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration which begins with the passable offering “A Chipmunk Celebration” as the gang finds themselves all cast extraordinarily against type in a local community theatre production. Namely, this means that brainy Simon hams it up a la Alvin, Alvin makes costumes like the sensitive Theodore, and Theodore tries to master Simon-style technical wizardry behind the scenes. Educational yet a bit dry, “Celebration” is followed up with the perfunctory “Food for Thought” as Alvin and Simon tutor Theodore on American history, leading to Chipmunk fantasy sequences starring not just the boys but their female counterparts, The Chipettes. However, the last two episodes are far superior and strengthen the disc as a whole, although plot-wise, they should’ve been flipped as the two shows reference things that would’ve made more sense the other way around while the boys discover the joys and trials of having a pet in “Cookie Chomper III” and realize they have to learn to let adults make their own mistakes in “Dave’s Getting Married,” which borrows from The Parent Trap.
Yet, the old school admirer in me appreciated A Chipmunk Christmas above all the rest, not only because the DVD’s three episodes are filled with holiday cheer and enough Chipmunk caroling for us to realize why the group earned Grammy awards but also because they’re extraordinarily sweet-natured, wholesome and emotionally rich. With phenomenal writing — even when admittedly borrowing from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Frank Capra’s classic It’s a Wonderful Life — the three digitally enhanced shows including “A Chipmunk Christmas,” “Merry Christmas Mr. Carroll” and “Dave’s Wonderful Life,” are episodes you actually want to hug. While there’s no topping the sentimental title favorite, not only for its usage of “Christmas Don’t Be Late, but also, like the follow up “Mr. Carroll” in dishing up the true meaning of the holiday and importance of giving, the DVD ends on an especially beautiful note with “Dave’s Wonderful Life.”
Dave Seville — so often a supporting character in the series — is usually shortchanged. Of course, he’s most memorable for shouting “Alvinnnn!” at the top of his lungs and perhaps making the boys work more than a legal guardian should (hello, child labor laws!) yet he was a supremely caring and selfless parent and the third episode is a tribute to that as he struggles through a bout of truly bad luck and fears that his beloved chipmunks would be better off without him. It offers a much needed window into a parent’s role as each chipmunk magically appears in his dreams like Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life to remind him how very much he’s valued and loved.
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