CHIP 'N DALE RESCUE RANGERS REVIEW: A RIOTOUS ODE TO ANIMATION REIMAGINES A CLASSIC

HOLLYWOOD’S ‘80S OBSESSION doesn’t end with Stranger Things. If anything, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is proof that the toons from many peoples’ childhoods can not only make a comeback but can also be revived in a way that makes the source material feel like the first draft.

Bolstered by the voice talents of our generation’s funniest funny guys (Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, Will Arnett, Tim Robinson, and Keegan Michael-Key), cameos intentionally made to rile-up viewers (cough, Ugly Sonic, cough), and a script that is mercilessly cheeky from start-to-finish (“Polar Express eyes”), Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a delightful riot.

And before you ignore it on Disney+ because you think, “I’ve seen this movie before,” think again! The three-decades-later Disney Afternoon reboot is way more than a Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2.0 and — dare we at Inverse say it — may be required watching for anyone who claims they love cartoons.

Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a romp around a meta and multi-studio Toontown-in-Tinseltown that serves as an ode to (and diss track of) animation. The small-but-mighty squirrelly duo of sardonic Chip and schmaltzy Dale are reimagined as washed-up actors and wannabe detectives with — thankfully — no Alvin and the Chipmunks pitches.

The new movie will have you rooting for Disney's oldest anthropomorphic bromance with lines crammed with smart jests, scenes packed with goofs, and a ton of heart. The beloved after-school program’s return is done nearly perfectly right, with enough fan service for those who grew up with Rescue Rangers and enough references to modern Hollywood that all audiences will appreciate.

If you were a kid in the 80s, you likely tuned your TV on weekday afternoons and stopped at the sound of Mark Mueller’s infectious “Ch-ch-ch-Chip and Dale, Rescue Rangeeeeeers” theme for the animated adventure comedy.

Created by Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove (Darkwing Duck, Aladdin the TV Series), the show premiered on The Disney Channel in the spring of 1989 and aired three seasons worth of episodes (65) until the onset of winter in 1990.

The series starred Chip (Tress MacNeille) and Dale (Corey Burton), the two beloved chipmunk bros that first scuttled their way onto Disney way back in 1943, who start a detective agency along with their pint-sized rodent pals Monterey Jack and Gadget Hackwrench, and spunky insect Zipper.

The Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers of 2022 brings back the old gang in a surprising way, acknowledging the years since the wrap-up of Rescue Rangers, a show cancellation that the film establishes as Dale’s (Samberg) fault for wanting to branch out in a solo project after getting tired of always being the “second banana” to Chip (Mulaney).

The oddball couple, which first meets at school and instantly becomes BFFs, go their separate ways after the fallout of Rescue Rangers. One becomes a reluctant insurance agent, and the other is potentially an ironic Chippendales “guest star” and former-star turned micro-influencer. The two soon take on the role of a lifetime — real-life amateur investigators — after one of their mutual friends with a stinky cheese addiction goes missing.