Disney released a new trailer for their upcoming movie, Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, set to premiere on May 20, exclusively on Disney+.
Created by Bill Justice, Chip and Dale are chipmunk brothers who debuted in the 1943 cartoon, Private Pluto. They were initially antagonists to Mickey’s dog Pluto but would later become more so to Donald Duck. As the years passed, Chip and Dale gained enough popularity to get their own set of animated shorts, along with the 1989 television series Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers.
RELATED: SKETCHBOOK: WALT DISNEY ANIMATORS REVEAL WHAT MAKES THESE BELOVED CHARACTERS STAND THE TEST OF TIME
It is in Rescue Rangers that Chip and Dale start a detective agency to solve crimes that conventional police cannot handle themselves.
Chip n’ Dale are Back in Action!
Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) is a hybrid animation/live-action action-comedy adapted and continued from the 1989 animated television series of the same name created by Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove. Similar to the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Chip and Dale live in a world where real-life humans coexist with animated characters. 30 years after the chipmunks’ show ended, the two reunite as a castmate goes missing and must put aside their differences to save their friend.
Disney first announced their plans to make a live-action movie based on Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, complete with CGI special effects, on 31 January 2014. Originally, it was going to be about the origins of the Rescue Rangers, with Robert Rugan as director and writer, and David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman as producers. In May 2019, however, Rugan was let go from the project and Akiva Schaffer replaced him as director, with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand taking over writing duties.
Two of the original actors for the Rescue Rangers return from the 1989 show, with the addition of celebrity actors added to the cast. John Mulaney and Andy Samberg star as Chip and Dale respectively, with Tress MacNeille and Corey Burton providing their original high-pitched voices as well as reprising the roles of Gadget and Zipper. Eric Bana replaces Peter Cullen and Jim Cummings as Monterey Jack. Other cast members include Will Arnett, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, J.K. Simmons, and KiKi Layne.
Rescue Rangers: A New Legacy in a Cool World
The trailer establishes the self-referential tone of the movie, with animated characters of different styles living lives outside of entertainment. Ever since their television series ended, the Rescue Rangers have gone their separate ways and lived individual lives, with Chip working in insurance and Dale appearing at conventions after having CGI surgery. Unlike in Roger Rabbit, the 2D characters are rendered CGI as well, albeit with cel shading and reduced frame rate to mimic the traditionally drawn look. The effect is noticeably dissonant at 2:05 to 2:19, when Chip is wearing an outfit rendered the same way as Dale himself.
Besides the Rescue Ranger characters themselves, numerous animated characters with different visual styles are scattered throughout the setting. Other Disney characters, both traditionally animated and photorealistic CGI, make cameos, such as Flounder, Lumiere, Baloo, and Pumbaa. Rogen notably reprises his role from The Lion King (2019), possibly indicating that the actors from the source material with the corresponding visual style will return if applicable.
The teaser from February previously featured non-Disney characters as well, with the Mane 6 from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, MC Skat Kat from “Opposites Attract” by Paula Abdul, and various cats from Cats (2019), presenting this movie as a celebration of animation in general.
What are your thoughts on the new trailer? Are you excited for the chipmunks returning for a new adventure on the big screen? What character cameo(s) surprised you? Let us know in the comments!
KEEP READING: ALL THE EXCITING DISNEY, MARVEL, AND 20TH CENTURY CINEMACON 2022 DETAILS
