| Alvin and the Chipmunks | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the 2007 film | |
| Created by | Ross Bagdasarian |
| Original work | Alvin and the Chipmunks |
| Owners | Ross Bagdasarian Jr. (1987–present) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | |
| Direct-to-video |
|
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) |
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| Original music | Undeniable (2008) |
| Official website | |
| Official website | |
The fictional animated singing groupAlvin and the Chipmunks created byRoss Bagdasarian have appeared in eight feature-length films since their debut.
WhenDavid Seville goes off toEurope on a business trip,the Chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore, are left at home with their babysitter, Miss Miller. While the three are playing an arcade game ofAround the World in Thirty Days withthe Chipettes, Alvin and Brittany argue over which would win an actual race around the world, since Brittany beat Alvin in the video game.Diamondsmugglers Claudia and Klaus Furschtein overhear the conversation and approach the children, telling them that they will provide them with the means for a real race around the world byhot air balloon, with the winner receiving $100,000.
In a tree farm, three musically inclinedchipmunks, Alvin (Justin Long), the mischievous troublemaker, Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), the smart one in the trio, and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) the chubby sweethearted chipmunk, find their tree cut down and are transported to Los Angeles. Once there, they meet frustrated songwriter David Seville (Jason Lee), and despite a poor house-wrecking first impression, they impress him with their singing talent. Seeing the opportunity for success, both human and chipmunks make a pact for them to sing his songs. While that ambition proves a frustrating struggle with the difficult trio, the dream does come true after all. However, that success presents its own trials as their unscrupulous record executive, Ian Hawke (David Cross), plans to break up this family to exploit the boys. Can Dave and the Chipmunks discover what they really value amid the superficial glamour around them?
Pop sensations Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) end up in the care of Dave Seville's (Jason Lee) twenty-something cousin Toby (Zachary Levi). The boys must put aside music super stardom to return to school, and are tasked with saving the school's music program by winning the $25,000 prize in a battle of the bands. But the Chipmunks unexpectedly meet their match in three singing chipmunks known as The Chipettes—Brittany (Christina Applegate), Jeanette (Anna Faris) and Eleanor (Amy Poehler). Romantic and musical sparks are ignited when the Chipmunks and Chipettes square off.
Dave (Jason Lee), the Chipmunks, and the Chipettes enjoy fun and mischief on a luxury cruise before their seafaring vacation takes an unexpected detour to an uncharted island. Now, the harder Alvin (Justin Long) and friends search for a way back to civilization, the more obvious it becomes that they aren't alone on this secluded island paradise.
Through a series of misunderstandings, Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) come to believe that Dave (Jason Lee) is going to propose to his new girlfriend in Miami...and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves not only from losing Dave but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother.
When the Chipmunks take a break from their concert, they get lost, and eventually get locked inside the park. They find their way to the "Frankenstein's Castle" attraction, where a realDr. Victor Frankenstein is working on hismonster. The monster is brought to life, and the doctor sends it in pursuit of the Chipmunks. In their escape, the monster retrieves Theodore's droppedteddy bear. Now it's up to the Chipmunks to get back his teddy bear and do something to the monster.
When Alvin has nightmares of meeting theWolfman, which led him waking up screaming in horror, Simon and Dave conclude that Alvin's been watching too many horror films at night. Alvin says that it is because their new neighbor,Lawrence Talbot, creeps him out and speculates that he is hiding something. Theodore is having trouble with Nathan, a bully, and will not go to the principal, who plans to retire due to Alvin's daily mishaps, for help; Alvin sticks up for him, however.
La-Lu, a friend of David Seville, has put up a banner saying "Welcome Chipmunks" on the porch of her magic cottage. One of her friends, Gilda (a talking pessimisticcockatoo) believes that having children around is a bad idea. PC (a talking laid backfrog with a surfer dude accent who believes he is one kiss away from beingPrince Charming) says that his mom used to say "nothing warms up a home like children's laughter". Dave arrives with Alvin, Brittany, Simon, Jeanette, Theodore, and Eleanor. Dave needs the weekend to himself to write a new song, and La-Lu is happy to have five pre-schoolers and a baby stay with her and her friends. Sam and Lou, twogophers, report to the viewers at home about the feelings the characters are experiencing via going into their heads and viewing an abstract inner visual manifestation of what the characters are thinking and or feeling. Alvin doesn't like that Dave is gone, and La-Lu explains that she felt the same way when she was little and reassures him that Dave will return for him and the others soon.
The live action animated films are thehighest-grossing live-action/animated film series and6th highest-grossing musicals film series of all time. The first film ranks as the7th highest grossing live-action/animated film of all time, with its sequels being ranked 4th, 11th, and 22nd of all time.
| Film | Release date | Revenue | Box office ranking | Budget | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. and Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | U.S. and Canada | Worldwide | ||||
| The Chipmunk Adventure | May 22, 1987 (1987-05-22) | $6,804,312 | $6,804,312 | #5,807 | #8,349 | [1] | ||
| Alvin and the Chipmunks | December 14, 2007 (2007-12-14) | $217,326,974 | $148,025,572 | $365,352,546 | #177 | #370 | $60 million | [2] |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel | December 23, 2009 (2009-12-23) | $219,614,612 | $223,525,393 | $443,140,005 | #169 | #269 | $75 million | [3] |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked | December 16, 2011 (2011-12-16) | $133,110,742 | $209,584,693 | $342,695,435 | #468 | #403 | $75 million | [4] |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | December 18, 2015 (2015-12-18) | $85,886,987 | $148,911,649 | $234,798,636 | #899 | #627 | $90 million | [5] |
| Total | $662,743,627 | $730,047,307 | $1,392,790,934 | $300 million | [6] | |||
The live action films received negative reviews from critics, though audiences positively responded to these films.
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Chipmunk Adventure | 75% (8 reviews)[8] | N/a | N/a |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks | 28% (109 reviews)[9] | 39 (23 reviews)[10] | A |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel | 20% (84 reviews)[11] | 41 (20 reviews)[12] | A |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked | 12% (82 reviews)[13] | 24 (19 reviews)[14] | B+ |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | 15% (67 reviews)[15] | 33 (19 reviews)[16] | A− |
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the series.
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