"ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE MYSTERY OF THE EASTER CHIPMUNK"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Paramount Back to DVD Review Home |  |
Now that “Alvin and the Chipmunks” have been fully revitalized into American pop culture, it’s time to dig out all the episodes of the old “Alvin and the Chipmunks” television series from the 1980s. There has been a release featuring the female-munks, known as the “Chipettes.” There has also been a Valentine’s theme release of the old cartoons.
With the spring holidays coming around the corner, signified by longer days and an impending daylight saving’s time changeover, it’s time to dig up some more cartoons that will be new to the kids of today and a nostalgic trip for the adults in the house.
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Mystery of the Easter Chipmunk” compiles five old episodes of the show. The series itself is relatively low-rent when compared to feature animation of its day or the Flash animation used today. However, there’s a mid-80s endearing quality to these short films. And if you doubt that, try watching the opening title sequence without singing along. Your kids will be surprised that you know the words (and you might be surprised that you remember them).
The anchor episode, “The Easter Chipmunk,” actually comes from a revival of the show in 1995. It’s dropped in this collection because of its clear holiday theme connection with Easter. Here, we see Alvin discovering that his grandfather might have been the first Easter Chipmunk, leading him to declare that the original Easter Bunny was in fact a chipmunk. Alvin sues the current Easter Bunny and tries to prove his grandfather’s claim to fame.
It’s worthwhile to note that the production value of “The Easter Chipmunk” is a bit higher than the other episodes in the pack, showing some technology improvements from a decade of television cartoons. However, the writing and the flavor of the story fits in fine with the timbre of the rest of the shows.
The last episode on the disc is “Luck O’ the Chipmunks” and has a specific St. Patrick’s Day theme. In this episode, Alvin and the gang think that the new kid in town is a Leprechaun. Of course, this is ridiculous (as if talking chipmunks wasn’t) and the little Irish kid must try to perform magic to keep the kids at school happy.
The other episodes in the collection include “Snow Wrong” (in which the chipmunks and the Chipettes audition for the play of “Snow White,” featuring a popularity battle between the Chipettes and the director’s daughter), “Special Kind of Champion” (the Chipmunks’ version of “a very special episode,” featuring Alvin’s involvement with the Special Olympics) and “Thinking Cap Trap” (in which Simon invents a “thinking cap” that makes his family geniuses in order to win a television quiz show).
Like the earlier releases of the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” DVD compilations, these are nice, affordable pieces of cartoon history that you can share with your kids. If you enjoyed the shows when you were younger, you can introduce your kids to the animated chipmunks. And if it’s not for you, these DVDs are still available at many retail outlets for reasonable prices, which provide a solid hour of entertainment for your kids.
