The Chipmunks' Triumphant Return

[Ilikemuppets]

UndeniAble was apparently released earlier this month... the 4th of November to be exact, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of "Christmas don't be late."

I CANNOT believe I didn't know about this one... I found it out yesterday from, of all things, a small poster/flyer that was in a store window.

Apparently they sing a lot of 1980's songs (ones you can't believe they didn't cover before, considering). I found out about this TOO late to ask for it as a gift.

Yea I was talking to Snowth about this and he said that the reviews were not very good...

 

[unclematt]

weather the reviews were good or not I kinda want it

 

[D'Snowth]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615918/

Come on! Seriously! The first one got mostly negative reviews, and the rating was dropped to ONE star; the second one was met with very mixed reviews, but a vast majority of fans said it was disappointing (I didn't see it myself)... are Ross and Janice hoping the third time will be the charm or something?

 

[Drtooth]

The first one was enjoyable and a surprise hit. The second one was a poorly edited joke... and despite the fact I liked it initially, I rue the day I saw that instead of Princess and the Frog. But then again, how was I to know Disney rushed that one off to video.

 

[dmoss]

Princess and the Frog was supposed to be Disney's triumphal return to the 2D World of Princess Movies, but when I saw some of the concepts of it, it seemed to me like they were trying too hard for a smash hit, when they should have been trying to tell a great story...but that's for a different thread!

I absolutely loved the first movie! My niece and I watch it together all the time, and we like to quote it to each other at random moments...the second one I haven't seen yet, but when I saw the Chipettes, I thought, "This could either fly high, or do a belly flop..." I think I'll wait to make my judgment until I see it. 3D, though? I don't know...thinking about the Chipmunks running at you, and playing paddle ball is kind of fun!

 

[D'Snowth]

I haven't heard anything about how The Chipettes did in the Squeakquel, other than the lack of Simon and Jeanette moments... I hear it was most Alvin/Brittany.

My concern was how they would change their personalities to appeal to today's audiences, because I always liked Jeanette and Eleanor's personalities... Brittany's not so much, so I could care less about her... her "Single Ladies" dancing seemed somewhat suggestive, so it doesn't look like they changed her personality all that much... I'm just still surprised about her wearing a necktie because (NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE) Brittany was supposed to be the trendy one, and as far neckties go, women wearing neckties is a lesbian stereotype, so I figure Brittany wouldn't want that.

At the same time, I bet "fetish" fans were disappointed, because I've still shots of The Chipettes bare in the Squeakquel... I know a lot of fans wanted to see them naked, but that ain't what they were wanting, lol.

But my biggest question is this -- I remember reading an interview with Ross and Janice that as a nod to fans who grew up with them in the 80s, they were going to put a scene in the Squeakquel where Brittany, out of curiosity, tries on a pair of legwarmers, decides "nah", and tosses them aside... did that happen at all?

 

[Gelfling Girl]

Hmm...I can't quite remember if the legwarmers were in the film. I don't think so, but still not certain.

As far as personality goes, Brittany just wasn't as much a diva as before. Maybe it's just me, but she just seemed so much more sweet and stuff. If you need me, I'll be watching episodes of the 80's show and reminiscing about nostalgia I hadn't even lived through.

 

[D'Snowth]

I heard that an 80s episode "Cinderella? Cinderella!" was being released on DVD... that was a good little dream sequence episode.

 

[Drtooth]

Cinderella/Cinderella is out now. I saw it somewhere... just can't remember where.

As for the movie...

Well, they clearly changed the backstory of the Chipettes. In this version they were actually big fans of the Chipmunks, and they apparently didn't know about the end of the partnership between Alvin and Uncle Harry... I mean Ian. They mail themselves to Ian who basically used them as pawns to try to get back into the recording industry, and they're completely naive to the fact.

Now, I don't think Brittney was all that stuck up... she was disgusted at Alvin's male diva attitude... Elenore was kinda the same. Jeanette's shyness was WAAAAY played up. And I don't think her and Simon really had any significant scenes with each other. But then again, the movie felt like it was edited with a hatchet and put together with tape, so there could have been stuff that didn't make it. Alvin and Britney, Elenore and Theodore yes...

Actually, thinking about it, it's not so much I didn't like the movie. I did, actually. Not as much as the first, and I wouldn't want to see a third unless they have a very good plot (or at least reference Clyde Crashcup in some way). It's just that those three key things I had problems with, bad editing, Dave's nephew, and Alvin's movie quoting. And the fart joke was a jaded little cheap laugh.

 

[D'Snowth]

If they toned down Brittany, I can put up with that very well... I remember in the old days of fanfics I always tried to write Brittany with more of a heart than she did on the show, and that seemed to go over well with other fans.