The Chipmunks

[D'Snowth]

Keep in mind though that the Minimunks movie was made quite a few years before these movies... Ross isn't quite looking so youthful these days either; matter of fact, in the most recent pictures I've seen of him, he's completely gray now... BUT, you know, that doesn't mean that he couldn't have coloring, or wear a wig and such to play Dave... especially since his father's passing, he IS Dave. Much like how 60s Dave (from The Alvin Show) looked like Ross Sr, 80s/90s Dave bears resemblance to Ross Jr.

But, you know what's odd? Even if Ross and Janice still did the voices, it wouldn't sound exactly the same, because they actually haven't been recently... in some of the more recent songs and such, Alvin's sounding a lot more like Simon, and Theodore is sounding a lot more like Alvin... and I don't even know what was up with Brittany's voice in the Wolfman movie. I know they actually still do the voices in the old-fashioned way of recording them at half-speed, on analog tape, then speeding it up (people like to say otherwise, but Ross and Janice have both confirmed this in recent interviews), but maybe they're not being sped up to a certain speed like they usually do, I don't know.

 

[Drtooth]

Keep in mind though that the Minimunks movie was made quite a few years before these movies... Ross isn't quite looking so youthful these days either; matter of fact, in the most recent pictures I've seen of him, he's completely gray now... BUT, you know, that doesn't mean that he couldn't have coloring, or wear a wig and such to play Dave... especially since his father's passing, he IS Dave. Much like how 60s Dave (from The Alvin Show) looked like Ross Sr, 80s/90s Dave bears resemblance to Ross Jr.

Well, I can't say he's the greatest actor in the world... I saw a clip of that Minimunks thing.

I still think Bob Saget would have been a perfect Dave... even that guy who playes Ted Moseby on How I Met Your Mother (who apparently on the show grows up to BE Bob Saget) could have worked. I just don't thinK Jason lee was that good a choice.

But, you know what's odd? Even if Ross and Janice still did the voices, it wouldn't sound exactly the same, because they actually haven't been recently... in some of the more recent songs and such, Alvin's sounding a lot more like Simon, and Theodore is sounding a lot more like Alvin... and I don't even know what was up with Brittany's voice in the Wolfman movie.

Yeah, in that new Christmas song on UndeniAble? I couldn't tell if it was Alvin or Simon myself.

 

[D'Snowth]

Well, I can't say he's the greatest actor in the world... I saw a clip of that Minimunks thing.

Funny you should say that Drtooth; Ross said in an interview once that he and Janice auditioned several people to voice Dave and The Chipmunks when the franchise was being ressurrected in the late 70s, until finally, Janice told him to do it, since he sounded very much like his father. He had reservations, "Because I was NO actor by any stretch of the imagination... and not sure that I am today, either...", but he felt he could pull it off, because in younger years, he used to tease his little brother by yelling at him from another room like their father, making him think he was in trouble.

And on the subject of voices, and Minimunks... I don't think either Ross or Janice did the voices for that either... somehow, Simon sounds OLDER than he usually does, Alvin sounded like someone trying to do a little kid voice, and Jeanette sounded like Dexter. And what was with Eleanor being a newborn, when they're all supposed to be the same age?

 

[Yorick]

since his father's passing, he IS Dave.

Oh, absolutely! Matter of fact, (though I had seen Ross Sr) I had never seen Ross Jr before, so when I saw the clip from the 2005 film Mini Munks of Alvin saying, "Dave!" and Ross replying, "Hi guys!" it was magical - as silly as that might sound - because I knew that voice (since I was a baby, I'd guess) as the caring father of the Chipmunks, and now I saw him for real, still being Dave, and speaking with the same kind voice. So then I thought, "If only this whole film was on youtube" and eventually it was.

I thought Jason Lee did an okay job as Dave in the first movie he did in 2007, but he couldn't yell "AAAALLLLVIIIIIN!" as good as Ross Sr and Jr, so that was too bad. And of course the 2007 film had many other problems, but I never saw the one after that.

Janice played Lalu in Mini Munks, and the character Claire in the 2007 movie resembled her. I wonder if that was done on purpose?

maybe they're not being sped up to a certain speed like they usually do, I don't know.

Yes, that's strange how they sound different than they used to!

And what was with Eleanor being a newborn, when they're all supposed to be the same age?

Good question! And someone on IMDB added that Theodore is the same age, but Lalu never carries him around.

 

[D'Snowth]

Oh, absolutely! Matter of fact, (though I had seen Ross Sr) I had never seen Ross Jr before, so when I saw the clip from the 2005 film Mini Munks of Alvin saying, "Dave!" and Ross replying, "Hi guys!" it was magical - as silly as that might sound - because I knew that voice (since I was a baby, I'd guess) as the caring father of the Chipmunks, and now I saw him for real, still being Dave, and speaking with the same kind voice. So then I thought, "If only this whole film was on youtube" and eventually it was.

I know, listening to interviews with him, and such, it's almost like listening to Dave being interviewed, lol.

Janice played Lalu in Mini Munks, and the character Claire in the 2007 movie resembled her. I wonder if that was done on purpose?

Well, I've noticed that on the cartoon, Dave seems to almost always go for blondes... like Miss Stone, Alvin's teacher, or Marcia, the single mom he was GOING to marry, but her kids and The Chipmunks couldn't get along, etc. I think there might be some hidden messages thrown in there, like perhaps that Dave's type is the Janice type, lol.

Good question! And someone on IMDB added that Theodore is the same age, but Lalu never carries him around.

Here's what I know about their ages...

They are all eight, but there's obvious minutes difference between them; there's five minutes between them, with the exception between Brittany and Jeanette, apparently, there's ten minutes between them, which makes Brittany the oldest of all of them. So, the apparent age order is this: Brittany, Alvin, Simon, Jeanette, Theodore, Eleanor.

 

[Yorick]

Well, I've noticed that on the cartoon, Dave seems to almost always go for blondes... like Miss Stone, Alvin's teacher, or Marcia, the single mom he was GOING to marry, but her kids and The Chipmunks couldn't get along, etc. I think there might be some hidden messages thrown in there, like perhaps that Dave's type is the Janice type, lol.

Ha! Interesting! I didn't notice that, becase even though I love the cartoons, and would love to own them all on DVD (but I know music rights are not helping such a release) I didn't recall those women in Dave's - just Miss Miller.

Here's what I know about their ages...

They are all eight, but there's obvious minutes difference between them; there's five minutes between them, with the exception between Brittany and Jeanette, apparently, there's ten minutes between them, which makes Brittany the oldest of all of them. So, the apparent age order is this: Brittany, Alvin, Simon, Jeanette, Theodore, Eleanor.

Also interesting! Good detective work! I never knew the Chipmunks and the Chipettes were all born in the same half hour!

 

[Drtooth]

I thought Jason Lee did an okay job as Dave in the first movie he did in 2007, but he couldn't yell "AAAALLLLVIIIIIN!" as good as Ross Sr and Jr, so that was too bad. And of course the 2007 film had many other problems, but I never saw the one after that.

Jason Lee's a talented guy who ALWAYS winds up in questionable projects. He was in a movie with Tom Green... I don't think I even need to ellaborate on that. However, My Name is Earl was his best role, if not Syndrome from The Incredibles. I'm still mundo ticked that Earl got canceled all too soon due to NBC's politicking with the totally unfunny Parks and Rec The Office clone. He wasn't bad in Chipmunks (certainly better than Brecken Mayer in Garfield and whoever the stupid that was in Yogi Bear), but a bit miscast, and it seemed like a paycheck. A paycheck that wasn't worth it, because he was in the hospital for most of the second one.

Now, I really thought the first one was a pleasant surprise... the second one could have been better... it had some nice concepts, like them going to school and the Chipettes being fans of the group that were puppets in the hands of someone who wanted revenge... and I did like Uncle Ian in both films. But Dave's loser nephew just... ugh... no! Cliches that need not have been there.

 

[D'Snowth]

My feeling is that Jason Lee's Dave seemed to channel the original Ross Sr. Dave, like from The Alvin Show in a few ways: to me 50s/60s Dave seemed to fly off the handle very easily if the boys (especially Alvin) wouldn't behave and such... 80s/90s Dave seemed a bit more mellow, but still could have buttons pushed if push came to shove. Getting back to the "Dave's Getting Married" episode, there was a scene where he, Marcia, and their kids were going camping as a means to learn how to be compatible with one another: the whole drive to the mountains, all the kids are whining and complaining about each other, so Dave stops the car, gets all of them out, and basically drills them about having a good time, wishing the fun would never end, and there would be no moaning, sulking, whining, etc. Look at all the comments on YouTube, and everybody's like "OMG! Dave showz sum backbone for once!" I have no issue imagining 50s/60s Dave doing that, but that did seem odd for 80s/90s Dave.

Here's something else I've noticed too, that I'm wondering is a little conscience: Brittany always gets a lot of attention in everything, but it seems like in the movies, Eleanor gets a bit more of a juicy role, while Jeanette sort of "takes up space" more-or-less... I wonder if that's because during the cartoon, it was the other way around. Most of the antics involved Alvin and Brittany's rivalry with each other, but Jeanette had some episodes that involved her, or she was featured heavily in, meanwhile, Eleanor really only had one episode for herself, and was basically outshined on the cartoon.

 

[Yorick]

didn't recall those women in Dave's - just Miss Miller.

That should have said "Dave's life -"

 

[D'Snowth]

I can't help but envision that there would be YET ANOTHER Bagdasarian Productions lawsuit filed, this time over the new movie Hop, mainly because of how eerily similar it is on so many different levels to the recent movies (right down "From the director of Alvin and The Chipmunks" in the trailer)... but then again, that would be about as successful as them suing the creators of The Raccoons over Bert's similar attire to Alvin, or suing the creators of TMNT for the fact that Irma doesn't look like Jeanette by accident, or the similarity in characters from Fly Me to the Moon.