Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The animated series "Alvin and the Chipmunks" is one of those animated series that has been part of the childhood of several generations. First beginning as a music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. back in 1958, the trio which featured Alvin, Simon and Theodore were on top of the charts with their song "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" and eventually giving more exposure to the trio with the animated show "The Alvin Show" which started in 1961 and lasted through 1962.
But the chipmunk trio would return in a new animated series that would last through 1990 and feature a female chipmunk trio known as the Chipettes which featured Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor. During the eight and final year of the Chipmunks animated series, the series concluded with "The Chipmunks Go to the Movies" in 1990. The theme of the episodes were the Chipmunks and Chipettes doing a parody of popular films and television shows.
This DVD is the latest DVD release in the "Alvin and the Chipmunk goes to the Movies" series and the DVD features a total of three episodes which are:
* Cinderella? Cinderella? - (Episode 41) Brittany doesn't do her chores and Miss Miller tells her that if she wants to go to the dance, she needs to clean her mess. Brittany who is saddened, goes to sleep and dreams that she is Cinderella.
* Alvie's Angels - (Episode 61) Featuring a parody of "Charlie's Angeles", the Chipettes are Alvie's Angels who are on a mission to find the jewel thief Chazz Fleming.
* The Brunch Club - (Episode 55) Featuring a parody of the movie "The Breakfast Club". Alvin and the Chipmunks and Brittany and the Chipettes are stuck in detention. But someone knocked down the statue of Thomas Edison. Who did it?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
Animation for "Alvin and the Chipmunks Go to the Movies - Star Wreck" definitely shows its age. Since these episodes are 20+ years old, you're not going to get pristine picture quality . I will say that compared to the 1961 episodes seen on the DVD "The Very First Alvin Show", they must have remastered the 1961 episodes because they look clean and colors are nice and sharp.
Blacks are nice but compared to the late 80's and 1990's animation, although better with artistic backgrounds, these three episodes has its share of dust and comes out a bit blurry and soft. But if there was one thing that caught my attention is that the background artists did a good job painting the backgrounds (where many tend to not show as much shading of colors). The series is presented in full screen format.
As for the audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital and in English Stereo. Audio is clear and understandable during the dialogue segments but for music, sometimes the words are hard to pick up. But for the most part, audio is clear and for those with a home theater-based receiver, the best option I found was to watch the series with stereo on all channels.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are no special features included. But there is a preview for upcoming "Alvin and the Chipmunk" DVD releases.
JUDGMENT CALL:
I grew up with "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and can easily remember watching the television series during my younger years. So, it's definitely a blast in the past to see these episodes on DVD. For the most part, the episodes are lighthearted as they feature both Alvin and the Chipmunks and also the Chipettes as various characters from popular Hollywood films.
With the upcoming release of "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" on Blu-ray and DVD, for the parents with children who want more Chipmunks or Chipettes can definitely show children these films.
The episodes are not violent and are family friendly. For the most part, as an adult, I think that this series can definitely be enjoyed by children and adults but possibly may not be enjoyed in the same manner as with children of today who are not familiar with the '70s TV show "Charlie's Angels" or the '80s film "The Breakfast Club" but then again, it's not really essential for them to know the film or TV episodes these episodes are parodying.
As for the DVD, I wish that they would include at least five episodes instead of three. As for the picture quality, the animation does show its age as some episodes are very soft and has its share of dirt and scratches (which is common with older animation on DVD).
But for the most part, fans who grew up with "Alvin and the Chipmunks" can be happy with this release, especially those who are familiar with the movies..
If you are a fan of this classic animated series, definitely check out "Alvin and the Chipettes in Cinderella, Cinderella".
Click Here to see more reviews about: Alvin and the Chipmunks: Alvin and the Chipettes in Cinderella Cinderella (2010)
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