In the past decade or so, Disney has had a great deal of success with live-action remakes of some of the studio’s most iconic properties. During that same time, we’ve begun to see more and more live-action/CGI hybrid movies from other studios, with the most recent examples being Tom & Jerry and Clifford the Big Red Dog. Well, Disney is keeping those trends going for the forthcoming Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie, a star-studded and meta comedy that looks to be taking inspiration from the original series of the same name and some of the show’s contemporaries.
If this is the first you are hearing about the new Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie, worry not, because we’re about to break down when you can watch the Disney+ movie, who’s in it, and what you can expect from its story. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s get up to speed with those adorable and wise-cracking chipmunks.
Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers Premieres May 20 On Disney+
Starting Friday, May 20, anyone with a Disney+ subscription will be able to watch Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers on the popular streaming service. Even though it would have been nice to see Chip and Dale return to the big screen after not having a theatrical release for nearly 40 years, seeing the pint-sized adventurers from the comfort of your own home isn’t all that bad.
John Mulaney and Andy Samberg Lead Chip ‘N Dale’s All-Star Cast
The Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie has one hell of a cast with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, but before we get into all the supporting players, we have to talk about the two leads, who just so happen to be responsible for some of the best Saturday Night Live moments of the 21st Century (and perhaps of all time).
Providing the voice of Chip is former SNL writer and one of the best hosts each year, John Mulaney, who previously voiced Peter Porker, a.k.a. Spider-Ham, in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Taking on the role of Dale in the upcoming Disney+ movie is Andy Samberg, who has appeared in animated movies like the Hotel Transylvania franchise, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and several others on top of his run on shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Disney has also announced that KiKi Layne (The Old Guard), Will Arnett (Arrested Development), Eric Bana (Munich), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Seth Rogen (Pam & Tommy), Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele), David Tennant (Doctor Who), and numerous others will appear in the Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie in some capacity.
Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers Follows The Titular Pair As They Team Up For The First Time In 30 Years
When Disney unveiled the cast and trailer (more on that next) in February 2022, the studio also provided key details about Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers and what audiences can expect from its story later in the year. Set 30 years after their show was cancelled and they went their separate ways, the upcoming Disney+ movie follows Chip and Dale (who has since undergone CGI surgery) as they get back together to rescue a former castmate who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
But, before former best friends can save their old colleague, they must first repair their own relationship, which has been broken and neglected over the course of the past few decades.
The Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers Trailer Is Full Of Meta-Humor, Classic Characters, And Wacky Situations
Disney could have very well taken a safer route with Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers and treated it like the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies or Tom & Jerry, but thankfully, the studio took a different direction and instead created something that is wackier, full of meta-humor, and features all kinds of cameos and callbacks to the property and studio’s past. And, all of this is on full display in the first trailer that came out in February 2022.
This two-minute trailer touches on everything from stars falling from the heights of fame and settling in on the convention meet-and-greet circuit, to the ways in which intellectual properties have become commodities, and how CGI technology has vastly improved over the years (as seen with Seth Rogen’s hilarious and poorly-animated character), and so much more. There are even cameos by Roger Rabbit, MC Skat Cat, the Three Little Pigs, and Scrooge McDuck (swimming in a sea of gold coins).
Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers Is Directed By The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer
If the Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers trailer felt a lot like something you would see in Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping, there’s a good reason for that: both were directed by Andy Samberg’s longtime creative partner, Akiva Schaffer, who won a Primetime Emmy Award for perhaps the most iconic Saturday Night Live song, “Dick in a Box.” This means we can expect a lot of that humor that has made The Lonely Island one of the most notable comedy music groups of the 21st Century.
The Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers script was written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who wrote Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and was based on a story by Barry Schwartz.
The Chip ‘N Dale Live Action Movie Was In The Works As Of 2014
The Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie is just now being prepared for release, but work on the project, or a version of the live-action/CGI hybrid adaptation, has been been in the works for nearly a decade at this point. Back in January 2014, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Robert Rugen was in the process of adapting the animated franchise, though no concrete details were made available at the time.
That version of the Chip ’n Dale adaptation never came to fruition, and in 2019, THR reported that the film that will soon land on Disney+ had been given the go-ahead with Akiva Schaffer sitting in the director’s chair. How much, if any, of the original version made it into the upcoming streaming exclusive remains to be seen.
Expect to hear more about Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers as we get closer to its May 20 release date. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend's 2022 movie releases schedule so you don't miss a thing in theaters and on all the major streaming platforms.
