Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | |
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Directed by | Walt Becker |
Written by | |
Based on | |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Lyons Collister |
Edited by | Ryan Folsey |
Music by | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $90 million [2] |
Box office | $234.8 million [3] |
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip is a 2015 American live-action/animated jukebox musical comedy film directed by Walt Becker and written by Randi Mayem Singer and Adam Sztykiel. It is based on the characters Alvin and the Chipmunks created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. and the Chipettes created by Janice Karman. [4] [5] It is the fourth and final installment in the live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks film series and the sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011). The ensemble cast includes Jason Lee, Tony Hale, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Josh Green. Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney all reprise their roles as the Chipmunks, while Kaley Cuoco, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate voices the Chipettes. Cuoco replaced Amy Poehler as the voice of Eleanor in the film. The plot centers on the Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon, and Theodore) as they head to Miami after believing that Dave Seville will propose to his girlfriend Samantha, who has a son who bullies the Chipmunks.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip was released in the United States on December 18, 2015, by 20th Century Fox. [6] Like its predecessors, the film received generally negative reviews from critics, and grossed $234.8 million worldwide against a $90 million budget, making it the lowest-grossing entry in the series.
Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, along with the Chipettes – Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor – have moved to a new house and set up a surprise birthday bash for Dave Seville that also serves as a good luck party for the Chipettes, who are scheduled to be guest judges on American Idol . Alvin invites and hires many people and celebrities, much to Simon's dismay. Though dissatisfied, Dave agrees to take them mini-golfing, where the Chipmunks meet Samantha, who Dave has been dating for the past months. While the Chipmunks like Samantha, her son Miles physically torments the trio. Later, the Chipmunks find an engagement ring in a bag Dave brought home and believe that he is going to propose to Samantha. Realizing in horror that Dave and Samantha getting married would make Miles their stepbrother, they unsuccessfully try to steal the ring.
Dave has to produce a record for rising pop artist Ashley Grey in Miami, and decides to bring Samantha along with him. The Chipmunks and Miles are staying together, but they agree to head to Miami to sabotage the supposed marriage proposal. The Chipmunks drug three squirrels and dress them up in their clothes from stuffed toys to fool their next door neighbor Ms. Price, who was asked to peek in on them. They travel on a plane, but Theodore lets out a monkey, which then lets out several animals, leading to an emergency landing in Austin, Texas, and frustrates unscrupulous Air Marshal James Suggs, who hates the Chipmunks because of having been dumped by his girlfriend on Christmas for being their biggest fan at the time, effectively eliminating his shot of becoming an FBI agent. Suggs puts the Chipmunks on the No-Fly List as revenge.
The Chipmunks perform at a bar, but are caught by Suggs. Alvin starts a bar fight so they can escape. They jump into a cab, but the driver ejects them for not having money. Resting against an old tree, Miles reveals that his father left him when he was young, causing the four to bond and see each other differently. They raise money busking to take a bus to New Orleans and perform at a Mardi Gras parade, which draws Dave's attention as it is broadcast on live television. The parade allows the Chipmunks to cause Suggs, who has followed them, to get drunk on moonshine. Dave and Samantha find Miles and the Chipmunks at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and punish them for sneaking out and not responding to numerous missed calls and texts from Dave. With the Chipmunks now on the No-Fly List, Dave has to drive them.
When they arrive in Miami, Alvin reveals that he stole the ring from the container, thus sabotaging the proposal. However, since Miles has grown to care about the Chipmunks during their trip, he is upset that they are celebrating over this. Crossing the street with his headphones on, he is nearly hit by a car, but the Chipmunks swing Theodore, pushing Miles out of the way, saving his life, making Theodore get hit instead, but he wakes up a moment later. They agree to give the ring back.
During the dinner, Suggs catches up with the Chipmunks, but they trap him in an elevator. Miles and the Chipmunks return the ring to Dave, saying that they accept Samantha and Miles into the family, but Dave reveals the ring belonged to his friend Barry, who was proposing to his girlfriend, Alice. As one final apology, they try making it up to Dave by singing a new song to him at the launch party with the help of the Chipettes, Ashley and Miles. They also return the ring to Barry, who reattempts his proposal to Alice, and this time, Alice accepts. Having forgiven them, Dave officially adopts the Chipmunks as his sons, but finds about the squirrels which have destroyed the house, much to his anger. Meanwhile, Suggs is freed from the elevator and decides to relax by the pool, only for security guards to carry him out as he's not a hotel guest.
Additionally, Maxie McClintock appears as Alice, Mark Jeffrey Miller appears as Cab Driver, Redfoo (cameo) appears as himself, [13] John Waters (cameo) appears as John, [14] [15] Jennifer Coolidge (cameo) appears as Ms. Price, [15] Laura Marano (cameo) appears as Hotel Babysitter, [16] and Zeeko Zaki appears as Paparazzo.
In June 2013, 20th Century Fox announced that a fourth installment, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, would be released on December 11, 2015. [17] In August 2014, Randi Mayem Singer signed on to write the fourth installment. [18] On December 18, 2014, it was announced that Walt Becker signed on to direct and that the film would be released on December 23, 2015. Unlike the previous films, where the Chipmunks and the Chipettes were animated by Rhythm & Hues Studios, in this film, they were animated by Wētā FX, due to Rhythm & Hues shutting down in 2013. The movie was officially released on December 18, 2015. It was also announced that the film would be titled Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip. [19] In February 2015, Tony Hale joined the cast. [8] On March 10, 2015, Kimberly Williams-Paisley joined the cast. [7] On March 23, 2015, it was confirmed that Bella Thorne had joined the cast. [12] Principal photography began on March 16, 2015, and ended on May 20, 2015. [20] [21]
Mark Mothersbaugh, who previously scored Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked , returned to score The Road Chip. [22]
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 15, 2016. [6]
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | December 11, 2015 | |||
Genre | Pop, rock, hip hop, dance | |||
Length | 29:55 | |||
Label | Republic | |||
Producer | Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Janice Karman, Alana Da Fonseca | |||
The Chipmunks and The Chipettes ft. RedFoo, Sheppard & The Score chronology | ||||
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Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the licensed soundtrack based on the film. It was released on December 11, 2015, by Republic Records. [23]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performing artist(s) | Length |
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1. | "Juicy Wiggle (Munk Remix)" | Madeleine St. John | Redfoo (featuring The Chipmunks) | 3:50 |
2. | "Conga" | Enrique E. Garcia | The Chipmunks | 3:16 |
3. | "Oh My Love" | Eddie Anthony, Edan Dover | The Score | 3:37 |
4. | "South Side" | Thomas Rhett, Jesse Frasure, Chris Stapleton | The Chipmunks | 2:27 |
5. | "Iko Iko" | James Crawford, Barbara Hawkins, Rosa Hawkins, Joan Johnson | The Chipmunks | 2:00 |
6. | "Uptown Funk" | Jeff Bhasker, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Nicholas Williams, Devon Gallaspy, Lonnie Simmons, The Gap Band, Rudolph Taylor | The Chipmunks | 4:30 |
7. | "Geronimo" | Jay Bovino, Amy Sheppard, George Sheppard | Sheppard | 3:37 |
8. | "Turn Down for What" | DJ Snake, Lil Jon | The Chipmunks | 3:34 |
9. | "Home" | Alana Da Fonseca, Jordan Yaeger, Jason Gleed, Bryan Spytzer | The Chipmunks and the Chipettes | 3:04 |
Total length: | 31:39 |
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip has grossed $85,886,987 in North America and $148,911,649 in other territories for a worldwide total of $234,798,636 against a budget of $90 million. [3]
In the United States and Canada, The Road Chip was released on December 18, 2015, across 3,653 theaters. [24] The film grossed $4,126,717 on its first day and $14,287,159 in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($247,966,675). [3]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 15% based on 67 reviews and an average rating of 3.42/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "In some respects, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip is a marginal improvement over prior installments, although this in no way qualifies as a recommendation." [6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 33 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [26]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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British Academy Children's Awards | November 20, 2016 | BAFTA Kids' Vote | Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | Nominated | [27] [28] |
Golden Raspberry Awards | February 27, 2016 | Worst Supporting Actor | Jason Lee | Nominated | [29] |
Worst Supporting Actress | Kaley Cuoco | Won | |||
Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel | Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | Nominated | |||
Kids' Choice Awards | March 12, 2016 | Favorite Animated Movie | Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | Nominated | [30] |
Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie | Justin Long | Nominated | |||
Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for Novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks named Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. The characters have since featured in several television series and films, as well as other media.
The Chipettes are a fictional girl group from the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise consisting of three female anthropomorphic chipmunk singers: Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, alongside their adoptive human mother, Beatrice Miller. They first appeared in the animated television series Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1983. In this and related materials, the Chipettes served as female featured characters in their own right, starring in numerous episodes. The title of the show was changed from Alvin and the Chipmunks to simply The Chipmunks in 1988 to reflect this. In the animated television series and the 1987 animated film The Chipmunk Adventure, all of the Chipettes were voiced by their creator, Janice Karman, the wife of Ross Bagdasarian Jr.. Karman also wrote and voiced the Chipettes' dialogue on their studio albums, while studio singers Susan Boyd, Shelby Daniel and Katherine Coon provided their singing voices. In the animated television series Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks, Eleanor is voiced by Vanessa Bagdasarian, the daughter of Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Janice Karman.
David "Dave" Seville is a fictional character, the adoptive father and producer and manager of the fictional singing group Alvin and the Chipmunks. The character was created by Ross Bagdasarian, who had used the name "David Seville" as his stage name prior to the creation of the Chipmunks, while writing and recording novelty records in the 1950s. One of the records, recorded in 1958 under the David Seville stage name, was "Witch Doctor", featuring a sped-up high-pitched vocal technique. Bagdasarian would later use that technique in "The Chipmunk Song ", which would introduce both Alvin and the Chipmunks as a singing group and Bagdasarian's music producer "Dave". Bagdasarian would go on to create The Alvin Show, based on the Alvin and the Chipmunks group, where he voiced the semi-fictional character David Seville, based largely on himself, with Alvin based on Ross's sometimes rebellious son Adam.
The Alvin Show is an American animated television series that aired on CBS in the early 1960s. This was the first series to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Alvin Show aired for one season, from October 4, 1961, to September 12, 1962 and was originally sponsored by General Foods through its Jell-O gelatin and Post Cereal brands. Although the series was created in color, it was initially telecast in black and white. It was later rebroadcast in color from 1962-65 for Saturday mornings on CBS and again Saturday mornings on NBC in 1979.
Ross Dickran Bagdasarian is an American actor, singer, animator, record producer, film producer, songwriter and screenwriter, known for his work on the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise. He is the son of the franchise's creator, Ross Bagdasarian.
Janice Karman Bagdasarian is an American filmmaker, designer, actress, singer, producer, director and screenwriter. She is the co-owner of Bagdasarian Productions with her husband Ross Bagdasarian Jr.
The Chipmunk Adventure is a 1987 American animated musical-adventure comedy film based on the Saturday-morning cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Alvin and the Chipmunks virtual band and media franchise created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr.. The film was directed by Janice Karman and written by Karman and Ross Bagdasarian Jr.. The plot follows the Chipmunks and the Chipettes as they go on a hot air balloon race around the world while their guardian David is out on a trip, not knowing that it is a cover for a diamond smuggling ring. The chipmunks travel through a series of adventures in different countries while being hunted down by the diamond smugglers, Claudia and Klaus Furschtein.
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated television series featuring the Chipmunks, which was produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises from 1983 to 1987, Murakami-Wolf-Swenson in 1988 and DIC Enterprises from 1988 to 1990.
A Chipmunk Christmas is a 1981 animated Christmas television special based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. Produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Chuck Jones Enterprises, it first aired on NBC December 14, 1981, nine years after the death of Alvin and the Chipmunks creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr.. This was the first time that Alvin, Simon and David Seville were voiced by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and the first time that Theodore was voiced by Janice Karman.
Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein is a 1999 American animated dark comedy horror film produced by Bagdasarian Productions, LLC. and Universal Cartoon Studios and distributed by Universal Studios Home Video. It is directed by Kathi Castillo, written by John Loy and based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks and Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. This is the first of two Alvin and the Chipmunks direct-to-video films, and the first of three Universal Cartoon Studios productions to be animated overseas by Tama Production in Tokyo, Japan. This is the only animated Alvin and the Chipmunks film where the Chipettes do not appear.
Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman is a 2000 American animated comedy horror musical film produced by Bagdasarian Productions and Universal Cartoon Studios and based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. It is the second Alvin and the Chipmunks direct-to-video film following Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein, and the third of three Universal Cartoon Studios productions to be animated overseas by Tama Productions in Tokyo, Japan. The film introduces the voices of Maurice LaMarche and Miriam Flynn.
Chipmunk Rock is a children's album by Alvin and the Chipmunks featuring covers of various rock hits, mostly from the late 1970s and early 1980s, plus one original tune.
Alvin and the Chipmunks is a 2007 American jukebox musical comedy film directed by Tim Hill from a screenplay by Jon Vitti and the writing team of Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi. It is the first installment in the live-action film series of Alvin and the Chipmunks. The plot follows chipmunks Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, who move in with struggling songwriter Dave Seville after losing their home. When Dave discovers their rare singing talent, he introduces them to JETT Records executive Ian Hawke, whose plans threaten the chipmunks' newfound family dynamic. The cast includes Jason Lee, David Cross, and Cameron Richardson, with voices by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney.
Rockin' Through the Decades is a live-action/animated TV special based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was directed by Steve Karman, produced by Bagdasarian Productions, and premiered on NBC on December 9, 1990.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a 2009 American live-action/animated jukebox musical comedy film directed by Betty Thomas and written by Jon Vitti and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. It is based on Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Chipettes. It is the second installment in the live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks film series and the sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007). The film stars Zachary Levi, David Cross and Jason Lee, with voices by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney. Christina Applegate, Anna Faris and Amy Poehler voice the new characters. The film sees the Chipmunks entering high school under the care of Dave Seville's cousin, Toby. Meanwhile, Ian Hawke recruits the Chipettes to restore his career.
A Chipmunk Reunion is a 1985 animated special produced by Bagdasarian Productions, in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises, and is spun off of NBC's popular animated series, Alvin & the Chipmunks, starring the Chipmunks and the Chipettes.
The fictional animated singing group Alvin and the Chipmunks created by Ross Bagdasarian have appeared in eight feature-length films since their debut.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked is a 2011 American live-action/animated jukebox musical adventure comedy film directed by Mike Mitchell and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, based on the characters Alvin and the Chipmunks created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. and the Chipettes created by Janice Karman. It is the third installment in the live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks film series following the first from 2007, and the second from 2009. The film stars Jason Lee, David Cross and Jenny Slate. Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate return to voice the Chipmunks and the Chipettes, respectively. In the film, playing around while aboard a cruise ship, the Chipmunks and the Chipettes go overboard and end up marooned in a tropical island, where they discover their new turf is not as deserted as it seems.
Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks is a French-American animated musical comedy television series created by Janice Karman. Produced by Bagdasarian Productions and Technicolor Animation Productions with the participation of M6, it features Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Chipettes and marks their first television appearance together since 1990. First announced by Bagdasarian Productions in 2010, a promotional trailer for the series was posted on YouTube.
Alvin and the Chipmunks (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2007 jukebox musical comedy film Alvin and the Chipmunks based on the characters of the same name created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. Released on November 20, 2007, through Rhino Records, Razor & Tie and Chipmunk Records, the album featured original songs as well as existing musical numbers from the Chipmunks' discography. Ali Dee Theodore served as an executive producer on the soundtrack. An album, consisting of an original score composed by Christopher Lennertz, released as Alvin and the Chipmunks (Original Motion Picture Score) as a limited edition album on September 19, 2008 through La-La Land Records.