Chip ‘N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers
Chip (voiced by John Mulaney) and Dale (voiced by Andy Samberg) in Disney's live-action CHIP N' DALE: RESCUE RANGERS, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Made by a team who clearly watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on a loop when they were kids, Chip ‘N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers is extremely funny but ultimately a rather shallow reboot of the beloved kids show. Think of it as Free Guy but with two chipmunks instead of Ryan Reynolds. The script, written by Dan Gregor (Earth to Ned) and Doug Mand (Pretty Smart), is filled with the sort of wry self-referential jokes that will have people in their 30s and 40s cackling. The movie is also quick to point out all the terrible things reboots typically do, like having characters rap, or bringing in cameos, or referencing other bits of nostalgia.
But pointing out that the emperor has no clothes is rather hollow when you’re the one who stripped him in the first place. Sure enough, Chip and Dale end up rapping, a bunch of Disney cartoons are trotted out for people to recognize, and there is even an ironic theme song. Chip ‘N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers is ultimately a film that lives and dies on whether the audience is excited about recognizing the 8,000 references they make. It’s an Easter egg hunt that lasts 90 minutes and occasionally remembers it has a plot.
Verdict: If you’re in the market for something to watch with your kids, that was clearly not written with them in mind, Chip ‘N’ Dale should be entertaining enough.
