Those who grew up in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s remember Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers as the animated series that turned Disney’s chipmunks into detectives who head out on adventures while dressed like Indiana Jones and Magnum P.I. Now, Disney+ and The Lonely Island teamed up to make Chip and Dale’s story even more bizarre with a meta movie that looks at what happened to the chipmunks three decades after the series.
In the first official trailer, it’s explained that Chip and Dale were living the dream, but a lot has changed since the ‘90s. Dale (voiced by Andy Samberg) got “CGI surgery” and is apparently estranged from his brother, Chip (voiced by John Mulaney). But they’re forced to reunite to solve another mystery, involving hypnotic cheese.
Here is Disney+’s official synopsis: “Chip and Dale are living amongst cartoons and humans in modern-day Los Angeles, but their lives are quite different now. It has been decades since their successful television series was canceled, and Chip has succumbed to a life of suburban domesticity as an insurance salesman. Dale, meanwhile, has had CGI surgery and works the nostalgia convention circuit, desperate to relive his glory days. When a former cast mate mysteriously disappears, Chip and Dale must repair their broken friendship and take on their Rescue Rangers detective personas once again to save their friend’s life.”
Chip ‘N Dale mixes live-action with animation and CGI, making it look like a 21st century version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. And there are plenty of other animated characters who make cameos, including Roger Rabbit himself, the ponies from My Little Pony, and Scrooge McDuck.
The movie’s cast is stacked, too. Besides Mulaney and Samberg, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Keegan Michael-Key, Tim Robinson, Chris Parnell, J.K. Simmons, and Kiki Layne are on the star-studded list of names.
Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers premieres on Disney+ on May 20.