Iconic chipmunk duo Chip ‘n Dale have been out of the limelight for a good while at this point, but in less than a month the pair will be storming back to the small screen in the Disney+ film of the same name, albeit with a very meta twist. Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers will see the former detectives living and … not quite thriving, in what initially appears to be “the real world,” but actually seems to be an extension of the very same setting from the classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, in which humans and “toons” live side by side. The official synopsis is as follows:
In “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers,” 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 (John Mulaney) has succumbed to a life of suburban domesticity as an insurance salesman. Dale (Andy Sandberg), meanwhile, has had CGI surgery and works the nostalgia convention circuit, desperate to relive his glory days. When a former castmate 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.
Rescue Rangers features a sprawling vocal cast that includes the likes of Kiki Layne, Will Arnett, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Tim Robinson, Eric Bana, Chris Parnell, J.K. Simmons and many others. Watching the trailer below, one at least feels able to hope that Chip ‘n Dale’s seeming preference for satire will make this film more than simply a rote listing of pop-culture references, akin to the likes of Ready Player One. In particular, the repeated skewering of the early CGI animation era seems to be a gold mine for humor.
Check out the trailer below, and keep an eye out for Chip ‘n Dale as it arrives on Disney+ on May 20, 2022.