Years after a rift formed between them, leading to the cancellation of the original Rescue Rangers TV show, Chip (Mulaney) and Dale (Samberg) are forced to re-team when their old pal Monterey Jack (Eric Bana) is kidnapped by the evil Sweet Pete (Will Arnett) and threatened to be bootlegged – cosmetically altering toons to star in off-brand unofficial remakes of classic movies. Plunged into a conspiracy much bigger than they had ever imagined, the duo team-up with super-fan Ellie (KiKi Layne) to investigate a string of disappearances across Hollywood and the web of lies at its centre. The only hope of saving the day is if the former friends can put their differences aside and recapture that 80’s magic one more time.
Starring: Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, KiKi Layne, Will Arnett, Eric Bana, Seth Rogen & J.K. Simmons
Watch it now on Disney+
If you’d have said that one of the best films of the year would be a hybrid animation-live-action reboot of Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers” well… I would have absolutely believed you because I am one of the few that fondly remembers the classic 80’s cartoon comedy. But for everyone else such statements would be pure fantasy. Well I’m happy to report that not only does Disney+’s latest original movie satisfy fans of the show, but it should satisfy new audiences – young and old alike – with its frenetic energy, rapid-fire jokes and celebration of animation history. A cookie-cutter standard plot is the only real complaint to be made, although is it easily disguised by the heart and obvious comedic talent John Mulaney and Andy Samberg bring to the rodent heroes.
You’d be right to be skeptical of yet another 80’s franchise reboot, and the writers (Dan Gregor and Doug Mand) surely know it, peppering the script with meta commentary on the state of these reboots and the over-reliance on nostalgia to trigger a response from the audience. Still, that’s exactly what Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers does, going all out and filling almost every frame with a litany of well-known characters across a range of animation styles (we’re talking CG, claymation, even a muppet), with so many “how the hell did they get the rights to them” cameos than you could possible spot in one viewing.
The contradictorily named Sweet Pete? A washed up Peter Pan of the classic Disney film fame, complete with stubble, a beer gut and a hatred towards Hollywood. Hell even a character unleashed on the internet that (thankfully) never graced screens is a minor player here, leading to some of the film’s most hilariously meta moments. It isn’t so much the next evolution of animation as much as it is a rousing celebration of the genre and its history as a whole, stretching as far back and as wide reaching to ensure that kids and adults alike can spot someone they know and be in on the joke. Where else are you going to see Roger Rabbit dancing feet away from Paula Abdul and MC Skat Kat?
That isn’t to say the the film relies on cameos to get by; the inside-baseball Hollywood humour is balanced out by the broad appeal of its leading rescue rangers and the simple but effective whodunnit. The structure of the story is as paint-by-numbers as you can get but the constant banter of Chip and Dale keeps things light and moving, with a surprising amount of care and time devoted to establishing the close-knit bond these furry friends share. It leads to some sweet moments in-between the all the ribbing and micro-aggressions Mulaney is so adept at delivering – it’s amazing how well his deadpan exhaustion translates to chipmunk form.
Of all the franchises given the reboot treatment of late, it’s perhaps surprising that one of the best amongst them belongs to a franchise so niche. Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers was never a monster hit for Disney, but through a clever blend of nostalgia, an appreciation for animation history and the onslaught of comedic hijinks you’d come to expect from The Lonely Island team, it launches itself not only to the forefront of this year’s comedies, but also as one of the best, most wholly enjoyable films of the year.