Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

Movie review by Jennifer Green, Common Sense Media
Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers Movie Poster

Common Sense says

age 6+

Peril, cartoon violence in live-action/CGI buddy reboot.

NR 2022 97 minutes
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Parents say

age 9+

Based on 14 reviews

Kids say

age 8+

Based on 29 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a reboot of the popular late 1980s/'90s animated series. The movie -- which stars the voices of John Mulaney and Andy Samberg as the title chipmunks -- is a mix of live-action and animation, with many references to Disney characters and properties and a lot of cartoon violence. Main characters appear dead and are mourned, but (spoiler alert) nobody actually dies. Expect kidnappings, chases, falls, threats, a machine that shoots lasers and changes body parts, fistfights, near car accidents, and explosions. Characters are also tied up, slammed, sliced, swept away, shot, electrocuted, stabbed, strangled, frozen, and chased by giant and threatening beings. Some jokes might go over younger kids' heads. Characters learn and display positive traits related to friendship and doing the right thing. Language includes "hell," "fart," "butthead," "dummies," and "screwed up."

Community Reviews

AshT
AshT Adult
May 20, 2022
age 13+

Funny for parents not appropriate for kids

Great for parents that grew up in the 90's. I wouldn't recommend it for kids under the age of 13 because it's dark. Although dealing with cartoons it somehow is also dealing with drugs kidnapping/human trafficking the ugly side of child actors among other things. There is also a background joke with he-man and skelator that probably goes over kids heads but is inappropriate. Again for adults, I really liked it and thought it was creative, entertaining and funny, definitely shouldn't be marketed to children.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
3 people found this helpful.
ntcplanters
ntcplanters Adult
May 22, 2022
age 9+

Actually a Family Movie! Very Clean!

I don't understand all the negative reviews. This movie had a lot of Easter eggs (like, a lot), mostly referring to either the cartoon or other Disney shows. It also had plenty of shameless promoting that was actually funny. The story was well done, and content was actually suited for families. If there were inside jokes, I missed them. If there was dark humor, I missed that too. As a parent, I look for those things, and just did not see it. My whole family enjoyed the movie, and we are an eclectic bunch. No one had ever seen Rescue Rangers before, but they enjoyed the humor, which was plentiful. I can only say that this is one of the truly family movies available today. There is no swearing, bloody violence, or innuendo (which is hard to find nowadays). Certainly much better than Multiverse of Madness for content and appropriateness!
1 person found this helpful.
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Chip (voiced by John Mulaney) and Dale (Andy Samberg) are childhood friends who grow up to become television stars on their own adventure series called CHIP 'N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS. When Dale sets out on his own with a spinoff show, the gang from the original series breaks up, and Chip and Dale go their separate ways. One day, both chipmunks receive a call from former castmate Monty (Eric Bana), who is hiding out from debt collectors that he's worried are after him. Sure enough, Monty soon disappears, and Chip and Dale are thrown back into their Rescue Ranger lives of sleuthing. They join forces with police detective Ellie (Kiki Layne) and Captain Putty (J.K. Simmons) to uncover a plot involving kidnapping characters, changing their appearance, and shipping them off to film bootleg movies.

Is It Any Good?

This film exploits a clever concept of combining animation and cartoon styles across a range of characters and eras in a detective tale starring humans and CG characters. The inclusion of dozens of past and present Disney characters, properties, and storylines on display in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers can feel like an advertisement, one giant billboard or trailer. But there's visually a lot on offer here as well as some fun meta-commentary about what we're seeing, like characters and places representative of styles from specific moments in history. This film is for fans of the characters, of Disney, and of the evolving technologies fueling the animation industry, who can all feel like they're in on a big inside joke.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how a film is made with a combination of humans and animated characters, as in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. How could you learn more about this filmmaking process?

  • What other characters and Disney brands did you recognize? Were there references you only understood because you'd seen another movie or show previously?

  • What lessons do Chip and Dale learn about friendship?

  • The film spans a range of animation and cartoon styles. How would you describe some of the differences between characters' appearances?

Movie Details

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