Alvin and the Chipmunks — Blu-ray Review
Alvin and the Chipmunks courtesy 20th Century Fox
Ross Bagdasarin had just written a hit song for Rosemary Clooney when he decided to pack up the family and move to L.A. to launch his music career. A few lean years left him with $200 in the bank, which he used to buy a state-of-the-art recorder that would allow him to change recording speeds. He could speed up the sound of a piano for "Witch Doctor," the first hit by David Seville (aka Ross Bagdasarin), but it also gave him the idea to use the recorder to speed up the sound of a voice. A couple of months later the record company approached Bagdasarin and asked him for another "fun" novelty song. After thinking about which animal would best represent the fast, high-pitched vocals created by his new recorder, he pitched "The Chipmunks." Bagdasarin provided the voice of David Seville, as well as the three chipmunks, and they went on to record a Christmas album, launch a TV series, and, of course, sell tons of merchandise.
The first
Chipmunks show ran for a single season in '61/'62, but Ross Bagdasarin Jr and his wife Janice Karman brought the series back to television in '83 after they launched a new album in 1980, selling 1.5 million copies. The new series ran from '83 to '91 on Saturday mornings, and introduced a new generation to the singing sensations.
Last year Fox released
Alvin and the Chipmunks starring Jason Lee as Dave Seville. The theatrical movie combines computer-animated chipmunks with live action, and the result is a family movie that'll appeal to the kids and should provide some memories for the adults. Dave discovers the singing trio when, after a recent trip to the record label, they hitch a ride home in a muffin basket. They're just what the struggling songwriter needs: a new act that can sing his songs and put some food on his table. The movie is fun to watch, though it can get a bit silly in places.
Sadly, the Blu-ray release doesn't offer anything extra over the DVD release, besides an upgrade to the audio and video. The video is 1.85:1 1080p using the AVC codec, with a DTA HD 5.1 Master Lossless audio track in English, and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio in Spanish and French. There's a featurette on the history of the Chipmunks, and another on recording the music for the movie. No commentary tracks or other behind-the-scenes material can be found here. I was hoping for some footage of Justin Long recording the voice of Alvin, but there isn't anything like that, either.
I had a lot of fun watching the movie and reliving my childhood, I just wish Fox had added more bonus material to this release. Given the lack of Blu-ray exclusive extras, and the added cost for the disc, it's hard to recommend paying more money for an HD picture the kids probably won't notice.
As seen on TV: Jason Lee (
My Name Is Earl), David Cross (
Arrested Development and
Mr. Show) are the two most recognizable actors from television, though many will remember Justin Long from his time on
Ed. -
Gord Lacey
Buy Alvin and the Chipmunks on Amazon.com.
