History Film / AlvinandtheChipmunks

The first film, simply titled ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'', was released in 2007, and was a typical origin story. In it, three somewhat humanoid chipmunk brothers -- hot-headed Alvin (voiced by Creator/JustinLong), brainy Simon (Creator/MatthewGrayGubler) and portly Theodore (Music/JesseMcCartney) -- end up in LA after their tree of residence is cut down and driven there en route to becoming a Christmas tree. They stow away in the basket of struggling songwriter Dave Saville (''Series/MyNameIsEarl'''s Creator/JasonLee), and he promptly kicks them out of the house after finding them... only to let them back in after hearing the three singing outside. Dave strikes a deal with the youngsters: they sing his songs, and he lets them stay in his house.

Although it was met with less than enthusiastic reviews, the first film was a surprise hit, taking in an impressive $359 million on a budget of merely $60 million. Even though he wasn't thrilled with the movie, Creator/RogerEbert remarked -- à la his review of the first ''[[Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' movie -- that it was "about as good as a movie with these characters can probably be" and that it might've done "something satirical about rock stars and the hype machine." Either way, the movie helped reinvigorate interest in the characters. Obviously, the money made with this movie would make a sequel a sure thing, right?

Fast forward to the very end of 2009, where ''Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel'' opened on Christmas Day to robust grosses despite lots of popular competition such as Creator/JamesCameron's ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'' and ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''. After a concert accident results in Dave in traction and sent to the hospital, in the Chipmunks end up in the care of Dave's lazy cousin Toby (Creator/ZacharyLevi) and they are enrolled in school and must try to fit in with their human peers, a struggle made even tougher since they were former celebrities. Meanwhile, Ian, struggling to get back on his feet after losing his wealth and reputation in the end of the first movie, seems to have finally found replacements for his former employees in the form of the Chipette sisters: brash Brittany (Creator/ChristinaApplegate), brainy Jeanette (Creator/AnnaFaris), and portly Eleanor (Creator/AmyPoehler). Just like the three male chipmunks, the Chipettes are somewhat humanoid, and as such are capable of human speech and, by extension, singing. Can the Chipettes be just as successful, and will vengeance on the Chipmunks finally be Ian's?

As the ''Squeakquel'' did well for itself, the third film was released at the end of 2011 and entitled ''Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked''. Oh yes, really. The Chipmunks and Chipettes go on a cruise and get {{shipwrecked}}. Like the first two, it wasn't well-received by critics, but it was a modest box office success. A fourth movie (subtitled ''The Road Chip'') was released on December 18, 2015, the same date as ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', to adequate box office numbers and negative reviews, though it is receiving a splendid ([[BileFascination if mostly ironic]]) cult-following.

* AccentAdaptation: Exaggerated, as in the Czech dub of the sequels the Chipettes [[https://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/106145/do-chipettes-speak-with-a-specific-dialect-in-the-alvin-and-the-chipmunks-movies are speaking Slovakian]]. Apparently, TV Nova felt this move as sexist and therefore, for their airings of the second film, Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor were redubbed [[https://vimeo.com/40411859 to speak Czech as everyone else in the dub]].

* AesopAmnesia: Had Ian played his cards right and learned from the [[{{Jerkass}} mistakes he made]] in the first movie, not only would the Chipettes have remained on his side, but he would have most likely won out in the end.

* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Theodore might be a bit overweight, but using him to kick Miles out of the way of a car (in "Road Chip") collides with the law of impulse conservation.

* BasementDweller: Toby still lives with his grandma (Dave's aunt).

** In ''The Road Chip'', the Chipmunks dress squirrels who wreck their house. At the very end of the movie, the Sevilles go home to see the damage they did.
-->'''Alvin''': Totally forgot about this...
* BringMyBrownPants: This happened to Simon whilst he and Miles try to get past security in "Road Chip", and he nearly gets found out because of that (by peeing, as [[HalfDressedCartoonAnimal he's the one who is not wearing pants]]).

* CassandraTruth: In the 2011 movie, [[spoiler:Simon]] really does go looking for [[spoiler:Alvin]]. He just absentmindedly hopped on that lever, thus winning the jackpot. It's just a ContrivedCoincidence that the usher presented him with a platter full of winnings in front of Dave.

* DamselInDistress: Jeanette becomes this in the third film, as [[spoiler:Zoe forces her to recover the treasure she wa looking for]].

** Dave in the second film, due to a prop mishap during a charity concert crippling him, thus putting him out of commission for most of the movie, prompting him to send the chipmunks to live with a relative.
** The Chipettes get very little screen time in ''Road Chip'' because they're promoted to be ''American Idol Judges''. The boys are the main focus of the movie

** In the first film, Ian has a Simon doll [[spoiler:that speaks French, calling himself "Simone"]]. In the third film, [[spoiler:Simon's alter ego calls himself "Simone", speaking in a French accent provided by Alan Tudyk]].
** In the 2009 sequel, Simon falling into a bedpan, picking up Toby's half-eaten taco and complaining that he feels like living in a dump foreshadows [[spoiler:Ryan tossing him into a trashcan and them being tossed into the dump itself]].

** At certain points in the first film, the chipmunks randomly scratch behind their ears during a conversation. This became abandoned in later films.

** Second film when a cat hisses at the Chipmunks. Later when Theodore runs away to the zoo [[spoiler: face to face with an Eagle.]]
** The third film has Alvin confronting a meerkat (which he refers to a "honey badger"). What it's doing on an island in the South Pacific is a totally different matter.

** In ''Road Chip'' Suggs gets Theodore launched right into his groin.

** In the third film Ian is still kind of a jerk, but he does help Dave and the Chipmunks get off the island.

** The school jock bullies in ''The Squeakquel''.

%%* BewareTheNiceOnes: Don't let their cute appearance fool you.

%%* DamselInDistress: Jeanette becomes this in the third film.

%%* EnemyMine: Dave and Ian when stranded in ''Chipwrecked''.

%%* EvilUncle: Ian plays this role to the Chipmunks in the 2007 movie and then to the Chipettes in its sequel.

%%* FireForgedFriends: The Chipmunks become friends with Miles at the end of ''Road Chip''.

** In the second, [[spoiler:after the Chipettes realize that Ian is evil and go live with Dave and the Chipmunks, at bedtime, Alvin insists he isn't tired, thus leading him to turn the lights on every time Dave turns them off, and as for Ian, he still goes to the gig, complete with puppets of two of the Chipettes and his dressed as the third. The gig bombs and Ian is thrown into a dumpster]].

%%* TropicalIslandAdventure: The premise of the third film.
%%* TwiceShy: Simon and Jeanette progress to this in the third film.

[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kapook_world_332419.png]]
[[caption-width-right:320:Get your Munk on!]]

* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: After abusing the Chipmunks and locking them in a cage in the first film and doing the same to the Chipettes in the second film, Dave, The Chipmunks and the Chipettes remind Ian of his crime when he starts [[NeverMyFault blaming others for his misfortunes]]. Even when fully redeemed, the Chipmunks and Chipettes still take a little time to forgive him.

* ProjectileToast: In the first film, burnt waffles pop out of the toaster, prompting Simon to try and catch them. However, being vision-impaired without glasses, he misjudges the distance and they land right in front of him.

* RoadTripPlot: ''Road Chip'', of course. The premise of the film being the the Chipmunks three are rushing to Miami to stop Dave from proposing to his new girlfriend and dumping them, based on a misunderstanding.

* RushedInvertedReading: All three chipmunks did something wrong in their cover-up of their inappropriate behavior. Simon was holding a book upside-down and Dave corrects him.

* StarringSpecialEffects: None of the six featured chipmunks use the real animals.

** The fourth one has [[spoiler: Agent Suggs has escaped the elevator the Chipmunks trapped him in and decides to relax by the pool. He's told to leave since it's for hotel guests only, but Suggs refuses and says [[TemptingFate the only way he's leaving is if they carry him out]]. Two security guards are called in and do just that.]]

* ThoughtAversionFailure: When [[JerkJock Ryan]] in the second film warns Alvin and the rest of the chipmunks to stay away from the girls because [[AttentionWhore he wants their attention]], he tells them not to look, talk, or think about them. He then asks Alvin if he is thinking about girls, who responds by saying that he is thinking of them now that Ryan has brought them up, which prompts a chase.

* TropicalIslandAdventure: The premise of the third film.
* TwiceShy: Simon and Jeanette progress to this in the third film.
* UniversalEyeglasses: Initially played straight when Dave gives Simon a random pair of glasses that instantly corrects his vision. Subverted later on when Ian switches out his glasses for a pair of shades that Simon can't see with.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: In the first film, where nobody at Jett Records seems at all aware of the talking chipmunks scurrying about in the lobby of the building. Even more egregiously, Ian reacts with near-total disinterest when Dave brings the chipmunks to sing their song to him in person, who are all overcome with stagefright. True, they did not speak or sing as Dave insisted, but the fact that the chipmunks are clearly reacting with very humanlike fear and the fact that one is wearing glasses doesn't even make him just a little curious about them.
* VillainBall: Ian's plan in the second film was working fine performance. Although he doesn't explicitly state his reasons, these actions do make sense in keeping with Ian's character. As a record producer, he probably knows that girl bands are more or less currently out of vogue and the real success is in single-name acts, like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Elevating the more photogenic Brittany to the front while reducing Jeanette and Eleanor to backup singers probably makes sense business-wise. Since he's a {{jerkass}} however, he does this through evil means.

* YouMustBeThisTallToRide: In ''Chipwrecked'' when Alvin gets on a waterslide by jumping above the "You Must Be This Tall" sign's height.

* AnimalsLackAttributes: Both Chipmunks and Chipettes lack any kind of genitals, despite usually being half naked.

* BasementDweller: Toby still lives with his grandma (Dave’s aunt)

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Don't let their cute appearance fool you.

** In the Road Chip, the Chimpunks dress squirrels who wreck their house. At the very end of the movie, the Sevilles go home to see the damage they did.

* BuffySpeak: In ''Chipwrecked'', Ian at one point calls Theodore and Eleanor "Chubby one" and "Girl chubby one" ''dis''respectively.

* CompanionCube: Zoe has an entire collection of sports ball parodying ''Film/CastAway''.

* {{Dedication}}: In ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'', at the end, we got "This film is dedicated to Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who was crazy enough to invent three singing chipmunks nearly fifty years ago."
* DamselInDistress: Jeanette becomes this in the third film.
* DemotedToExtra: Dave in the second film, due to a prop mishap during a charity concert crippling him, thus putting him out of commission for most of the movie, prompting him to send the chipmunks with a relative.

* EatTheEvidence: In a scene in the first film, Dave sees a little pellet of poop behind Theodore. Simon claims it's just a raisin, but Dave is skeptical. His hand forced, Simon eats the so-called raisin. After a satisfied Dave leaves the room, Simon scowls at Theodore and says, "You owe me ''big'' time." Curiously, [[TrailersAlwaysLie Alvin]] was the one in the trailer who ate Theodore's poop.
* EnemyMine: Dave and Ian when stranded in ''Chipwrecked''.

* EvilUncle: Ian plays this role to the Chipmunks in the 2007 movie and then to the Chipettes in its sequel.
* {{Facepalm}}: Ian gets this in the first film when his attempt to give the sleepy Chipmunks coffee to keep them awake backfires on him right in the ass with the Chipmunks flying into a crazy frenzy and wrecking the recording room.
* FireForgedFriends: The Chipmunks become friends with Miles at the end of ''Road Chip''.

** In the first film, Ian has a Simon doll [[spoiler:that spoke French, calling himself "Simone"]]. In the third film, [[spoiler:Simon's alter ego calls himself "Simone", speaking in a French accent provided by Alan Tudyk]].

** Also in one scene as Dave meets the 'Munks for the first time, while Simon is saying "You really oughta pay that utility bill, Dave," Theodore can be seen making a face at his reflection on the mixer cup.

* FreudianExcuse: Miles is such a jerk because he father bailed on him when he was 5.

** First film has a blind man's dog barking at the chipmunks
** Second film when a cat hisses at the Chipmunks. Later when Theodore runs away to the zoo [[spoiler: face to face with an Eagle]]

* GoshDangItToHeck: Ian says this when he "forgets" his keys to [[spoiler:"his" penthouse suite that he's bringing the Chipettes to live with him]].

* GroinAttack: In ''The Squeakquel'', Ian gets hit in the crotch with a remote-controlled toy motorcycle.

* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Different from the [[WesternAnimation/TheAlvinShow two]] [[WesternAnimation/AlvinAndTheChipmunks animated TV shows]]. The Chipmunks start wearing sweaters/sweatshirts/hoodies in the midst of the first film onward. The Chipettes don't wear panties in the second film onward.

* HeelFaceTurn: Ian in the third film. He is still kind of a jerk, but he does help Dave and the Chipmunks get off the island.
** Zoe also since she kidnapped Jeanette and tried to force her to dig up the lost treasure on the island, but then has a change of heart after a speech from Ian.

* HumanFocusedAdaptation: Though the Chipmunks get a fair enough of screen time and focus, it still follows the "unlucky guy in love has cartoon characters as pets" formula.

* HumanMail: Chipmunk variety. In the second film, the Chipettes mailed themselves to Jett Records in a [=FedEx=] package. They weren't aware that Ian Hawke was out of a job now since the events of the first film.

** In ''The Squeakquel'', when Ian calls the principal out for being biased in favor of the Chipmunks and not allowing a democratic vote. While he obviously did it just to spite the Chipmunks, in real life, principals must make sure to enforce fairness and equality towards the school in order to not play favorites.

* LastSecondJokeProblem: All four movies end with Dave yelling, "AAALLLVIIIIIIN!" because of something bad Alvin did, accidentally or not. We never find out how Dave has decided to punish him.

* NakedOnArrival: The Chipmunks in the first film, and the Chipettes in Squeakquel. Since they're animals, nobody finds it unusual.

** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAvczW9skXM&feature=player_detailpage#t=46s one of the trailers]] for the first film, Alvin eats Theodore's poop when instead it was Simon. In fact, Alvin wasn't even in the scene at the time because he was taking a shower in the dishwasher. Also, they didn't have their iconic sweaters yet and the voice that comes out of Alvin's mouth isn't Justin Long, it sounds like Ross Bagdasarian Jr. And when Theodore whimpers at the end, it sounds higher like Janice Karman did it instead of Music/JesseMcCartney.

** Also in the second film, Simon and Theodore are seen cheering during a football game, which doesn't happen in the movie.
** There was also a scene in the trailer that showed the Chipetttes as cheerleaders.
*** Heck, the Chipettes appear more often in the trailers than the actual movie as they take a backseat to the Chipmunks' high school shenanigans.

** One scene from the trailer has Alvin say "Hello, ladies!", then we cut to the 'Ettes. In the film, he was talking to some of the girls in class. Also, the scene after said shot where he pretends to toot a horn was actually delivered to Simon.
** One scene featured the 'Munks spinning in the blender; a promo shows Dave being agitated by this and stumbles, already in casts, when really, Dave wasn't around during that scene in the film. He was actually annoyed that Alvin won't go to bed, which doesn't happen until [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil the very end of the movie]].

** A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW636Cab0tw rather infamous sing-along trailer]] for ''The Road Chip'' edits scenes to make it look like that Theodore farts constantly when he only does so once. To an arguably higher extent, there's also a scene edited to make it seem that Simon farts once, but he never does so. (He does have a BringMyBrownPants moment in an airport, though.)
* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: At the end of the first film's credits.

*** Creator/AnnaFaris plays Jeanette, Simon's female counterpart. Three months ago, in ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'', Faris played another intelligent character wearing glasses, this one named 'Sam Sparks'.

*** When the Chipmunks deliberately ruin the concert after realizing they've been tricked by Ian, Alvin shouts "[[Franchise/DieHard Yippee ki yay, mamacita]]!" in which Creator/JustinLong played Matthew 'Matt' Farrell in ''Live Free or Die Hard''.

* ThoughtAversionFailure: When [[JerkJock Ryan]] in the second film warns Alvin and the rest of the chipmunks to stay away from the girls because [[AttentionWhore he wants their attention]], he tells them not look, talk, or think about them. He then asks Alvin if he is thinking about girls, who responds by saying that he is thinking of them now Ryan has brought them up, which prompts a chase.

* StarringSpecialEffects: None fo the six featured chipmunks use the real animals.