Alvin and the Chipmunks is a series of live-action films based on the musically gifted trio of chipmunks, the first one written by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi of The Adventures of Pete & Pete and KaBlam! fame.
- Films in this franchise include:
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 Justin Long), brainy Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and portly Theodore (Jesse Mc Cartney) — 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 (My Name Is Earl's Jason Lee), 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.
The Chipmunks become a smash pop group and Dave is not so down on his luck anymore, but their greedy record executive, Ian Hawke (Arrested Development's David Cross), schemes to have the chipmunks all for himself by enticing them with expensive gifts. Can the chipmunks resist Ian's temptations, will Dave be able to rekindle his relationship with ex-girlfriend Claire, and most importantly, will Dave and the chipmunks learn the importance of family?
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, Roger Ebert remarked — à la his review of the first 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 James Cameron's Avatar, Sherlock Holmes (2009) and The Princess and the Frog. 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 (Zachary Levi) 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 (Christina Applegate), brainy Jeanette (Anna Faris), and portly Eleanor (Amy Poehler). 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 The Force Awakens, to adequate box office numbers and negative reviews, though it is receiving a splendid (if mostly ironic) cult-following.
NOTE: Tropes under here are specifically for the live action/CGI movies. For all other tropes, see the appropriate page on Alvin and the Chipmunks.
The Alvin and the Chipmunks movies provide examples of:
- Accent Adaptation: Exaggerated, as in the Czech dub of the sequels the Chipettes 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 to speak Czech as everyone else in the dub. - Actor Allusion:
- (First Movie):
- When the Chipmunks deliberately ruin the concert after realizing they've been tricked by Ian, Alvin shouts "Yippee ki yay, mamacita!" Justin Long played Matthew 'Matt' Farrell in Live Free or Die Hard.
- Dave says "If I made a list of my worst days ever, guess what, this one would be at the top of the list!", a reference to his role in My Name Is Earl.
- The Squeakquel:
- Another reference to a movie with Justin Long is made when the Chipmunks are playing dodgeball:
"C'mon, Alvin! Remember your five D's of dodge ball: Dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge!"- Anna Faris plays Jeanette, Simon's female counterpart. In Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Faris played another intelligent character wearing glasses, this one named 'Sam Sparks'.
- Jason Lee trips over a skateboard. He's otherwise a famous celebrity for his professional skateboarder skills.
- Chipwrecked: (Well, Composer Allusion) This film is scored by Mark Mothersbaugh, who had previously done the score for Rugrats Go Wild!, another movie about iconic characters being stranded on an island.
- The Road Chip: Laura Marano is a babysitter in Miami. Previously, she had played Ally in Austin & Ally, although the babysitter she plays in a cameo here seems more Trish than Ally.
- (First Movie):
- Advertised Extra: In The Squeakquel, at least, Jeanette gets severely shafted on Character Development, having around ten lines in the entire film (minus the singing of course). She gets more to do in Chipwrecked. This also applies to Dave in The Squeakquel.
- Aesop Amnesia: Had Ian played his cards right and learned from the 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.
- Animals Lack Attributes: Both the Chipmunks and Chipettes lack any kind of genitals, despite usually being half naked.
- Apologetic Attacker: Jeanette in Chipwrecked when she pulls a rope to trip Theodore so she can snatch the piece of fruit Alvin found.
- Artistic License – Physics: 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.
- Barefoot Cartoon Animal: The Chipmunks and Chipettes, unlike their earlier incarnations.
- Basement-Dweller: Toby still lives with his grandma (Dave’s aunt).
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Alvin and Brittany. Because of their turbulent, love-hate relationship, they are frequently shown to be at each other's throats. Because this franchise doesn't have much violence, they are mostly shown to have a Snark-to-Snark Combat. Buried underneath their squabbling animosity, they truly love and care about each other deep down and occasionally express romantic feelings towards each other.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Don't let their cute appearance fool you, the Chipmunks can be incredibly fierce when pushed.
- Big "NO!":
- Ian does this near the end of the first film when he discovers the chipmunks escaped from his clutches by replacing themselves with their Spanish, French and Japanese-speaking dolls."¡Madre de Dios!note ¡NO!"note
- Alvin when he scolds an amnesiac Simon.
- Ian does this near the end of the first film when he discovers the chipmunks escaped from his clutches by replacing themselves with their Spanish, French and Japanese-speaking dolls.
- Blown Across the Room: Happens to Dave in the second film's opening, when a giant cardboard cutout of Alvin breaks loose and smacks right into him, literally sending him sailing through the air! This unintentionally sets up the plot, as Dave is temporarily heavily crippled and bed ridden for the rest of the movie.
- Brick Joke: When Dave first meets the Chipmunks he says, "Squirrels can't talk!" At end of the movie Ian is trying to start a new band with squirrels... who can't talk.
- 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... - Bring My Brown Pants: 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 he's the one who is not wearing pants).
- Brother–Sister Incest: Beatrice Miller is Adapted Out and replaced with Dave as the Chipettes' adopted parent. This makes them the adopted sisters of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. The romance between the characters still exists.
- Buffy Speak: In Chipwrecked, Ian at one point calls Theodore and Eleanor "Chubby One" and "Girl Chubby One" disrespectively.
- Cassandra Truth: In the 2011 movie, Simon really does go looking for Alvin. He just absentmindedly hopped on that lever, thus winning the jackpot. It's just a Contrived Coincidence that the usher presented him with a platter full of winnings in front of Dave.
- Casting Gag:
- Tony Hale replaces David Cross as the main villain. Does that remind you of anything?
- Eddie Steeples plays a friend of Jason Lee's character, just like in My Name Is Earl.
- Cave Behind The Waterfall: The island in Chipwrecked has hidden treasure in a cave behind a waterfall.
- Chekhov's Gun: The necklace and the Swiss Army knife in the third film.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Ian cares more for profit than the well-being of his artists.
- Companion Cube: Zoe has an entire collection of sports balls parodying Cast Away.
- Covers Always Lie:
- Never once in the second CGI/live-action movie does Brittany wear a black leather jacket as portrayed in a poster.
- In the 2011 movie, a poster portrays Alvin, Simon and Theodore surfing. Never once do they surf in Chipwrecked.
- Or the fact neither Chipmunk nor Chipette wore clothes as shown◊ in◊ these◊ posters◊ during the movie. Not to mention they got Eleanor's fur color wrong.
- Dedication: In Alvin and the Chipmunks, at the end, we have "This film is dedicated to Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who was crazy enough to invent three singing chipmunks nearly fifty years ago."
- Damsel in Distress: Jeanette becomes this in the third film, as Zoe forces her to recover the treasure she wa looking for.
- Demoted to Extra:
- 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
- Desperate Object Catch: In Chipwrecked, Dave tosses Alvin a pocketknife, allowing him to free Jeanette from the rope Zoe tied to her.
- Disney Death: Simone in the third film after being knocked by a golf ball, but thankfully reverts back to Simon. Theodore in the fourth film after sacrificing himself to save Miles from getting knocked down by the car, thanks to his brothers slingshotting him, but ends up being hit. Luckily, he's still alive.
- Eat the Evidence: 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, Alvin was the one in the trailer who ate Theodore's poop.
- Enemy Mine: Dave and Ian are forced to work together when stranded in Chipwrecked.
- Every Episode Ending: So far, every film has ended with Dave screaming his trademark "ALVIN!".
- Evil Uncle: Ian plays this role to the Chipmunks in the 2007 movie and then to the Chipettes in its sequel.
- Facepalm: Ian runs his hand over his face in the first film after 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.
- Fire-Forged Friends: The Chipmunks become friends with Miles at the end of Road Chip.
- Foreshadowing:
- In the first film, Ian has a Simon doll that speaks French, calling himself "Simone". In the third film, 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 Ryan tossing him into a trashcan and them being tossed into the dump itself.
- Likewise, Theodore stands next to a brochure for the Los Angeles Zoo. Guess where he runs away to later in the movie?
- Funny Background Event:
- At certain points in the first film, the chipmunks randomly scratch behind their ears during a conversation. This became abandoned in later films.
- 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.
- In Chipwrecked, as Alvin tries to convince Dave that he is a grownup (mature event), Simon can be seen reading a book while Theodore eats the sweets from a basket in the background.
- Freudian Excuse:
- Miles is such a jerk because he father bailed on him when he was 5.
- James Suggs hates the chipmunks because his girlfriend broke up with him while one of their songs was playing in the background.
- Furry Confusion: It seems that chipmunks are the only anthropomorphic, talking animals in this live action movie franchise as NO other animals are capable of human speech. It gets rather ridiculous in a few situations throughout the series:
- 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 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.
- It perhaps reaches its peak in the 4th film where Theodore is in the plane's cargo hold with all the other animals.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: Chipwrecked and Road Chip were both rated G despite drug references; Ian in Chipwrecked mentions "one time Snoop started a blaze just using two carrot sticks!" and the "Uptown Munk" number in Road Chip mentions "white gold", better known as cocaine. The G rating does not allow any drug references at all outside of an educational context.
- Gosh Dang It to Heck!: When Ian "forgets" his keys to "his" penthouse suite that he's bringing the Chipettes to live with him, he says:Ian: Oh darn it! Gosh darn it to heck!
Brittany: What's wrong, Mr. Hawke? - Groin Attack:
- In The Squeakquel, Ian gets hit in the crotch with a remote-controlled toy motorcycle.
- In Road Chip Suggs gets Theodore launched right into his groin.
- Grounded Forever: In Road Chip, Dave and Samantha ground the chipmunks and Miles until their fur (which Miles does not have) is gray.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Different from the two animated TV shows. The Chipmunks start wearing sweaters/sweatshirts/hoodies from the middle of the first film onward. The Chipettes don't wear panties in the second film onward.
- Hartman Hips: Unlike their earlier incarnations, the Chipettes have wide hips and large bottoms.
- Heel–Face Turn:
- In the third film Ian is still kind of a jerk, but he does help Dave and the Chipmunks get off the island.
- Zoe kidnaps Jeanette and tries to force her to dig up the lost treasure on the island, but then has a change of heart after a speech from Ian.
- Helium Speech: Turned on its head in the first film with Alvin inhaling helium, only to speak in a low-pitched voice.
- Help, I'm Stuck!:
- In the first film, Alvin (and later Theodore) get stuck in a vacuum cleaner, but Simon somehow helps them out (despite calling Dave for help in the first place).
- In The Squeakquel, Theodore gets stuck in a cage at the zoo and Eleanor gets stuck in the mail slot of an apartment complex.
- Human-Focused Adaptation: Though the Chipmunks get a fair enough of screen time and focus, the first film still follows the "unlucky guy in love has cartoon characters as pets" formula.
- Humanlike Hand Anatomy: The Chipmunks and the Chippettes have human-like hands but are otherwise very much like chipmunks.
- Human Mail: 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 after the events of the first film.
- Hypocrite: At one point in the first film, while pitching to Dave that the Chipmunks need more than music to attract fans, Dave says that the chipmunks are just kids, but Ian calls them “rats”. Minutes later, Ian tells the Chipmunks that behind their back, Dave calls them “the rats”.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: Ian hangs a particular nasty lampshade, first stating he is going to pretend he has a lunch to go to, then immediately doing so incredibly sarcastically.
- Jerkass:
- Ian in all three live action/CGI movies, though mostly dropped during the second half of the third film, however.
- The school jock bullies in The Squeakquel.
- Jerkass Has a Point:
- In the first film, Ian cruelly and bluntly tells Dave that his songs are terrible and that he should give up songwriting. While he was rude beyond reason, Dave's music really is on the level of novelty children's songs that no mainstream musician would ever perform. In fact, the Chipmunks themselves are most famous for their high pitched covers of other songs rather than their own original music.
- 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 does 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.
- In Chipwrecked, when Ian and Dave are marooned on the island and trying to find food and water, Ian points out that Dave's necklace is edible, but Dave refuses to eat it or let Ian eat it, as it was a gift from Theodore. While Ian does lose points by arguing with Dave over the latter calling Theodore his son, in such desperate times, sentimental value really should take a back seat to survival, so Dave isn't completely in the right.
- Last-Second Joke Problem: All four movies end with Dave yelling, "AAALLLVIIIIIIN!" because of something bad Alvin did, accidentally or not. We never find out how Dave has decides to punish him.
- Live-Action Adaptation: Live-action film of a cartoon series.
- Logo Joke: The teaser trailer for the second film features the Chipmunks doing an acapella of the 20th Century Fox fanfare while dancing around the TCF structure.
- Meaningful Name: The bad guy's name is Ian Hawke. Hawks are, of course, natural enemies of chipmunks.
- Mistaken for Insane: When Dave tells Claire that his life is being sabotaged by talking chipmunks, which is true, to explain his rather odd recent behavior, she thinks he is nuts and promptly walks out, saying he hasn't changed at all.
- Naked on Arrival: The Chipmunks' introduction in the first film, and the Chipettes in Squeakquel. Since they're animals, nobody finds it unusual.
- Never Trust a Trailer:
- In 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 Jesse Mc Cartney.
- For the second film, Simon catches a dodge ball and sends it flying into an opposing player, knocking him out. First off, it was Alvin who caught the ball, though unlike where Simon just caught the ball, Alvin skids a little back and revealing that he caught it. And the guy who was hit was Toby during his flashback.
- Also in the second film's trailer, Simon and Theodore are seen cheering during a football game, which doesn't happen in the movie.
- There was also a scene in one 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.
- Promos for The Squeakquel have a bit of this. In a scene as the 'Munks walk down the hallway and meet the 'Ettes for the first time, they notice them onstage singing; in the actual film, the 'Ettes are in the hallway with them, and the shot of them singing was really their number for the sing-off against the 'Munks.
- One trailer has Alvin say "Hello, ladies!", then we cut to the 'Ettes. In the film, he's talking to some of the girls in class. Also, the line after said shot where he pretends to toot a horn is 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 is actually annoyed that Alvin won't go to bed, which doesn't happen until the very end of the movie.
- Another scene had Simon & Theodore cheering Alvin at the football game, when they're supposed to be at the competition with the Chipettes.
- In the fourth film, there's no scene where the Chipmunks drive a yellow cab.
- A rather infamous sing-along trailer for The Road Chip edits scenes to make it look like 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 Bring My Brown Pants moment in an airport, though.)
- In one of the trailers
- No Animals Were Harmed: Appears at the end of the first film's credits.
- "Not So Different" Remark: When Simon loses his personality, Alvin has to become the authority figure in Chipwrecked. When he tries to stop Simon from dancing with Jeanette, this happens:Alvin: SSSSIIIIIIMMMMOOOONNNNNNNNNN!!!!
Brittany: Um Alvin, you're starting to sound like Dave.
(beat)
Alvin: Nooooooooooooooooo! - Oddly Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo: The Squeakquel.
- Oh, Crap!: In Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, a hospitalized Dave calls home, unaware that his irresponsible cousin Toby is watching the boys. On the other hand, Toby picks up the phone, thinking it's Julie.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: 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 blaming others for his misfortunes. Even when fully redeemed, the Chipmunks and Chipettes still take a little time to forgive him.Ian: : 'Sup? [reaches out his hand to for a dap from Alvin; Alvin doesn't dap him] What? No love for Uncle Ian?
Brittany and Eleanor: YOU PUT US IN CAGES!
Ian: What?! Seriously? Are we still talking about that?! New subject: I saved Dave's life!
Theodore: Alright. But I'll be watching you! - Overly Long Gag: In The Squeakquel, Courtesy of Theodore:Theodore: Hi, I'm Theodore! Hi, I'm Theodore! Hi, I'm Theodore!
- The One Who Wears Shoes: Eleanor in The Squeakquel because Ian insists she has to be taller when onstage.
- Platonic Declaration of Love: Simon and Theodore are hugging Dave and saying they missed him, and the two tease Alvin about being too cool to do likewise. Alvin hems and haws, and ultimately bursts out with a short speech that ends with an "I love you." Given that Dave is essentially the Chipmunks' father figure, it's clear it's platonic.
- Put on a Bus: Despite being Dave's love interest, and a key character in the first film, Claire is nowhere to be found in either The Squeakquel or Chipwrecked. This is mainly because Cameron Richardson refused to reprise the role, as she strongly disliked being in the first film.
- Projectile Toast: In the first film, burnt waffles pop out of the toaster, prompting Simon to try and catch them. However, being vision-impaired without his glasses, he misjudges the distance and they land right in front of him.
- Pun-Based Title:
- For the second film, The Squeakquel.
- And in the third film, Chipwrecked.
- The fourth movie too, Road Chip
- Road Trip Plot: Road Chip, of course. The premise of the film being the three Chipmunks are rushing to Miami to stop Dave from proposing to his new girlfriend and dumping them, based on a misunderstanding.
- Robinsonade: The main plot of the third film is the main characters being stranded on an island.
- Running Gag: Theodore's big butt.
- Rushed Inverted Reading: All three chipmunks do something wrong in their cover-up of their inappropriate behavior. Simon holds a book upside-down and Dave corrects him.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: When Simon gets bit by a spider in Chipwrecked:Zoe: That was just a spider and they live here, because this is nature.
Simon: This is not just a spider! That's a "phoneutria bahiensis"! Its bite contains a neurotoxin!
Alvin: Ooh, Mr. Fancy Words. So what?
Simon: Alvin, toxin: poison, neuro: brain?!
Alvin: Oh, that's not good. - "Shaggy Dog" Story: The fourth film. As it turns out Dave was never going to propose to Samantha, making the "road chip" to Miami unnecessary. The ring they snatched was actually for his friend Barry who was trying to propose to his girlfriend.
- Shout-Out: See the main shout out page for the franchise.
- Smooth-Talking Talent Agent: Ian Hawke ends up smooth-talking the chipmunks into ditching Dave to make more money, giving him shades of this (despite being the owner of a record label rather than a talent agent per se).
- Spontaneous Choreography: Used in the finale of The Squeakquel. Despite having never practiced, the six chipmunks pull off a rather impressive dance number.
- Stage Mom: Ian ultimately becomes this once he takes custody of the chipmunks after they move out of Dave's house. Ian was blatantly setting up the Chipmunks to burn out at a young age so that he could squeeze some fast money out of them. It must be horrifying to parents of young stars.
- Starring Special Effects: None of the six featured chipmunks are real animals.
- The Stinger:
- In the first film, Ian trying, and failing, to get completely un-humanoid squirrels to sing.
- In the second, the jocks are made to clean the bleachers of gum by the Principal. And as for Ian, he is thrown into a dumpster at the gig he tried to salvage.
- The third has Dave and the Chipmunks and the Chipettes about to board the plane back home when Alvin tricks the passengers that the plane's headed to Timbuktu. Then Alvin accidentally causes the tray table to plow right into Dave, culminating in the ever-predictable..."AAALLLLVVIIINN!!!!"
- At the end of the fourth one, 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 the only way he's leaving is if they carry him out. Two security guards are called in and do just that.
- That Poor Cat: We hear a poor cat screech in the first film when a frustrated Dave throws his music equipment into the yard.
- Third-Act Misunderstanding: In the first film, Dave writes a letter explaining why he wants them to leave, which he immediately throws out because he realizes he cares too much for them. Of course, a few weeks later, Theodore has another nightmare and goes into his room and finds the crumpled paper next to the trash bin and shows it to his brothers. The Chipmunks assume Dave really does hate them and go live with Ian. It's a foregone conclusion they eventually reconcile.
- Thought-Aversion Failure: When Ryan in the second film warns Alvin and the rest of the chipmunks to stay away from the girls because 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. Alvin responds by saying that he is thinking of them now that Ryan has brought them up, which prompts a chase.
- Trailers Always Spoil: All trailers and promos spoil the final climatic moments of each film, especially the second and third, which feature scenes of the 'Munks and 'Ettes performing at Music Mania and the International Music Rewards, respectively.
- Tropical Island Adventure: The premise of the third film is that the characters are stranded on an island and need to escape.
- Twice Shy: Simon and Jeanette progress to this in the third film, after having little to no prominent interaction in the second..
- Universal Eyeglasses: Initially played straight when Dave gives Simon a random pair of glasses that instantly correct his vision. Subverted later on when Ian switches out his glasses for a pair of shades that Simon can't see with.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: 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, and they are all overcome with stage fright. 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.
- Villain Ball: As a record producer, Ian 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.
- Villainous Rescue: Zoe saves Dave from a Literal Cliffhanger.
- You Must Be This Tall to Ride: In Chipwrecked when Alvin is allowed on a waterslide by jumping above the "You Must Be This Tall" sign's height.
- You Wouldn't Hit a Guy with Glasses: In the sequel, while playing dodgeball:Simon: Glasses! Glasses! You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?! (gets hit by a dodge ball) Right in the pancreas.
