Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (TV series) explained

Director:
  • John Kimball
  • Bob Zamboni
  • Rick Leon
  • Jamie Mitchell
Theme Music Composer:Mark Mueller
Opentheme:"Rescue Rangers Theme" by Jeff Pescetto
Endtheme:"Rescue Rangers Theme" (Instrumental)
Composer:Glen Daum (for Score Productions)
Country:United States
Language:English
Runtime:22-23 minutes
Num Seasons:3
Num Episodes:65
List Episodes:List of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers episodes

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is an American animated adventure comedy television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation.[1] Created by Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove, it featured established Disney characters Chip 'n' Dale in a new setting. The series premiered on The Disney Channel on March 4, 1989,[2] after the episode "Catteries Not Included" aired on August 27, 1988, as a preview.[3] The series continued in September with a two-hour special, Rescue Rangers: To the Rescue, later divided into five parts to air as part of the weekday run.[4] The final episode aired on November 19, 1990.

On September 18, 1989, the series entered national syndication. It often aired afternoons along with and following DuckTales and later TaleSpin. From 1990 to 1993, reruns were aired as a part of The Disney Afternoon.[2] It was shown on Toon Disney upon that channel's launch in 1998 but was removed a decade later. The entire run became available (as one season) as part of Disney+ as of its launch on November 12, 2019, fully remastered in high definition.[5] The series was initially released on Blu-ray on January 25, 2022, via Disney Movie Club, then everywhere else on February 15, 2022.[6]

A live-action/animated metafictional follow-up film of the same name was released on Disney+ on May 20, 2022. From May 20, 2022, Disney XD reran the show to promote the film.

Synopsis

Chip and Dale are two chipmunks who start a detective agency, Rescue Rangers, along with their friends Gadget Hackwrench, Monterey Jack, and Zipper. The pint-sized detectives deal with crimes that are often "too small" for the police to handle, usually with other animals as their clients.[7] The gang frequently find themselves going up against two particular arch-villains: Mafia-style tabby cat Fat Cat and mad scientist Norton Nimnul.

Episodes

See main article: List of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers episodes.

Except for the five-part set of episodes made from the pilot movie, each 22-minute episode of the series was self-contained. Plot points introduced in each episode stayed in the episode and any character development didn't appear to continue through to future episodes. Most of the episodes followed a similar format, wherein the next case was presented at the start of the episode, then the bulk of the episode had the sleuths gathering clues and investigating the situation. In the last few minutes of the episode, the case was resolved, usually in dramatic fashion and the final moments would have a humorous wrap-up scene between the Rangers.

Characters

Main

Allies

Villains

Production

Rescue Rangers was originally conceived as the first of three new companion shows to Disney's popular DuckTales series, which had more than doubled the ratings among child audiences in its time slots after its debut in the fall of 1987.[15] Disney had originally invested $20 million in DuckTales and then invested $28 million in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers.[16]

It, along with TaleSpin and a third series, Double-O Duck (which ultimately became Darkwing Duck),[17] would round out a programming block later known as "The Disney Afternoon" along with the previously established Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears to capitalize on DuckTaless success.

When Tad Stones first came up with the idea for the Rescue Rangers series, Chip and Dale were not part of the show. He initially pitched doing a TV series based on The Rescuers, but Disney rejected that idea as a sequel to that film was already in production. He created a new concept with the working title of Metro Mice. The original draft starred an Indiana Jones-type mouse named Kit Colby who sported a fedora and a fluffy collared leather jacket, and the rest of the team included a chameleon, an earlier version of Gadget and a character resembling Monterey Jack with a different name. When he proposed the show in a meeting with Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the idea was well received except for the character of Kit. At Eisner's suggestion, they replaced him with the chipmunk duo to give the show some established Disney characters to work with. By late 1987, two years before its television debut, the show was announced under its original proposed title of "Chip 'n Dale and the Rescue Rangers".[18]

While Chip and Dale were established characters, in order to bring them into the series only their general appearance and basic personality traits were kept. Unlike their appearances in Disney shorts, the Rescue Rangers features the chipmunk duo as very verbal, with Chip voiced by Tress MacNeille and Dale voiced by Corey Burton. Audio processing was used to speed up the voice recordings and give the voices a higher pitch, particularly Chip's. The pair were given clothes—Chip the clothing of the original-concept Kit, while the goofier Dale was reminiscent of, but not specifically modeled after, Thomas Magnum from Magnum, P.I. with his Hawaiian shirt.[19]

The series premiered in 1989 on The Disney Channel before moving into a regular slot in syndication the following fall. In 1990, the series premiered as part of the lineup known as The Disney Afternoon, where it ran until 1993.[20] On October 2, 1995, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers began reruns on The Disney Channel as part of a two-hour programming block called "Block Party", airing weekdays in the late afternoon/early evening and which also included Darkwing Duck, TaleSpin and DuckTales.[21]

The show's opening theme was written (listed in the end credits as "words & music") by Mark Mueller, an ASCAP Award-winning pop music songwriter who also wrote the popular DuckTales theme song, and produced by Alf Clausen. The song performed over the title credits is sung by Jeff Pescetto (who also performed the DuckTales theme song). A full-length theme song was recorded by The Jets, a Minnesota pop group, and released on The Disney Afternoon soundtrack.

Home media

United Kingdom VHS releases

On November 6, 1989, Walt Disney Home Video released episodes from the series on video, containing a pair of episodes each.

North American VHS releases

In 1989 and 1990, Walt Disney Home Video released 10 episodes from the series on five VHS cassettes in North America, containing a pair of episodes each.

VHS Name Episode Titles Release Date
Double Trouble "Dale Beside Himself" & "Flash the Wonder Dog" September 28, 1989
Crimebusters "Catteries Not Included" & "Piratsy Under the Seas"
Undercover Critters "Adventures in Squirrelsitting" & "Three Men and a Booby"
Danger Rangers "Kiwi's Big Adventure" & "Bearing Up Baby" August 14, 1990
Super Sleuths "Pound of the Baskervilles" & "Out to Launch"

Additionally, on October 1, 1993, the episode "Ghost of a Chance" was released together with the Goof Troop episode "Hallow-Weenies" on one VHS cassette as a special release called Boo-Busters[22] [23] and the episode "Good Times, Bat Times" was released together with the Darkwing Duck episode "Ghoul of My Dreams" on one VHS cassette as a special release called Witcheroo![24] [25]

Several other episodes were available on international releases.

Australia and New Zealand releases

Eleven VHS cassettes containing 23 episodes of the series were released in Australia and New Zealand.[26]

VHS Name Episode Titles Release Date
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 1): Crimebusters "Catteries Not Included" & "Piratsy Under the Seas" November 6, 1989 (UK) / September 11, 1992
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 2): The Pound of the Baskervilles "Pound of the Baskervilles" & "Adventures in Squirrelsitting" September 11, 1992
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 3): Risky Beesness "Bearing Up Baby" & "Risky Beesness" September 11, 1992
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 4): Romancing the Clone "Dale Beside Himself" & "Flash the Wonder Dog" September 11, 1992
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 5): Astro Nuts "The Carpetsnaggers" & "Out to Launch" September 11, 1992
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 6): 3 Men and a Birdie "Three Men and a Booby", "Parental Discretion Retired" & "Chocolate Chips" April 2, 1993
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 7): Ghouls and Jewels "Ghost of a Chance" & "A Wolf in Cheap Clothing" April 2, 1993
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 8): Half-Size Heroes "A Lad in a Lamp" & "Seer No Evil" April 2, 1993
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 9): Flies in Disguise "When You Wish Upon A Star" & "Chipwrecked Shipmunk" September 10, 1993
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 10): Danger Rangers "Out of Scale", "Kiwi's Big Adventure" & "Gorilla My Dreams" September 10, 1993
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Volume 11): Duelling Dale "Mind Your Cheese and Q's", "The S.S. Drainpipe" & "A Creep in the Deep" September 10, 1993

DVD releases

North America (Region 1)

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released some of the series on DVD; two volumes have been released in Region 1 thus far, featuring the first 51 episodes of the series. The first was released on November 8, 2005 (containing episodes 1–27) and the second on November 14, 2006 (containing episodes 28–51).[27] [28] The episodes on the first volume are arranged in production order, while the episodes on the second volume are arranged by original air date. The sets were originally packaged in a box containing 3 slipcases, one for each disc. Both volumes were reissued in standard-sized DVD cases in 2013. There has yet to be any word from Disney regarding the release of a third volume set for episodes 52–65. In 2022, the complete show was released on Blu-ray.

DVD Name Ep # Release date
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: Volume 1 27 November 8, 2005
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: Volume 2 24 November 14, 2006

International (Region 2)

In the United Kingdom, Disney released one Region 2 volume in 2007, titled Chip 'n Dale - Rescue Rangers - First Collection.[29] Despite the set being similar to the US version, it contained only 20 episodes, while having 6 language tracks: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Dutch. Several other similar releases were then made to other countries, but only going up to episode #20. On December 5, 2012, a second DVD set of the series was released in the UK, but as a Region 2 version of Volume 2, titled Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers Season 2.[30] Unlike the first DVD set, this 3-disc set includes a Fastplay mode and only two language tracks: English and German, but subtitles have not been added. As of yet, there are no announced plans to release the rest of the series, or the seven episodes missing between the first two sets.

DVD Name Ep # Release date Language
Walt Disney's Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers – First Collection 20 February 12, 2007 English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Dutch
Walt Disney's Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers – Season 2 24 December 5, 2012 English and German

Video on demand

The series was released on Amazon Video in 2013 and was free for Amazon Prime members.[31] However, it was unavailable for some time. The series was brought back to Amazon Instant Video in the United States in 2016, being currently available for purchase in SD and HD.

The complete series is also currently available for purchase in SD and HD on iTunes and Google Play (Volume 2 on Google Play is only available in SD), also released in 2016.

The complete series was released alongside the release of Disney's streaming service Disney+ on November 12, 2019. There, it is cropped to 16:9 widescreen format, unlike the Blu-ray release (which retains its original aspect ratio).

Blu-ray releases

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released the entire series on Blu-ray Disc in a 2022 multi-region, high definition six-disc set, keeping its original image ratio (1.33:1). All episodes have been scanned from the original negatives, except episode 32 of season 2 "Prehysterical Pet" whose negatives could not be located. They are not sorted in the original airing order, nor the intended chronological order (e.g., the pilot episodes "Rescue Rangers to the Rescue - parts 1-5" are on disc 4).

Reception

Critical reception

Hal Erickson of Television Cartoon Shows, An Illustrated Encyclopedia compared the show to DuckTales, stating that it was "consummately produced and written," and its animation "succeeded in putting most other overseas output to shame."[32] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated the series 4 out of 5 stars, complimented the depiction of positive messages, citing teamwork and saying the series succeeds to depict a female character as a role model, while finding the show family-friendly and entertaining.[33] IGN named Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers as the 60th-best in the Top 100 Animated TV Shows.[34] Jeremy Hayes of BuzzFeed ranked Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 4th in their "Best Cartoons From The '80s" list.[35] Tyler B. Searle of Collider included in their "10 Best Animated Disney Channel Shows" list.[36]

Accolades

The show was nominated at the 17th Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program.[37] [38]

Other media

Television

Merchandise

In fall of 1989, McDonald's produced a series of Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers themed Happy Meal that included toy versions of the main characters riding small vehicles. Scenes from the series were incorporated into the TV commercials advertising the Happy Meals. Ice cream versions of Chip 'n Dale were made by Good Humor.

Theme parks

Comic books

Publisher:Disney Comics
Startmo:June
Startyr:1990
Endmo:December
Endyr:1991
Issues:19
Sort:Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Disney Comic)

A monthly comic book based on the show was published by Disney Comics in 1990, that ran for 19 issues. Subsequent comic stories were printed in Disney Adventures from 1990 to 1995, as well as in the Disney Afternoon comic book published by Marvel Comics. They also had a series from Boom Studios that was published for 8 issues from December 2010 to June 2011.

Cameo appearances

In the first Darkwing Duck comic story from KaBoom!, Gadget makes a cameo gag.

BOOM! revival

Publisher:Boom! Studios
Startmo:September
Startyr:2010
Endmo:May
Endyr:2011
Issues:8
Subcat:Boom! Studios
Sort:Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (Boom! Studios)

From September 2010, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers was revived by comics publisher Boom! Studios, as an ongoing monthly series slated to begin in December of the same year. This choice was based on the extreme and unexpected popularity of Darkwing Duck, another Disney Afternoon property which BOOM! revived earlier in 2010. The series featured comics writer Ian Brill, and artist Leonel Castellani.[47] [48] [49] [50]

Eight issues were published, collecting the two 4-part stories into two trade paperback books. The comic series was cancelled May 2011, to be replaced by the launch of DuckTales.

The Boom! Studios series was reprinted in IDW Publishing's Disney's Afternoon Giant in October 2018.[51]

Video games

Other games

Film

See main article: Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (film). A live-action CGI feature-length film[53] directed by Akiva Schaffer; written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand; produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman;[54] and starring John Mulaney and Andy Samberg as the voices of Chip and Dale was released on May 20, 2022, on Disney+.[55] The film also stars Eric Bana and Dennis Haysbert as the voices of Monterey Jack and Zipper while both Tress MacNeille and Corey Burton reprise their roles of Gadget and Zipper as well as Chip and Dale for a brief scene.[56] [57] [58]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Perlmutter . David . The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows . 2018 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1538103739 . 123 .
  2. Disney A to Z: The updated official Encyclopedia, Dave Smith p 101
  3. News: For Children . The New York Times . New York, N.Y. . TV15 . August 21, 1988.
  4. "Web site: Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. Big Cartoon Database. April 13, 2012. https://archive.today/20130117174527/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Walt_Disney_Studios/Television/Chip__n_Dale_Rescue_Rangers/index.html. January 17, 2013. dead.
  5. Web site: Every Disney movie, TV show available day one on Disney+ . October 14, 2019 . November 18, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191206115317/https://attractionsmagazine.com/disney-plus-day-one-list/ . 2019-12-06 . live .
  6. Web site: Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers - The Complete Series Blu-ray . Blu-ray.com . February 17, 2022 . December 17, 2021.
  7. Book: Erickson . Hal . Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 . 2005 . 2nd . McFarland & Co . 978-1476665993 . 201–202.
  8. Chocolate Chips . Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers . 1989-10-25 . 2 . 38 .
  9. Parental Discretion Retired . Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers . 1989-05-21 . 2 . 13 .
  10. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: Full Disney Afternoon anniversary panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2013 . Inside the Magic . July 26, 2013 . June 14, 2020.
  11. Web site: The Original "Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers" |. cartoonresearch.com.
  12. 1989 Tad Stones Interview published in "Furtherance", Issue 3, Winter 1991
  13. To the Rescue . List_of_Chip_%27n_Dale_Rescue_Rangers_episodes#Season_2 . Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers . 1989-09-09 . 2 . 14-18 .
  14. Catteries Not Included . List_of_Chip_%27n_Dale_Rescue_Rangers_episodes#Season_1 . Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers . 1989-03-05 . 1 . 2 .
  15. News: Disney's High Hopes for Afternoons . The New York Times . Carter, Bill . November 6, 1989 . 2013-04-01.
  16. Erickson, 2005. p.201
  17. Web site: Origins . Stones, Tad . January 23, 1999 . April 1, 2013 . The Darkwing Duck Blog.
  18. News: TELEVISION; AN ANIMATED '88 AWAITS ON THE DRAWING BOARD . The New York Times . December 27, 1987 . April 1, 2013 . Culhane, John.
  19. Web site: The Tad Stones Interview — Part 2. Strike . Joe . July 12, 2004 . Animation World Magazine. February 17, 2022.
  20. Book: Grant, John. Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters: From Mickey Mouse to Hercules. April 29, 1998. Hyperion. 978-0-7868-6336-5. 3rd. New York City. Part II: The Television Series. 37432909. 1987.
  21. Block Party: Four Disney Animated Series . The Disney Channel Magazine . 5 . October–November 1995 . 13 . 36.
  22. Book: Disney / Boo-Busters [VHS]: Boo-Busters: Movies & TV |asin=6302794226 ].
  23. Web site: Boo-busters / [Walt Disney Company] | Miami University Libraries |publisher=Lib.muohio.edu |access-date=2013-11-08 |archive-date=November 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109004144/http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/mu3ugb3984136 |url-status=dead ].
  24. Book: Witcheroo [VHS]: Witcheroo: Movies & TV |asin=6302794242 ].
  25. Web site: Witcheroo! / Walt Disney Company | Miami University Libraries . Lib.muohio.edu . 2013-11-08 . November 9, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131109001627/http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/mu3ugb4018981 . dead .
  26. http://imgur.com/a/kmVU3 "Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers PAL VHS covers"
  27. Web site: Amazon.com: Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers – Volume 1 . Amazon . November 8, 2005 . 2013-04-01.
  28. Web site: Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers – Volume 2 . Amazon . November 14, 2006 . 2013-04-01.
  29. Web site: Chip N Dale – Rescue Rangers – First Collection – 3 Disc Set DVD: Amazon.co.uk: Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers: Film & TV . February 12, 2007 . Amazon.co.uk . 2012-10-17.
  30. Web site: Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers Season 2 [DVD] ]. Amazon UK . November 5, 2012 . 2012-11-16.
  31. Web site: BREAKING NEWS: Ducktales, Rescue Rangers on Amazon Prime. January 26, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201214910/http://openvaultdisney.com/2013/02/23/breaking-news-ducktales-rescue-rangers-on-amazon-prime/. February 1, 2014. mdy-all.
  32. Erickson, 2005. p.202
  33. Web site: Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers TV Review Common Sense Media . 2022-08-19 . www.commonsensemedia.org . en.
  34. Web site: Top 100 Animated TV Series: 60. Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers . IGN . 2014-11-01.
  35. Web site: Hayes . Jeremy . Best Cartoons From The '80s Ranked By A '90s Kid . 2022-08-19 . BuzzFeed . February 25, 2022 . en.
  36. Web site: Searle . Tyler B. . 2022-09-13 . 10 Best Animated Disney Channel Shows . 2023-03-23 . Collider . en.
  37. Web site: Lipton . Lauren . 1990-05-11 . CBS Dominates Daytime Emmy Field With 74 Nominations : Television: The networks' order in nominations mirrored their daytime ratings. ABC got 39; NBC took 30. . 2022-08-19 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  38. Web site: Daytime Emmy Awards (1990) . 2020-10-24 . IMDb.
  39. Twitching Channels. Darkwing Duck. 1992-02-05. 1 (Disney Afternoon). 42.
  40. DuckTales surprises Comic-Con with Rescue Rangers, Daisy Duck, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Entertainment Weekly. July 19, 2019.
  41. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: Plans to Destroy Duckburg! | Sneak Peek | DuckTales | Disney XD . YouTube . 2020-04-10 . 2020-04-23.
  42. Double-O-Duck in You Only Crash Twice!. DuckTales. 2020-04-11. 3. 50.
  43. The Last Adventure!. DuckTales. 2021-03-15. 3. 69.
  44. News: Mickey's Toontown to Close for Overhaul on March 9th, Reimagining of Gadget's Go Coaster and Others Confirmed. laughingplace.com. June 2, 2022. February 17, 2022.
  45. News: Lloyd. Spencer. PHOTOS, VIDEO: Rethemed Chip 'n' Dale's Gadget Coaster Opens at Disneyland. wdwnt.com. March 18, 2023. March 18, 2023.
  46. News: Trepany. Charles. Disneyland revamps Mickey's Toontown to improve accessibility, relaxation: An inside look. usatoday.com. March 20, 2023. March 30, 2023.
  47. Web site: Boom! Studios announces new Disney title at panel . Comic Book Daily . August 28, 2010 . 2010-09-03.
  48. Web site: Disney and BOOM! Studios announce Chip 'n' Dale ongoing comic book series coming December . Inside the Magic . Brigante, Ricky . September 3, 2010 . September 3, 2010.
  49. Web site: Brill on "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" . Comic Book Resources. Shaun. Manning. September 3, 2010. February 17, 2022.
  50. News: Creator Tad Stones Grills Writer Ian Brill. Newsarama. Tad. Stones. December 6, 2010. February 17, 2022. https://archive.today/20120906011619/http://www.newsarama.com/comics/Rescue-Rangers-Stones-Brill-101206.html. September 6, 2012. dead.
  51. Web site: From Disney's Afternoon Giant to Darth Vader's Castle - IDW October Solicits 2018. Bleeding Cool. July 25, 2018.
  52. http://www.handheldempire.com/game.jsp?game=3081 Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
  53. Disney Reviving 'Chip 'n Dale' for a Live-Action Feature (Exclusive). Kit. Borys. The Hollywood Reporter. January 31, 2014. February 17, 2022.
  54. Disney's Meta Take on 'Rescue Rangers' Finds Its Director With Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer (Exclusive). Kit. Borys. The Hollywood Reporter. May 17, 2019. February 17, 2022.
  55. Web site: John Mulaney 'n Andy Samberg to voice Chip 'n Dale in Rescue Rangers movie for Disney+. Aquilina. Tyler. Entertainment Weekly. December 10, 2020. December 11, 2020.
  56. Web site: Chip 'N Dale's Latest Trailer Is a Goldmine Of '90s Disney Nostalgia. IGN.com. April 27, 2022. Plant, Logan.
  57. Web site: Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers Movie Lands Batman v Superman Cinematographer. Burlingame. Russ. Comicbook.com. November 19, 2020. November 20, 2020.
  58. Web site: Disney's Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers Reboot Begins Filming. Anderson. Jenna. Comicbook.com. March 16, 2021. March 17, 2021.