Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a 2009 American live-action/computer animated musical family fantasy comedy film directed by Betty Thomas. It is the second live action/animated film starring Alvin and the Chipmunks and stars Zachary Levi, David Cross, and Jason Lee with the voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate. The film was written by Jon Vitti, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, distributed by 20th Century Fox, and produced by Fox 2000 Pictures, Regency Enterprises and Bagdasarian Company. It is a sequel to the 2007 film Alvin and the Chipmunks and was released in theaters on December 23, 2009 by 20th Century Fox. The film grossed $443.1 million[4] on a $70 million[3] budget.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBetty Thomas
Produced by
Written by
Based onAlvin and the Chipmunks
by Ross Bagdasarian
The Chipettes
by Janice Karman
Starring
Music byDavid Newman
CinematographyAnthony B. Richmond
Edited byMatthew Friedman
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • December 23, 2009 (2009-12-23)
Running time
88 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70 million[3]
Box office$443.1 million[4]

Plot

Dave (Jason Lee) is injured when a cardboard cutout of Alvin (Justin Long) sends him flying across the stage during a charity benefit concert. Dave asks his aunt, Jackie (Kathryn Joosten), to look after the Chipmunks, Alvin, Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), and Theodore (Jesse McCartney). Arrangements are also made for them to go to West Eastman High School. After Jackie also has an accident, the Chipmunks are left in the care of Toby (Zachary Levi), Jackie's grandson and Dave's cousin.

Former CEO Ian Hawke (David Cross), who is broke and destitute, lives in the basement of JETT Records. Three singing female chipmunks, Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, also known as The Chipettes (Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate), emerge from a FedEx package. Ian recruits and hires the Chipettes in an effort to resurrect his career.

While at school, bullies ridicule the Chipmunks and threaten to kill them because their girlfriends are attracted to them. They chase the Chipmunks around the school, give Simon a swirlie in a toilet and poke at Theodore's butt. The Chipmunks are summoned to the principal's office after attacking the bullies and discover the principal, Dr. Rubin (Wendie Malick), is a fan. She enlists their help to raise money for a music program by participating in a contest. Ian is shocked to find the Chipmunks on the front page of his newspaper. After he reads a story about them, he quickly sends the Chipettes to school.

When the Chipmunks meet the Chipettes, both groups are smitten with each other. However, Brittany reminds the girls that Ian said the Chipmunks betrayed him and are untrustworthy. Alvin and the boys struggle to make it through a rehearsal because of their new crushes. Ian smugly walks in and introduces his new stars, the Chipettes. The boys are shocked to see the girls are working with Ian, and a rivalry emerges when Ian convinces Dr. Rubin to let the Chipettes compete in the Battle of the Bands. Dr. Rubin sets up a concert for the two groups to compete to represent the school.

Alvin becomes popular with the jocks and joins the football team, not realizing that the next game is during the concert. At the concert, Theodore and Simon tell the fans that Alvin failed to show up, and they cannot perform, leading to a victory for the Chipettes. Alvin arrives after the concert to an empty auditorium, and Brittany calls him out for his lack of responsibility. Alvin returns home and attempts to apologize to his brothers, but is ignored. Theodore runs away to the zoo the next day. Alvin and Simon save him from an eagle, and the three reconcile.

Soon, the Chipettes are hired but learn they are to perform as an opening act for a Britney Spears concert on the same night as the school contest. Ian convinces them to call off the battle and perform at the concert, but refuses to give the same credit to Jeanette and Eleanor that he gives Brittany, who demands that they all perform together or not at all, until Ian threatens to send them to a barbecue restaurant unless they perform.

Before the Battle of the Bands, Alvin receives a phone call from the Chipettes, who tell him that Ian has locked them in a cage. Alvin races off to rescue them while Simon tells Jeanette how to pick the lock over the cell phone. Simon and Theodore are on the verge of going out to perform until the others arrive just in time to perform at the contest. The Chipmunks and the Chipettes perform together and receive the money for the music program. Dave, who had left the hospital upon learning that Toby was looking after the Chipmunks, returns during the contest, happy to see the Chipmunks again. Meanwhile, Ian is further exposed at the concert. He sets up for the girls when he attempts to imitate them, only to be taken away by security guards. After the contest, Dave allows the Chipettes to stay with them, Rubin has the jocks scrape the gum off from under the bleachers in the gymnasium as punishment for making Alvin late for the sing-off, and the security guards throw Ian in a dumpster.

Cast

Cameos

Reception

Box office

On its opening Wednesday, the film opened to #1 with $18.8 million and finished the weekend at #3 behind Fox's own Avatar and Warner Bros' Sherlock Holmes[5] with $48.9 million and a $75.6 million 5-day total, eclipsing its budget in only five days. In the US, it is the 9th highest-grossing film of 2009, and on March 7, 2010, it outgrossed its predecessor to become the second highest-grossing film to never hit #1 behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding.[6] Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel ended its run with $219.6 million in the US and $223.5 million overseas for a total of $443.1 million worldwide.[4]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 20% based on reviews from 84 critics and an average rating of 3.88/10. The site's consensus is that, "This Squeakquel may entertain the kiddies, but it's low on energy and heavily reliant on slapstick humor."[7] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100 based on 20 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A on scale of A to F.[9][10]

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly graded the film a C-.[11] Gleiberman wrote in his review with this question: "Will kids eat up this cutely fractious claptrap? Of course they will. They'll eat up whatever you put in front of them. But that doesn't make The Squeakquel good for them."[11] Sue Robinson from Radio Times said that "even if there's little here for older viewers to enjoy, youngsters will love the slapstick action and catchy soundtrack."[12]

Joe Leydon, writing for Variety, called it "a frenetic but undeniably funny follow-up that offers twice the number of singing-and-dancing rodents in another seamless blend of CGI and live-action elements."[13] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times commented on Betty Thomas' direction, saying that she brings "a light campy touch as she did in 1995's The Brady Bunch Movie."[14]

After the film had garnered $112 million worldwide at the box office over its first weekend, some critics were disappointed that it was more popular than other movies in wide release aimed at a family audience.[15][16] Richard Corliss of Time wrote that families "could have taken the cherubs to The Princess and the Frog or Disney's A Christmas Carol, worthy efforts that, together, took in only about a fifth of the Chipmunks' revenue in the same period".[17]

Accolades

  • 2010 Kids' Choice Awards: Favorite Movie (winner)
  • 2010 BAFTA Children's Awards: BAFTA Kids' Vote - Feature Film (winner)

Soundtrack
Alvin and the Chipmunks:
The Squeakquel:
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
The Chipmunks and The Chipettes
ReleasedDecember 1, 2009 (December 1, 2009)
GenrePop, rock, hip hop, dance
Length50:15
LabelRhino
ProducerRoss Bagdasarian, Janice Karman, Ali Dee Theodore
The Chipmunks and The Chipettes chronology
Undeniable
(2008)		 Alvin and the Chipmunks:
The Squeakquel:
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2009)		 Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked: Music from the Motion Picture
(2011)

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack based on the film. It was released on December 1, 2009. Bands Honor Society and Queensberry, along with Filipino singer Charice, were all featured artists for both the movie and soundtrack.

Track listing
Standard
No.TitleWriter(s)Performing Artist(s)Length
1."You Really Got Me"Ray DaviesThe Chipmunks Feat. Honor Society3:05
2."Hot n Cold"Katy Perry, Lukasz Gottwald, Max MartinThe Chipettes4:05
3."So What"Alecia B. Moore, Johann Karl Schuster, Max MartinThe Chipettes4:05
4."You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)"Pete Burns, Steve Coy, Wayne Hussey Mike Percy, Timothy LeverThe Chipmunks3:36
5."Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash, Thaddis Harrell, Christopher StewartThe Chipettes2:57
6."Bring It On"Ali Dee Theodore, Jason GleedThe Chipmunks3:46
7."Stayin' Alive"Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice GibbThe Chipmunks3:05
8."The Song"Ali Dee Theodore, Alana Da Fonseca, Mike Klein, John McCurryThe Chipettes Feat. Queensberry3:06
9."It's OK"Ali Dee Theodore, Alana Da Fonseca, Vinny AlfieriThe Chipmunks2:48
10."Shake Your Groove Thing"Dino Fekaris, Frederick PerrenThe Chipmunks and The Chipettes3:52
11."Put Your Records On"Corinne Bailey Rae, John Beck, Steven ChrisanthouThe Chipettes3:35
12."I Want to Know What Love Is"Mick JonesThe Chipmunks2:54
13."We Are Family"Bernard Edwards, Nile RodgersThe Chipmunks and The Chipettes3:03
14."No One"Alicia Keys, Kerry Brothers, Jr., George Michael HarryThe Chipettes Feat. Charice4:00
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Performing Artist(s)Length
15."I Gotta Feeling"The Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta, Frédéric RiestererThe Chipmunks and The Chipettes4:06
Amazon.com Bonus track[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Performing Artist(s)Length
16."In The Family"Ali Dee Theodore, Jason Gleed, Alana Da FonsecaThe Chipmunks and The Chipettes3:01
iTunes Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks[19]
No.TitleWriter(s)Performing Artist(s)Length
16."Daydream Believer"John StewartThe Chipmunks2:45
17."Get Ur Good Time On"Ali Dee Theodore, Alana Da Fonseca, Vincent Alfieri, John McCurryThe Chipmunks2:48
18."The Song"Theodore, Fonseca, Mike Klein, McCurryQueensberry3:06

Chart performance
Chart (2009-10) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] 75
Australian Albums Chart[21] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 20
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[23] 82
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] 3
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 34
UK Albums Chart 6
U.S. Billboard 200 6

Marketing

Video game
Alvin and the Chipmunks:
The Squeakquel
Cover Art
Developer(s)ImaginEngine
Publisher(s)Majesco Entertainment
Director(s)Betty Thomas 
Producer(s)Janice Karman
Ross Bagdasarian Jr. 
Composer(s)David Newman 
SeriesAlvin and The Chipmunks
Platform(s)Nintendo DS, Wii
Release
  • NA: December 1, 2009
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player, Multi-player

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a platform game based on the movie. It was released on December 1, 2009 (the same day as the movie's soundtrack) only for the Wii and Nintendo DS.

Home media

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel was released on DVD/Blu-ray/Digital Copy on March 30, 2010 in North America, on April 12, 2010 in the United Kingdom and on June 2, 2010 in Australia.

Sequels
Main article: Alvin and the Chipmunks in film § Live-action/animated films

Shortly after the film's release on DVD and Blu-ray, Fox and Regency had announced that Alvin and the Chipmunks 3D was scheduled to be released on December 16, 2011.[26] The title was then changed to Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.[27] On January 22, 2011, Fox 2000 Pictures started production on the film during a Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Dream ship. Filming took place primarily on the ship's upper, open decks with scenes featuring actor Jason Lee (reprising his role as David Seville) and the antics of The Chipmunks in the Carnival Dream's outdoor recreation areas. Stops on the itinerary included Cozumel, Roatan, Belize and Costa Maya (which provided tropical backdrops for many of the film's shipboard scenes).[28] A fourth film, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, was released on December 18, 2015.[29]

References
  1. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  2. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009)". British Film Institute. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  3. Fritz, Ben (2009-12-28). "Holiday box-office take is highest in recent history". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  4. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  5. "Weekend Box Office Results for December 25–27, 2009". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  6. "Top Grossing Movies That Never Hit #1 at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 4 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  7. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  8. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 21 December 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
  9. "Christmas gift for Hollywood: Biggest weekend in box office history". Los Angeles Times. 27 December 2009. according to market research firm CinemaScore, while "Alvin" got an A.
  10. "ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL (2009) A". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  11. Gleiberman, Owen (2009-12-24). "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Movie Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 15 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  12. Robinson, Sue (2009-12-24). "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel". RadioTimes. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  13. Leydon, Joe (2009-12-20). "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Review". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  14. Sharkey, Betsy (2009-12-23). "Bright-eyed, Bushy-tailed". Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel movie review, Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
  15. Ryan Michael Painter (2009-12-28). "Weekend Box Office Reaction". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16.
  16. Scott Mendelson (2009-12-27). "HuffPost Weekend Box Office in Review: Avatar Dominates Record-Breaking Weekend". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 30 December 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  17. Corliss, Richard (2009-12-30). "Alvin 2: The Unspeakable Squeakquel". Time. Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  18. "Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version): Alvin And The Chipmunks: MP3 Downloads". Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  19. "iTunes - Music - Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Deluxe Edition] by Various Artists". Itunes.apple.com. 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  20. "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack / Alvin and the Chipmunks – Alvin and the Chipmunks 2" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  21. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Australian chart history
  22. "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack / Alvin and the Chipmunks – Alvin and the Chipmunks 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  23. "Mexicancharts.com – Soundtrack / Alvin and the Chipmunks – Alvin and the Chipmunks 2". mexicancharts.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  24. "Charts.nz – Soundtrack / Alvin and the Chipmunks – Alvin and the Chipmunks 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – Soundtrack / Alvin and the Chipmunks – Alvin and the Chipmunks 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  26. "The Chipmunks are Coming in 3D, Wall Street Bumped". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
  27. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked at Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  28. "Alvin and the Chipmunks Movie Filmed on Caribbean Cruise". Travel Agent Central. 2011-02-02. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  29. Kit, Borys (December 18, 2014). "'Alvin and the Chipmunks 4' Finds a Director (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
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