DVD Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Alvinnn!!! Edition

Movie Info:
Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: Ross Bagdasaruab Jr., Janice Karman, Dody Goodman, Frank Welker, Nancy Cartwright, Tress MacNeille
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: September 17, 1983 – December 21, 1990
DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon

The 80s brought forth some of the best cartoons that have ever aired. Especially when compared to do, the 80s leave a lot of parents missing the days of entertaining children’s programming. While there are a few shows out there that I enjoy watching with my child and nephew, nothing compares to the days of the 80s for me. That’s why this month and the coming months will be especially enjoyable with all of the numerous Chipmunk releases on DVD.

I recently reviewed Alvin and the Chipmunks Go to the Movies and while this was not one of my favorites of the series (the movie episodes came in the final season of the show) this collection and the holiday themed episodes such as Alvin’s Thanksgiving are some of my favorites. These episodes offer the best of The Chipmunks. They show Alvin, Simon, and Theodore in top form.

If your kids are new to the troublesome trio of chipmunks that look like a cross between the animal and little boys this is the perfect set to acquaint them with the fun show. This two disc set gives them plenty of episodes to see the best there is about Alvin and the Chipmunks. Some of my favorite episodes are included in this set.

As an adult they are just as fun to watch as they were when I was a kid. The animation feels homey, being that was what I grew up with, and the comical voices are both familiar and dynamic enough to do their job well. Parents won’t have to worry about violence or inappropriate behavior like in some of the other cartoons that have been available in the past.

It’s hard to imagine that this franchise was born off of one song. It would be close to 30 years after that song was created that the hit show would go on the air. Years after that show, a live-action movie and the re-release of some of the best episodes and holiday shows would be put on DVD. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Alvinnn!!! Edition is one of those many sets. Make sure to stay on the lookout for our other reviews in the coming weeks and months from this great show.

The Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Alvinnn!!! Edition Plot
If you used to love Alvin and the Chipmunks you should enjoy this 2-disc set. Kids enjoy them because they are funny and because more often than not they can relate to one of the chipmunks. Alvin is the mischievous troublemaker, Simon is the intelligent nerdy one, and Theodore is the plump little food lover. Below I have listed a brief description of each episode.

“The Curse of Lontiki”: The Chipmunks head to Hawaii and while they are there Alvin decides to enter a surfing competition. However, when bad luck strikes he is certain that he is cursed!

“Mr. Fabulous”: Theodore enters a wrestling contest under the name of “Mr. Fabulous” after being prodded by Alvin and Simon who want the cash prize. Little do they know, Theodore’s match will be against someone named Ivan the Terrible

“Unidentified Flying Chipmunk”: Alvin has Theodore pretend to be an alien as a way to attract more fans. However, they attract more than fans and when Theodore the alien is kidnapped, Alvin and Simon need to save him!

“A Horse of Course”: Alvin, Simon, and Theodore put all their money together to invest in a horse and despite the horse being older they try to win a race.

“New Improved Simon”: Simon has a crush on his dream girl, Jillian. This puts Alvin to work to help change Simon’s image to help get Jillian to notice him.

“Snow Job”: Alvin will do anything it takes to get an invitation to the Celebrity Ski Tournament. The only problem is that Alvin doesn’t exactly know how to ski.

“Maids In Japan”: Alvin signs him and the boys up to participate in a Kabuki theater in Japan in order to gain more fans in that area.

“Every Chipmunk Tells a Story”: While Dave is out trouble ensues. Dave finds a broken piano and pudding mix piled at the bottom of the stairs. When he checks with the boys to see what happened, all of them give him different stories.

“Romancing Miss Stone”: Alvin develops a head over heels crush on his teacher, Miss Stone. Unfortunately, he’s not the only one that likes her.

“3 Alarm Alvin”: In order to become heroes, the Chipmunks start their own fire department. No one calls with any real fires, but when they find one it will be up to them to save the day if they can.

“Alvin’s Oldest Fan”: Alvin has a contest where the winner gets a date with him. However, Alvin has an image to protect so when he sees that his number one fan is also his oldest fan, he tries to ditch her to save face.

“Chip Off the Old Tooth”: When Theodore loses a tooth he is desperate to see the tooth fairy come and give him some cash. Little does Theodore know, in this case the tooth fairy is going to be Alvin.

“Whatever Happened to Dave Seville?”: Alvin accidentally hits Dave in the head with a ball while playing ball in the house against Dave’s wishes. After the boys cannot revive Dave (it’s really a wax statue) they believe that Dave has some disease and they tell about his life in hopes that Dave will come out of it.

“Cadet’s Regrets”: It’s time to rally the troops when Alvin convinces Simon and Theodore that the three should enroll in cadet camp.
Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
For a bunch of episodes made in the 80s these could be better and they could be worse. The aspect ratio of 1.33:1 points us in the direction of assuming that all of these cartoons are going to look similar to other cartoons in this range. Some of them look fine and retro with bright colors and a more or less clear picture. However, others offer grain, noise, and blinding colorizations. While they are all watchable it is easy to catch minor or major problems in each episode.

The audio, a Dolby Digital mono track is not downright horrible, but it could be so much better. Considering the Chipmunks sing it would have been nice to have a better audio track included. However, what is offered does work even if it is rather bottom of the barrel. Little volume toggling was needed. Closed Captioning is also included.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
I am not sure why this is considered a Collector’s Set because usually that implies that a fair amount of bonuses will be present. However, no bonuses are present here. There is absolutely nothing, which is surprising considering the popularity of the show. It’s sad to see there are no bonuses here, but I suppose I am not too shocked that they are not here. Hopefully the future Chipmunk DVDs will offer more in this area.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Despite its flaws, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Alvinnn!!! Edition is a good set with more funny episodes than not. Kids will love this and some adults will enjoy the stroll down cartoon memory lane. This set deserves a better look and feel with some special features, but kids are pretty nondiscriminatory so they are more likely to love the box set just for the cartoons and not what’s missing from this Collector’s set. If you have little ones, or love the Chipmunks you should pick this up.

Overall Rating:

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Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.