DVD Review: Alvin & The Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration

Movie Info:
Creator/Writer: Ross Bagdasarian
Cast: Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., Janice Karman, Sherwood Ball, Nancy Cartwright, Tress MacNeille, Frank Welker, Vanessa Bagdasarian, Michael Bagdasarian
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Season Episode Air Dates: Two episodes from 1988 and one from 1989
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $10.99

I’ve probably already mentioned in a previous Chipmunks DVD release that I grew up watching the chipmunks cartoons. I loved their show. It aired from the time I was almost three until I was ten. This is pretty much the perfect age range for kids to enjoy the show. I still love the Chipmunks though, so I look forward to all of the releases that Paramount (and the various other studios with rights to the Chipmunks) put out. That’s part of why I decided to do the review for Alvin & The Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration.

The Chipmunks have a long and prosperous history. I’ve never really touched on it in a review, but I’d enjoy telling all of you who are reading this about it now. The Chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore were created by Russ Bagdasarian Sr. in 1958. Originally a music group, the Chipmunks have won a total of six Grammy Awards throughout the years. Bagdasarian was a singer, songwriter, actor and music producer. He went by the stage name of David Seville, which we all know is the name of the chipmunks’ fictionalized guardian. In the early days though, Bagdasarian played that role, later inventing a cartoon version of Dave for Chipmunk-based cartoon specials.

Another interesting tidbit about the Chipmunks I’m sure I shared in previous reviews is that the Chipmunks were named for the executives of the first company that signed the trio, Liberty Records. The three were named after Alvin Bennett, Simon Waronker, and Theodore Keep. While the Chipmunks are all fictional characters and while Bagdasarian spent $190 of his last $200 buying a recorder that allowed him to alter the speed of his recordings, which gave him that patented Chipmunk sound, the trio released several records, starting with the infamous “The Christmas Song”.

After Bagdasarian, who supplied the voices of all three Chipmunks, died in 1972, his son Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Ross Jr.’s wife, Janice Karman, took over the voices of Dave and the Chipmunks. It is this duo that came up with the television show, which aired from 1983-1991. It is also these two who ultimately turned the Chipmunks into even bigger stars than they already were. it is both Bagdasarians and Janice Karman who we can thank for this DVD.

Alvin & The Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration Plot
The Alvin & The Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration DVD contains the main Thanksgiving celebration special and three episodes from the Alvin & The Chipmunks television show. Two of the episodes aired during Season Six, which ran in 1988 and one of the episodes was the first episode of Season Seven, airing in 1989.

Here is a list of the episodes/special with a description for each of them. On a side note, the DVD has a play all function, so you can play all of the episodes on this DVD at once.

“A Chipmunk Celebration” - It’s almost Thanksgiving and Dave and the Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon and Theodore) are busily preparing envelopes inviting all of their family (both Chipmunks and humans) to a major Thanksgiving celebration. Alvin is ecstatic to see his family, but Simon explains it is because Alvin is certain he is going to get the lead in the school play, which is also going to be televised. Alvin just wants everyone to see him as the star he knows he is.

When the boys come home from school a few days later they are dejected. Alvin wants to get the letters back, but its too late. They’ve been sent out and Dave’s somewhat evil Grandma is already planning to arrive. Dave tries to make the boys feel better because their teacher has decided they all need to try something new. Alvin is assigned the job of costume designer, a job Theodore wanted. Theodore is assigned the job of set technician, a job Simon wanted. Simon is given the lead in the school play.

When Alvin explains he knows nothing about costuming, Theodore knows nothing about technical aspects of theater, including lighting, and Simon hasn’t acted on stage since he embarrassed himself in a performance of “The Merchant of Venice” at the age of three, they all say that they want to quit the play. Despite Dave telling them that trying new things opens doors, with the family coming to see them, Alvin’s willing to do anything to get out of working on the play, while he can.

“Food For Thought” - The boys are all set to graduate from third grade to fourth; all of them except for Theodore. When the boys graduate, they can all go to Funland as a reward. As Simon and Alvin are discussing ways to go on every single ride at Funland, Theodore breaks the bad news to them. If he fails his American history test the next day then he is going to be held back and won’t get to go to Funland. Drastic times call for drastic measures, and Alvin and Simon set out to explain America’s history to Theodore; from the first Thanksgiving through the American Revolution. Unfortunately, the only thing Theodore can seem to remember is the food the Pilgrims ate!

“Cookie Chomper III” - When Dave is late coming home, Simon takes on parental responsibilities, but even he can’t control his fear when they hear strange noises. It turns out to be a kitten. They must hide it from Dave though, who seems to be allergic to cats. When Theodore wants to name the kitten Cookie and Alvin wants to name it Chomper, Simon comes up with a compromise, Cookie Chomper the Third (III). It isn’t long before Dave learns about the kitten and Simon is sure he can cure the allergy because he believes it is psychosomatic. However, something happens that changes the lives of all four Sevilles. Rated one of the saddest episodes, I don’t recommend you let small children watch this episode alone.

“Dave’s Getting Married” - When Dave dates a woman named Marcia the Chipmunks are worried about how serious the relationship is becoming. That is until they meet Marcia for themselves. She’s perfect in nearly every way and the three decide they’d like a mother like her. When they ask Dave to schedule a trip to the beach with Marcia and hint at a marriage proposal, they are shocked to learn that Marcia has three kids, all boys; a popular smart-aleck, a brainiac, and a boy obsessed with food. When Dave and Marcia announce their plans to marry, the six boys can hardly contain their unenthusiastic attitudes, towards one another!

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The episodes and Thanksgiving special on the Alvin & The Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration DVD all were made in the 1980s. You can see this. The biggest problem was instances of glare (sometimes called color bleeding). While the show had been vastly updated and improved from its original 1980s run, the 1.33:1 standard full frames quality just isn’t perfect. While colors are bright, they aren’t always sharp. There were minor instances of dirt, noise and grain, but nothing too serious. For animation that dates back 20 years, this DVD looks excellent.

The English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound was nice. There was good use of the speakers and the sound was somewhat dynamic. I didn’t need to volume toggle. Once I set the volume at a normal level it was fine throughout the entire DVD. What I really had hoped for was a 5.1 surround track. Alvin & The Chipmunks is as much a musically driven soundtrack as it is a dialogue driven one. The 5.1 track would merely have provided a more robust sound. While this stereo track doesn’t sound bad and gets the job done (your kids won’t notice anything wrong with it and neither should you), I’m just picky when it comes to music on DVDs. While no subtitles are available, there is the option for Closed Captioning.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
I was disappointed when I found out that the Alvin & The Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration DVD did not have a single bonus feature on it. While I understand that Paramount puts out many different Chipmunks DVDs each year, a few bonuses would be much appreciated.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
I absolutely love the Chipmunks in all their various incarnations, but especially during the holidays. Alvin, Simon and Theodore were some of the most heartfelt cartoon characters i watched in my youth. I am so glad that Paramount has been regularly releasing DVDs that offer episodes from the original series I grew up watching, as well as the holiday specials that accompanied the show. To say I recommend you purchase Alvin & The Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration would be an understatement. You and your kids can enjoy the Chipmunks together.

Overall Rating:

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