Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a 2009 American jukebox musical comedy film directed by Betty Thomas, written by Jon Vitti, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and produced by Janice Karman and Ross Bagdasarian Jr.. The second installment in its live-action film series and the sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007), the film stars Zachary Levi, David Cross and Jason Lee. Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney return as the Chipmunks from the previous film. Christina Applegate, Anna Faris and Amy Poehler voice the new characters, the Chipettes. The film sees the Chipmunks entering high school and being under the care of Dave Seville's cousin, Toby, while Ian Hawke recruits the Chipettes to restore his career.

Alvin and the Chipmunks:
The Squeakquel
The three titular chipmunks are posing, with the top of the poster reading "the squeakquel" while the billing block and "christmas" release window sit at the bottom
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBetty Thomas
Written by
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAnthony B. Richmond
Edited byMatthew Friedman
Music byDavid Newman
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • December 23, 2009 (2009-12-23)
Running time
88 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70 million
Box office$443.1 million

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and produced by Fox 2000 Pictures, Regency Enterprises and Bagdasarian Productions. It was released in theaters on December 23, 2009, by 20th Century Fox to generally negative reviews from critics, grossing $443.1 million on a $70 million budget. Two sequels were later released: Chipwrecked in 2011 and The Road Chip in 2015.

Plot

David "Dave" Seville is injured when a cardboard cutout of Alvin sends him flying across the stage during a charity benefit concert in Paris. While he recovers in a French hospital, Dave asks his aunt, Jackie, to look after the Chipmunks, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. Arrangements are also made for them to attend West Eastman High School. After she also has an accident at the airport, the Chipmunks are left in the care of Toby, Jackie's grandson and Dave's cousin.

Former JETT Records chief executive Ian Hawke, who is broke and destitute, lives in the company's basement. Three singing female chipmunks, Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, A.K.A. the Chipettes, emerge from a FedEx package. Ian recruits them to resurrect his career.

While at school, two jealous jocks, Ryan and Xander, bully the Chipmunks by chasing them around, putting Simon's head in a toilet and poking at Theodore's backside. The group are summoned to the principal's office after attacking the jocks. The principal, Dr. Rubin, a fan who saw them in Denver, Colorado, enlists their help to raise money for the school's 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 representing the school, he also enrolls the Chipettes there.

When the Chipmunks meet the Chipettes, both groups are smitten with each other. However, Brittany reminds the girls that Ian said they 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 him, and a rivalry emerges when Ian convinces Dr. Rubin to let the Chipettes compete in the Battle of the Bands. 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 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, so the Chipettes win by default. Alvin arrives afterwards to an empty auditorium, and Brittany calls him out for his lack of responsibility.

Alvin returns home and unsuccessfully tries apologizing to his brothers. Theodore runs away to the Los Angeles Zoo the next day to live with a meerkat family, only to find that a wedge-tailed eagle has moved into their exhibit. Alvin and Simon save him from the eagle, and the three escape alive.

Soon, the Chipettes soon learn that 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 distressed phone call from the Chipettes, who tell him that Ian has locked them in a cage. He goes on to rescue them while Simon tells Jeanette how to pick the lock over the phone. Simon and Theodore are on the verge of going out to perform just by themselves until the others arrive just in time to perform. The Chipmunks and the Chipettes perform together for the first time and win 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, and allows the Chipettes to stay with them.

Meanwhile, Ian attempts to imitate the Chipettes at the Staples Centre, only for security guards to eject him from the arena and throw him in a dumpster (after the credits have finished). Also, Ryan, Xander, and Jeremy have to scrape the gum off from under the gymnasium bleachers as punishment for harassing the Chipmunks and making Alvin miss the sing-off by bribing him into their football team.

Cast

Live-action cast

Voice cast

Cameos

Production

Originally, Dave Seville was written to have a larger role in the film, but it was reduced due to Jason Lee’s filming schedule for the fourth and final season of My Name Is Earl. During preproduction of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel in 2008, most of his scenes were rewritten, with much of Lee's role being replaced with Zachary Levi’s character, Toby Seville.

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[3] with $48.9 million and a $75.6 million 5-day total, eclipsing its budget in only 5 days. In the US, its the 9th highest-grossing film of 2009, and on March 7, 2010, it out-grossed its predecessor to become the second highest-grossing film to never hit #1 behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding.[4] 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.[5][6]

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] asking, "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

At the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel won Favorite Movie.[18] The film was one of nominees for the "Family" category at the 2010 National Movie Awards, losing to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009).[19][20] Music supervisor Julianne Jordan won the Guild of Music Supervisors Award for Best Music Supervision for a Film in 2011.[21][lower-alpha 2] At the 2010 British Academy Children's Awards, The Squeakquel won Kid's Vote — Film.[22]

Soundtrack
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
The Chipmunks and The Chipettes
ReleasedDecember 1, 2009
GenrePop, rock, hip hop, dance
Length50:15
LabelRhino
ProducerRoss Bagdasarian Jr., 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 featuring 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 featuring 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 featuring 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[23]
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[24]
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

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Marketing

Video game
Alvin and the Chipmunks:
The Squeakquel
Developer(s)ImaginEngine
Publisher(s)Majesco Entertainment
Designer(s)Rohit Chokhani
Michael Gesner
SeriesAlvin and The Chipmunks
Platform(s)Nintendo DS, Wii
Release
  • NA: December 1, 2009
Genre(s)Rhythm
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a video game based on the movie. It was released on December 1, 2009 (the same day as the movie's soundtrack) 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.[41] The title was then changed to Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.[42] 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).[43] A fourth film, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, was released on December 18, 2015.[44]

Notes
  1. Credited under Charice Pempengco as herself
  2. Also for Valentine's Day (2010), Red (2010), Fair Game (2010), Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010), and The Bounty Hunter (2010)[21]

References
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  2. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
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  5. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
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  9. "Christmas gift for Hollywood: Biggest weekend in box office history". Los Angeles Times. December 27, 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 December 20, 2018.
  11. Gleiberman, Owen (December 24, 2009). "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Movie Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
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  20. "Twilight saga dominates UK National Movie Awards". Irish Examiner. May 27, 2010. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  21. Thomas, Amanda Krieg (February 17, 2011). "Music in Media / Guild of Music Supervisors Holds First Awards Brunch". Tadpole Audio. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  22. "Children's in 2010". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
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