Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers Early Buzz: Roger Rabbit Gets A Worthy Successor
Disney+, as a streaming service, has largely been good as a nostalgia machine that runs on gigantic franchises. And, to be fair, that strategy is working quite well as the service has gained a ton of subscribers in just over two years. At times, this can be a bit exhausting but, in other moments, the vessel for nostalgia proves to be welcomed. Such appears to be the case with "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers," a brand new movie that revives the beloved cartoon with a twist. It's a mix of live-action and animation with Johny Mulaney and Andy Sandberg leading the way as the iconic cartoon duo.
Well, we now have some sense of how director Akiva Schaffer managed with the material as the social media reactions to the film have begun pouring in ahead of its release later this week. While we still have to wait for full reviews to drop, it appears as though this is going to be a real treat for people who grew up with the series.
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers early buzz
For starters, /Film's very own Chris Evangelista and Ethan Anderson had the chance to check out the film and they both had very nice things to say about it. In particular, they offered comparisons to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" which is no small thing to say.
Folks, CHIP N DALE RESCUE RANGERS is truly a worthy successor to WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. Packed with hilarious and even mystifying cartoon cameos and references, it’s clever, inventive, and so much fun for adults and kids alike. Kind of a miracle Disney let this movie happen.
— Ethan Anderton (@Ethan_Anderton) May 16, 2022
CHIP 'N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS is a total blast. It's kind of like if Shane Black decided to remake WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. I went in not expecting much and ended up loving it. pic.twitter.com/rGywW6RkYz
— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) May 16, 2022
Our own BJ Colangelo also had the chance to see the film and paints it as a love letter to animation, in addition to being hilarious.
‘Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers’ loves animation and loves animation fans even more. A delightfully hilarious movie. A few cameos incited full-body laugh reactions. Andy Samberg and John Mulaney are a winning team. Absolutely seek this one out when it hits Disney+. pic.twitter.com/krpmGJFNsX
— BJ Colangelo (@bjcolangelo) May 16, 2022
SlashFilm's Ben F. Silverio had plenty of praise too:
"Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" is a trip! Definitely wasn't expecting a spiritual sequel to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", but loved to see it. Delightfully meta & a real treat for animation fans. Still don't know how they pulled off a lot of the fun bits, but glad they did!
— Ben F. Silverio (@BSilverio20) May 16, 2022
And our own Josh Spiegel has a glowing review on the way, but had this to say for now:
Review tomorrow, but Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers — a blend of very inside-baseball animation references and loopy Lonely Island humor in a family-friendly package — is very much a For Me movie. I've watched it twice, and really dug it.
— Josh Spiegel (@mousterpiece) May 16, 2022
It turns out the glowing reactions don't end with critics working under this roof as Collider's Steven Weintraub also had very nice things to say about it.
Can finally talk about how awesome #chipndale Rescue Rangers is. The film is laugh out loud funny and has more cameos & surprises than a Marvel movie. I don’t know how Akiva Schaffer got Disney to agree to include some of the characters & the other studios to let him use them 1/2 pic.twitter.com/f4BLe3cicr
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) May 16, 2022
Also, every single poster in the background is worth looking at. I pushed pause about 50 times to see them. Easily one of the best Disney+ movies they’ve ever made if not the best. Huge thumbs up. If you want to see it this Saturday in Burbank with Akiva https://t.co/vLsZnnPYGz
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) May 16, 2022
Quite honestly, in the early going, it seems downright difficult to find a bad reaction in the bunch. Not to get anyone's hopes up too high here, but it seems like this may be a total slam dunk. Here are some other very positive reactions to the inventive reboot.
#chipndale feels like a Who Framed Roger Rabbit style adventure in all the best ways. It’s a cartoon Multiverse w/ loads of easter eggs, throwbacks, & so many characters! If you loved #RescueRangers like me, you need 2 watch this. It's a blast!
Watch on Disney+ 5/20#chipanddale pic.twitter.com/xR1SykrdP7
— Ashley Saunders ➡️ Cosmic Rewind (@ThatAshleyErin) May 16, 2022
#ChipNDale is pretty awesome! As a fan of the original TV series, I genuinely had a blast catching up with these characters. Enjoyed the sharp meta-humor & hybrid animation style – kinda Roger Rabbit with some PG Lonely Island flavor. Also, the easter eggs are insane & hilarious. pic.twitter.com/zhCDjLTrls
— Fico (@FicoCangiano) May 16, 2022
#ChipnDale is PHENOMENAL!! Loved the clash of film styles all put on screen. It’s a top contender for BEST live action hybrid movie ever made. It’s HILARIOUS! So many laugh out loud moments. And the CAMEOS😂 there is one in here that will light the internet on FIRE🔥🤯 10/10 pic.twitter.com/EVNpb8MxVz
— Cris Parker (@3CFilmss) May 16, 2022
Chip ‘n Dale: #RescueRangers is Roger Rabbit for Disney Afternoon kids â€" of which I was one. Mulaney and Samberg are ironically the flattest parts of the whole shindig (animation pun not intended), but it all reminds me so much of the films I used to binge as a kid. A+. pic.twitter.com/xu8xQZZ5qg
— Maggie Boccella 📝 (@maggie_rachael) May 16, 2022
#RescueRangers is one of the best original Disney+ movies. Extremely self-aware, hilarious and intelligent. I don't know how they got away with 99% of the movie. No property is safe, especially not Disney. This is a must see REPEATEDLY.#chipndale #chipndalerescuerangers pic.twitter.com/QT3CUpuKvp
— Dana (Store Name) #AmplifyBlackVoices (@sagesurge) May 16, 2022
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is an absolute BLAST! Who Framed Roger Rabbit meets Space Jam 2. It's filled to the brim with fantastic cameos. John Mulaney & Andy Samberg have HILARIOUS comedic chemistry & Seth Rogan is HYSTERICAL! A surprise character steals the show! #ChipNDale pic.twitter.com/PL3bMCqgrI
— Tessa Smith – Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) May 16, 2022
CHIP 'N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS uses the WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT blueprint to examine nostalgia and animation history to charming and extremely funny success. I really dug it.
— Meagan Navarro (@HauntedMeg) May 16, 2022
Oh hey, I can talk about this now: CHIP 'N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS is stellar. A very clever take on the material, packed with cameos and references too numerous to count, and multiple laugh out loud moments. Can't believe what Disney let the Lonely Island team get away with.
— Brent Hankins (@mistermainevent) May 16, 2022
The hype very much appears to be real with this one. Aside from the "Roger Rabbit" comparisons, the big takeaway here seems to be that the movie caught a lot of people off guard in a good way, ultimately serving as a pleasant surprise. These reactions aren't just positive – they're positively glowing. Will Arnett, Eric Bana, Flula Borg, Dennis Haysbert, Keegan-Michael Key, Tress MacNeille, Tim Robinson, Seth Rogen, and J.K. Simmons also star. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand penned the screenplay.
"Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" arrives on May 20 on Disney+.
Chip and Dale are living amongst cartoons and humans in modern-day Los Angeles, but their lives are quite different now. It has been decades since their successful television series was cancelled, and Chip (voice of Mulaney) has succumbed to a life of suburban domesticity as an insurance salesman. Dale (voice of Sandberg), meanwhile, has had CGI surgery and works the nostalgia convention circuit, desperate to relive his glory days. When a former cast mate mysteriously disappears, Chip and Dale must repair their broken friendship and take on their Rescue Rangers detective personas once again to save their friend's life.