Cast: Zach Levi, David Cross & Jason Lee. Voices of: Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris, Christina Applegate.
Director: Betty Thomas
Writers: Jon Vitti and Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger, based on upon the characters Alivin & The Chipmunks created by Ross Bagdasarian
Producers: Ross Bagdasarian, Janice Karman
Genre: Family Comedy
In the "Squeakquel," pop sensations Alvin, Simon and Theodore end up in the care of Dave Seville's twenty-something nephew Toby (Zachary Levi). The boys must put aside music superstardom to return to school, and are tasked with saving the school's music program by winning the $25,000 prize in a battle of the bands. But the Chipmunks unexpectedly meet their match in three singing chipmunks known as "The Chipettes" - Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette. Romantic and musical sparks are ignited when the Chipmunks and Chipettes square off.
Janice Karman: "And it has twice the number of 'Munks, thanks to the addition of The Chipettes." [The Chipettes are the newest addition to the ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS movie franchise - but they're not new to Alvin's pop culture universe. Karman created the Chipettes in 1982 for a new "Alvin and The Chipmunks" television series that debuted the following year. "We wanted to cover some great 'girl songs'," she says.]
SCHOOL 'DAZE':
In the SQUEAKQUEL, Alvin, Simon and Theodore temporarily put aside pop superstardom, to enroll in school. It's not an easy transition, as the 'Munks experience the various trials and tribulations of school life - the bullies, the cliques, the pranks, the stern principal - that all students experience. Most significantly, their student adventures test their family bond.
Ross Bagdasarian: "In addition to the great music, we're always looking for some strong emotion in a Chipmunks story. How do you get along in a new school? Is the 'Munks' bond as brothers affected by Alvin's insatiable desire for popularity? Setting the story in school creates opportunities that test the brothers' bond."
"THERE'S DAVE SEVILLE...."
Jason Lee ("My Name is Earl"), who played the 'Munks dad/manager Dave Seville in the 2007 blockbuster, was almost unable to reprise the role in the SQUEAKQUEL, due to a scheduling conflict. But Lee, determined to rejoin Alvin, Simon and Theodore, moved some things around - and was able to squeeze in filming for some key scenes that feature both physical comedy and touching emotional beats.
Jason Lee: "I just sort of follow Ross Bagdasarian on how to approach Dave. Is it a short Alvin scream, or a long ["Allllvvviiiiiinnnn!"] scream? There's a lot of fun playing the physical comedy and Dave's constant frustrations with Alvin. But we also try and make the scenes as warm as possible - and make Dave as likable as possible, considering how much he's always yelling at Alvin!"
Jason Lee: "In the SQUEAKQUEL, Dave and the boys have a great reunion. You come to understand that as much as Dave resisted the boys in the first movie, he's come around and realized how much they mean to him. They're his kids, so to speak. In the new film, we take their family bond to the next level, which is: 'We're together unconditionally, forever.' But...Dave is still up to his neckbrace in all the trouble they cause."
TOBY TAKES CHARGE
Thanks to Alvin's on-stage shenanigans, Dave is laid-up in a Paris hospital. While he's recuperating, his cousin Toby is entrusted with The Chipmunks' care. Zachary Levi, who plays Toby, is best known for starring as the titular hero - a nerdy electronics store employee who unexpectedly becomes a spy -- in the NBC comedy-adventure series "Chuck." In the SQUEAKQUEL, Levi's Toby out-geeks even super-nerd Chuck; Toby is an obsessive videogame player who is totally out to sea when it comes to "parenting" -- and trouble-prone Alvin, Simon and Theodore don't make things any easier for him!
Zach Levi: "Toby is kind of wrangled into a situation where he has to take care of The Chipmunks, a task for which he's initially completely incapable, because Toby's interests extend only to video games."
THE 'MUNKS SPEAK!
Three of today's hottest young actors - "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story's" Justin Long, "Criminal Minds'" Matthew Gray Gubler, and pop sensation/actor Jesse McCartney - return in the SQUEAKQUEL to voice, respectively, Alvin, Simon and Theodore. Producers Ross Bagdasarian and Janice Karman continue to be delighted with the work of all three performers - no small thing given that Bagdasarian's father, Ross, Sr., voiced the 'Munks before his untimely passing, with Bagdasarian and Karman performing the voices of The Chipmunks and The Chipettes the past thirty years.
Justin Long: "What makes Alvin stand out? I think Alvin is a born leader, with a lot of charisma and charm. In his mind, he's bigger than life."
Mattthew Gray Gubler: "I'm honored to play the part of Simon because I'm probably the biggest fan The Chipmunks have ever had. I love their music, their life philosophy...everything. I was such a fan that I was worried that no one would believe me when I told them I was cast in the first movie. Before school, I used to watch the 1980s cartoon."
Jesse McCartney: "I remember spending every Saturday morning on the couch with a big bowl of breakfast, and in my PJs, watching "The Chipmunks" - not knowing that one day I'd actually be playing Theodore."
"Obviously, I'm biased, because I play Theodore, but I would have named the group "Theo's Trio," and not Alvin and The Chipmunks. Theodore has a lot of lovable qualities. In the SQUEAKQUEL, Theodore's biggest challenge is overcoming certain hurdles during his first year in school. Such as: bulliesÂ…and his fear of eagles. But more than anything, Theodore needs the reassurance that he's part of something, and that he has a family."
GIRL POWER! MEET THE CHIPETTES:
The three Chipettes made their debut in 1983 in the animated series "Alvin and The Chipmunks." Created (and voiced) by Janice Karman, The Chipettes provided the opportunity for Karman and Bagdasarian to do some "girl songs." At the same time, The Chipmunks and Chipettes had a fun dynamic, which audiences really responded to. As they had withThe Chipmunks, the filmmakers were able to cast three formidable talents - in this case, Anna Faris, Christina Applegate and Amy Poehler - to voice The Chipettes (respectively, Jeanette, Brittany and Eleanor).
Anna Faris: "Jeanette is different from her siblings in, among other ways, she wears glasses. And her ponytail also reflects her unique, offbeat style. She's a bit of a dreamer, and not as ambitious as her sisters. Maybe, she's a bit nerdier than Brittany and Eleanor. She's incredibly sweet, and has a heart of gold. In some ways, I'm like Jeanette because I, too, can be a little spacey a little dreamy. And I used to wear glasses. "
Christina Applegate: "Brittany is sassy - and she can definitely back it up. She's got some pipes on her, and some moves. Some amazing moves that I'm still trying to figure out on my own!"
Amy Poehler: "Eleanor is feisty and energetic. And she's short, which always makes for an interesting personality. She's an optimist. She knows how to have fun, and her enthusiasm is contagious."
'MUNK-IN MUSIC
All singing! All dancing! All Alvin! In ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, Alvin, Simon and Theodore had a brand new sound that incorporated their signature music with modern takes on rock, pop, reggae and hip hop. With the SQUEAKQUEL , the 'Munks, along with executive music producer Ali Dee Theodore, are delivering even more accessible, fun pop music. Here's what in store for 'Munk music fans everywhere, on the Rhino Records soundtrack:
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS; THE SQUEAKQUEL Music From The Motion Picture
1. YOU REALLY GOT ME - The Chipmunks feat. Honor Society
2. HOT N COLD - The Chipettes
3. SO WHAT - The Chipettes
4. YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) - The Chipmunks
5. SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT) - The Chipettes
6. BRING IT ON - The Chipmunks
7. STAYIN' ALIVE - The Chipmunks
8. THE SONG - The Chipettes feat. Queensberry
9. IT'S OK - The Chipmunks
10. SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - The Chipmunks & The Chipettes
11. PUT YOUR RECORDS ON - The Chipettes
12. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - The Chipmunks
13. WE ARE FAMILY - The Chipmunks & The Chipettes
14. NO ONE - The Chipettes featuring Charice
BONUS TRACK
15. I GOTTA FEELING - The Chipmunks & The Chipettes
'MUNK & CHIPETTE BIOGRAPHIES
ALVIN
Alvin continues to relish - too much - his role as band frontman, and his antics at a charity concert land Dave Seville in the hospital. Much to Alvin and his brothers' chagrin, Dave orders them to temporarily leave pop superstardom behind and enroll in school. The diminutive 'Munk becomes the Big Man on Campus when he befriends the school's jocks and joins the football team. But Alvin's popularity at school doesn't sit well with Simon and Theodore, especially when Alvin lets them down at the big Sing-off against The Chipettes.
SIMON
The brainiest of the terrific trio, Simon's transition to school life is nonetheless a bumpy one. When he's assigned the fictitious honor of being named Litter Monitor, Simon embraces the challenge but soon runs afoul of the school jocks, who embarrass him in front of Alvin. Can the rift between brothers be healed before it's too late?
THEODORE
Known to his fans as "The Sweet One," Theodore is also helpful, lovable, sensitive, gullible, trusting and naïve. (In short, he's everything Alvin's not.). Theodore misses Dave a lot, and his desperate efforts to bond with Toby, who's looking after the boys in Dave's absence, are comical at best. When Theodore runs away from home, he unexpectedly triggers the best in his brothers and in Toby.
JEANETTE
Brainy, bespectacled and absent-minded, Jeanette, loves to sing whether or not it leads to stardom. She's the perfect love connection for Simon - if The Chipettes can escape the conniving clutches of new manager Ian Hawke, and get over their musical rivalry with Alvin and The Chipmunks.
ELEANOR
Rotund and lovable, Eleanor embraces "living large," even as band manager Ian Hawke insists the height-challenged Chipette somehow act taller. She's eager for The Chipettes to achieve stardom, but unexpected complications may stop The Chipettes ascendancy to the music pantheon.
BRITTANY
As lead singer and ambitious leader of The Chipettes, Brittany is always front-and-center in any of the band's activities. Her vocal prowess impresses new manager Ian Hawke, who sees Brittany as his ticket to a return to corporate glory. Brittany's initial encounters with Alvin are rough - but all kinds of sparks are soon ignited.
