vineri, 1 ianuarie 2010
Characters
Alvin Seville
Main article: Alvin Seville (character)
Alvin is a roller coaster. His enthusiasm is boundless and his despair bottomless. The term look before you leap definitely doesn't apply to Alvin, who is impulsive, charming, musical and full of animal magnetism. The character, who is heavily based on former member James Sawyer always seems to make up hare-brained schemes to get what his goal at the time is, whether it be trying to help his brothers, getting a date with Brittany, keeping Dave from figuring something out, or getting out of a sticky situation. However, Alvin seems to refer to his often illogical or crazy plans as "challenging the ordinary". Alvin's signature color is red, and he has blue eyes (although in the 2007 film Alvin and the Chipmunks, he has amber eyes). He is the leader of the Chipmunks. In the 2007 film Alvin and the Chipmunks, he is voiced by Justin Long. On July 30, 2002, Alvin was #44 on TV Guide's list of top 50 best cartoon characters of all time.
Simon Seville
Main article: Simon Seville (character)
In addition to having an IQ just north of Einstein, Simon possesses a very dry sense of humor as well as a keen wit. Alvin exploits Simon's master mind for his crazy schemes because he is smart enough to carry them out. In the end, Simon loves Alvin, although he secretly worries that they share the same gene pool. His signature color is blue, and he has blue eyes and black glasses; his glasses had blue frames after the 1983 television series' second season up until the show's final season, and in The Chipmunk Adventure. He also has brown fur in the film. He plays the bass, bass clarinet, saxophone, bagpipes, tuba, and drums, among others. He is shown playing the keyboard in the original open for the 1980s series.[citation needed]. He was also shown playing guitar in a 1980s Hardee's commercial. In the 2007 film Alvin and the Chipmunks, he is voiced by Matthew Gray Gubler.
Theodore Seville
Main article: Theodore Seville (character)
Theodore is the child of innocence. youngest He is shy, loving, sensitive, gullible, trusting, naive and cute. In short, he is an easy target for Alvin's manipulations. In fact, Theodore often holds the swing vote between his two brothers' choices of action. Simon appeals to Theodore's better nature while Alvin goes straight to bribery. He is constantly craving snacks and in one episode, tried to eat Alvin's hand because of his hunger. Theodore's signature color is green, and also has green eyes. He also has blonde/tan fur in the film. He plays the drums, the guitar, and others. He is the baby of the group. In the 2007 film Alvin and the Chipmunks, he is voiced by Jesse McCartney.
David "Dave" Seville
David Seville, or "Dave" to his friends and the boys, has his patience tested on a daily basis. Not only does he juggle his professional life as the songwriter for the musical trio, but he's also the Chipmunks' adoptive father and confidant. While Dave struggles to remain calm and objective, Alvin often irritates him, resulting in Dave's famous yell, "AALLLVVVIIINN!!!!!!" to which Alvin often replies with a loud "OKAY!!" Dave plays piano and the guitar. He had black hair and brown eyes. In the 2007 film Alvin and the Chipmunks, he is played by Jason Lee, the star of My Name is Earl.
Brittany Miller
Brittany, the leader of the Chipettes, and her exuberance often serves as the impetus for their adventures. Although she is very nice in such, foolishness, and materialism, and has a notoriously short fuse, Brittany cares deeply for her siblings and often acts as their defender. Brittany is dynamic, ambitious, fearless, competitive, and possessed of a desire to always have her way (although she stops short of true ruthlessness). Brittany has auburn hair and blue eyes, and her signature color is pink. Brittany and Alvin, her counterpart in the male trio, share a love-hate relationship. The rivalry between the two was part of the impetus for the events of many of the episodes of the television show, as well as The Chipmunk Adventure, the first feature film to star the characters. In the 2009 movie Alvin and the Chipmunks:The Squeakquel, Ian makes Brittany stand out and her sisters stand behind her. Ian seems to focus most on Brittany. She is voiced by Christina Applegate in the 2009 film.
Jeanette Miller
Jeanette, the tallest, can best be described as the "absent-minded professor" of the group. Gifted with extraordinary intelligence, she often is so caught up in contemplating the universe that she forgets the simple matters of life, such as not tripping over her own feet. She can generally be found with her shoelaces untied, one knee sock wrinkled around her ankle, and her buttons askew. Jeanette has very poor vision, and is virtually helpless without her glasses. She has brown hair and green eyes, and her signature colors are royal blue and purple. She and Simon, her counterpart in the male trio, are very shy about their romantic relationship. She is voiced by Anna Faris in the 2009 film.
Eleanor Miller
Eleanor, the fatest, is self-assured, confident, and extremely maternal. Eleanor has struggled with weight, largely implied to her love of food. Despite her weight problems, she has been often shown engaging in heavy physical activity. She is a gifted athlete and a mini-Olympiad in any field of sport. Eleanor is quite strong-willed, and is far more likely than the timid Jeanette to stand up to her sister Brittany when she feels that she is wrong. Eleanor has blonde hair and brown eyes, and her signature color is spring green. She and Theodore, her counterpart in the male trio, are openly caring towards one another, and both have a common bond with food and cooking, making their romance the most obvious of the three. She is voiced by Amy Poehler in the 2009 film and runs show.
Miss Miller
First appeared on the 1980s series. The Chipmunks' baby sitter who looks after them when Dave goes to work. She later becomes legal guardian of the Chipmunks' female counterparts, The Chipettes. She was voiced by the late Dody Goodman.
Claire Wilson
Claire is Dave's ex-girlfriend who adores the Chipmunks after she finally gets to meet them. She becomes good friends with Dave again by the end of the movie. She appears in the 2007 Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. However, she didn't appear Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. She is played by Cameron Richardson.
Ian Hawke
The main antagonist of the 2007 Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. He is played by comedian David Cross. He is Dave's friend turned rival, former college roommate, and the CEO of JETT Records. One day, the Chipmunks sneak off to his home to audition, whereupon he automatically signs them on to the label. He rockets them to the top of music business but secretly wants to lure them away from Dave for his own profit. His plan ultimately fails, as the Chipmunks have escaped and managed to trick him, thus leaving him broke and out of a job. He is set to repeat his role as the main antagonist in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. In the Squeakquel, while searching around the world for animals that can sing and dance, he happens upon The Chipettes and cannot wait to make them famous, so he can get revenge on the Chipmunks. He kidnap the Chipettes and uses them. He was stopped and the Chipettes were saved by Alvin. He fails and loses them.
Toby Seville
Dave's immature cousin appeared in the 2009 film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Toby is a slacker who loves to play video games and eat tacos. He is played by Chuck star Zachary Levi.
Awards and nominations
- 1959, won three Grammy Awards for Best Recording for Children, Best Comedy Performance, and Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical for the song "The Chipmunk Song." (Was also nominated for Record of the Year, but did not win.)
- 1960, won a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical, for the song "Alvin's Harmonica."
- 1961, won a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children for the album Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks. (It was also nominated for Best Engineered Record, Non-Classical.) The song "Alvin for President" was also nominated for both Best Comedy Performance - Musical and Best Engineered Record - Novelty, making two nominations in the latter category.
- 1962, was nominated again for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Record - Novelty for the television tie-in album The Alvin Show.
- 1963, was nominated again for Grammy Awards for both Best Album for Children and Best Engineered Record - Novelty for the album The Chipmunk Songbook.
- 1966, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children for the song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".
- 1985, was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category "Outstanding Animated Program (Daytime)."
- 1987, the second television series was nominated for a Young Artist Award in the category "Exceptional Family Animation Series or Specials."
- 1987, was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category "Outstanding Animated Program (Daytime)."
- 1988, was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category "Outstanding Animated Program (Daytime)* 1988, was nominated for a Young Artist Award in the category "Best Motion Picture - Animation" for the movie The Chipmunk Adventure.
- 2000, won the Golden Reel Award in the category "Best Sound Editing - Direct to Video - Sound Editorial" for the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein.
- 2008, Jason Lee won The Kids' Choice Awards in the category "Favorite Movie" for the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks
- 2008, Alvin and the Chipmunks soundtrack won the American Music Award for "Best Movie Soundtrack"
There were five Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, a Golden Reel Award, and a Kids Choice Award in total.
History of the chipmunks
The Witch Doctor
Main article: Witch Doctor (song)
In early 1958, Bagdasarian released a novelty song (as David Seville) about being unlucky at love until he found a Witch Doctor who told him "What To Do" to woo his woman. The song was done by Bagdasarian in his normal voice, except for the "magic" words, done first in Bagdasarian's pitched-up, pre-Chipmunk voice, then in a duet between his pitched-up voice and his normal voice. The words are nonsense: "Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang." The "Walla Walla" part of the song was just thrown in as a reference to Bagdasarian's uncle who lived in Walla Walla, Washington.
The song was a major hit, holding Number 1 for three weeks in the Billboard Top 100, a predecessor to the Billboard Hot 100 chart which would be introduced that August, and the Witch Doctor's "magic words" were sung by kids in many countries.[1] Nothing makes any reference to chipmunks, but the song is sometimes included on Chipmunk compilations, as if the Chipmunks had provided the voice of the Witch Doctor. Bagdasarian did record a "Chipmunks" version of "Witch Doctor," which appeared on the second Chipmunks album, Sing Again with The Chipmunks, in 1960. The song gained new attention when it was sung by Homer Simpson in an episode of The Simpsons in 2006. A followup song was recorded by Bagdasarian titled "The Bird on My Head" with Bagdasarian singing a duet with his own sped-up voice as the bird. It also reached the Top 40, peaking at #34.[2]
The Chipmunk Song
Main article: The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
The Chipmunks first officially appeared on the scene in a novelty record released in late fall 1958 by Bagdasarian. The song, originally listed on the record label (Liberty F-55168) as "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," featured the singing skills of the chipmunk trio. One phrase in the chorus has Alvin wishing for a hula hoop, which was that year's hot new toy. The novelty record was highly successful, selling more than 4 million copies in seven weeks, and it launched the careers of its chipmunk stars. It spent four weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from December 22, 1958 to January 12, 1959. It also earned three Grammy Awards and a nomination for Record of the Year. At the height of its popularity, Bagdasarian and 3 chipmunk hand-puppets appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, lip-synching the song. "The Chipmunk Song" appeared on the Chipmunks' debut album, Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks, in 1959, and was repeated on Christmas with the Chipmunks, released in 1962. The song also has been included on several compilation albums.
The Alvin Show (1961-1962)
Main article: The Alvin Show
The first television series to feature the characters was The Alvin Show. The cartoon gave more distinctive looks and personalities to the three chipmunks than just their voices, and an animated portrayal of Seville was a reasonable caricature of Bagdasarian himself. The series ran from 1961 to 1962, and was one of a small number of animated series to be shown in prime time on CBS. Unfortunately, it was never an immediate success in prime time and was cancelled after one season, only to find new life in syndication.
In addition to Alvin cartoons, the series also featured the scientist Clyde Crashcup and his assistant Leonardo. Those characters did not feature prominently on any of the later series. Crashcup made a single cameo appearance in A Chipmunk Christmas, and in an episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks.
The television series was produced by Format Films for Bagdasarian Film Corporation. Although the series was broadcast in black and white, it was produced and later re-run in color. 26 episodes each were produced for the Alvin and the Chipmunks and Clyde Crashcup segments, along with 52 musical segments.
A Chipmunk Christmas (1981)
Main article: A Chipmunk Christmas
The final Chipmunks album in their original incarnation, The Chipmunks Go to the Movies, was released in 1969. After the death of Ross Bagdasarian in 1972 from a heart attack, the Chipmunks' careers stalled until NBC showed interest in the original show (the network carried Saturday morning reruns of The Alvin Show as a midseason replacement in 1979) and the following year, Excelsior Records released a new album of contemporary songs performed by the Chipmunks. The new album — Chipmunk Punk — featured Bagdasarian's son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., doing the voices of the characters. That album and the continued reruns of the series proved to be popular enough to warrant further new records as well as a new television production, and in 1981, the Chipmunks and Seville returned to television in the Christmas special A Chipmunk Christmas, produced by Chuck Jones, which was first broadcast on NBC on December 14 of that year.
Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983-1990)
Main article: Alvin and the Chipmunks (TV series)
The group's name changed from "The Chipmunks" to "Alvin & The Chipmunks" just like "Diana Ross & The Supremes". Alvin, just like Diana Ross, was the lead singer. The Chipmunks' name change sparked rumors of a possible solo career for Alvin, but in 1983, the second animated television series for the group, produced by Ruby-Spears Productions, was released. Titled simply Alvin and the Chipmunks, the outline of the show closely paralleled the original Alvin Show. A more sustained success than the original, the series lasted eight production seasons, until 1990. In the first season, the show introduced the Chipettes, three female versions of the Chipmunks — Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, who each paralleled the original Chipmunks in personality (except Brittany was vainer than Alvin, Jeanette was smart like Simon, and Eleanor was fond of food like Theodore), with their own human guardian, the myopic Miss Beatrice Miller (who arrived for the 1986 season). The Chipmunks even sang a variation of NBC's Let's All Be There campaign for its Saturday-morning lineup in 1984 (shows included The Smurfs, Snorks, Going Bananas, Pink Panther and Sons, Kidd Video, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Mister T, etc.). After 1988, the show was renamed just The Chipmunks to indicate that there were now two groups of them. Also introduced was the boys' "Uncle" Harry, who may or may not have actually been a relative. The show reflected current trends and historical events in pop culture; the Chipmunks sang recent hits, and wore contemporary clothing. One "documentary" episode spoofed John Lennon's 1966 infamous comment that The Beatles had become "more popular than Jesus", by recalling how the Chipmunks had fallen in popularity after Alvin boasted they were "bigger than Mickey Mouse!"
In 1985, the Chipmunks, along with the Chipettes, were featured in the live stage show, Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Amazing Computer. In 1987, during the fifth season of the show on television, the Chipmunks had their first animated feature film, The Chipmunk Adventure, directed by Janice Karman and Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and released to theatres by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. The film featured the Chipmunks and the Chipettes in a contest traveling around the world.
In the 1988–89 season, the show switched production companies to DIC Entertainment, by which time the Chipmunks had truly become anthropomorphized. In 1990, the show switched titles again to The Chipmunks Go to the Movies. Each episode in this season was a spoof of a Hollywood film, such as Back to the Future, King Kong, and others. In addition, several television specials featuring the characters were also released. At the conclusion of the eighth season, the show was cancelled again.
In 1990, a documentary was produced about the show entitled Alvin and the Chipmunks/Five Decades with the Chipmunks. In that year, the Chipmunks also teamed up for the only time with other contemporary cartoons (such as Bugs Bunny, Garfield, etc.) for the drug abuse-prevention special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.
Direct-to-video Chipmunks movies from Universal
Main articles: Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein and Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman
In 1996, the rights to the characters were purchased by Universal Studios. This resulted in The Chipmunks' 1999 reappearance in the form of the direct-to-video movie Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein. The movie was successful enough to spark interest in a sequel, and in 2000, Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman appeared. Both movies featured the original cast of the second series reprising their roles and the tone of the movies are very similar to the series. These film titles reflect earlier horror spoofs by Abbott and Costello.
Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks
Main article: Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks
A live-action movie called Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks was released on April 27, 2004 (April 24, 2005 according IMDb[4]). It features puppetry used for the Chipmunks and Chipettes. In this movie, when Dave (Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.) goes out of town, he leaves the young Chipmunks and the Chipettes in the care of Lalu (Janice Karman), a friend who is happy to have six pre-schoolers stay with her. Lalu lives in a magic cottage with Gilda (a talking cockatoo), and PC (a talking frog who believes he is one kiss away from being Prince charming). There are also Sam and Lou, two gophers who report to the viewers about the feelings the characters are experiencing. While at Lalu's, the kids learn and sing about separation, jealousy, telling the truth, sharing, and other life lessons. Theodore learns about telling the truth, and not to put things into the toilet; Alvin learns about helping Eleanor (the infant); and Jeanette learns that she cannot "borrow" Brittany's lipstick. The direct to video feature was directed and co-written by Jerry Rees, who also animated all the CGI effects and voiced two characters. The budget for the project was unusually low, at $600,000. It was also the only live-action appearances of Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman, respectively.
The Chipmunks' future
In 2000, Bagdasarian Productions sued Universal Studios for breach of contract after their direct-to-video film contract went sour, in order to recoup monetary damages and to regain control of the Alvin and the Chipmunks characters. Bagdasarian won the lawsuit in 2002.
In 2004, 20th Century Fox, Regency Enterprises and Bagdasarian Productions announced a CGI/live action film adaptation of the popular musical group and animated series. The new film Alvin and the Chipmunks, directed by Tim Hill and starring Jason Lee as Dave Seville, was released on December 14, 2007. With Justin Long as Alvin, Matthew Gray Gubler as Simon, and Jesse McCartney as Theodore, it marks the first motion picture in which nobody related to Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. has performed as David or the Chipmunks. Though the critics gave it harsh reviews, audiences consisting of children and their baby boomer parents flocked to the theatres. As of February 14, 2008, it has made over $210 million in North America alone and a total of nearly $330 million worldwide.
In 2006, Bagdasarian Productions sued Thomas Lee, the creator of Chipmunkz Gangsta Rap, a parody created by Bentframe and featured on Atom Films. The lawsuit is still in process. Also, The Chipmunk Adventure was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment, then later Trick or Treason, A Chipmunk Christmas: 25th Anniversary and A Chipmunk Valentine. The Chipmunks Go To The Movies was released on May 22, 2007.
The Chipmunks' newest album, Undeniable, was released in November 2008..
A sequel to the live-action movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, premiered on December 23, 2009.
Imitations
While the series was being prepared for broadcast, an imitation, The Nutty Squirrels, beat them to the market, appearing on television screens in September 1960, but were less successful than the Chipmunks. Also, many think that Chip and Dale are an imitation of the Chipmunks, but this is incorrect— Chip and Dale first appeared in the Disney cartoon Private Pluto in 1943, more than a decade before the creation of the Chipmunks. The cartoon series Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers, the first appearance of them with distinct personalities and clothing, was created in 1989, well after the debut of Alvin and the Chipmunks in the fifties.
In the 1980s there was a "group" called The Happy Hamsters, which was an obvious attempt to cash in on the Chipmunks' popularity; it has since lapsed into obscurity.
In 1959, Russ Regan produced "The Happy Reindeer" by Dancer, Prancer and Nervous for Capitol Records.
In 1963, Canadian record label Arc Records released "Christmas With The Chippers", which contained chipmunk voices singing popular holiday standards arranged in the same style as the Chipmunks but mostly without their trademark style of humor.
About Alvin and the chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphized chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual; and Theodore, the chubby, impressionable sweetheart. The trio is managed by their human father and confidant, David Seville. In reality, David Seville was Bagdasarian's stage name, and the Chipmunks themselves are named after the executives of their original record label, Liberty Records: Alvin Bennett (the president), Simon Waronker (the founder and owner), and Theodore Keep (the chief engineer).
The Chipmunks act began with recordings first brought to life in Bagdasarian's 1950s novelty recordings under the name David Seville and the Chipmunks. For stage purposes, such as during an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Bagdasarian lip-synched the words of "David Seville" in front of a small puppet theater, with puppets of the three Chipmunks also lip-synching. The puppets looked similar to the Chipmunk illustrations on the covers of some of the group's 45 RPM records. The characters were an unprecedented success, and the singing Chipmunks and their manager were given life in several animated cartoon productions, using redrawn, anthropomorphic chipmunks, and eventually motion pictures.
The voices of the group were all performed by Bagdasarian, who sped up the playback to create higher pitched voices. This oft-used process was also not entirely new to Bagdasarian, who had also used it for two previous novelty song projects, including "The Witch Doctor," but it was so unusual and well executed it earned the trio two Grammy Awards for engineering. Although the characters were fictional, they did release a long line of actual albums and singles, with "The Chipmunk Song" becoming a number-one hit single in the United States. After Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.'s death in 1972, their voices were performed by Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman in the subsequent incarnations of the 1980s and 1990s.
In the 2007 CGI/live-action film adaptation and its 2009 sequel, they were voiced in dialogue by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney, respectively. Bagdasarian, Jr. and Karman continue to perform the singing voices for Alvin, Theodore and the Chipettes, but Steve Vining now does Simon's singing voice.
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