February 8, 2009

For a while now I have been reviewing the numerous Chipmunk DVDs that have been found their way to my desk here at GCM. Part of that reason is because of my undying love for cartoons of old and the other reason is that this is the unofficial year of the Munk. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Chipmunks creation by Ross Sr. and now we all get to relieve the animated series that I and the rest of the 80s remember.

The newest DVD release in the Chipmunks is centered around yet holiday. This time the boys get to the heart of the matter on who was the original Easter Bunny in the Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Mystery of The Easter Chipmunk DVD. This egg-citing DVD features 4 classic episodes from the hit TV show and the Easter Special.

“The Easter Chipmunk,” the heart of this DVD features Alvin getting the idea that the Easter Bunny is an imposter and is taking the credit for what he believes is his Grandpa’s namesake. So Alvin, being the one track minded chipmunk he is, tries to sue the Easter Bunny. What happens to the Easter Bunny? Is his Aunt telling the truth? You’ll have to watch the DVD to find out.

In my favorite episode “Special Kind of Champion”, Alvin is struggling in Track and his coach doesn’t want to fail him. So he suggests that Alvin become a coach to an Olympic athlete, only when Alvin arrives it isn’t the type of Olympic athlete that he imagines. He is tasked with helping a Special Olympics athlete and he learns a very important lesson along the way.

The rest of this 5 episode disc features the episodes “Snow Wrong”, “Thinking Cap Trap” and “Luck O’ The Chipmunks.” I personally like all 5 of the episodes on this single disc set but the ones I explained are definitely my favorites.

Filmmaking: 9
The Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Mystery of the Easter Chipmunk DVD brings back the magic that the original show did back in the 80s. Capturing 4 episodes from various seasons and joining them together with one of the Holiday specials is a nice touch. Of course I think there is a DVD set for every major holiday. I was a big fan of the show as a kid and now looking back I see how well done cartoons were being created when I was younger. Animation was definitely cool back then and it has lasted the set of time.

Graphics: 8
Graphically, the contents of this The Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Mystery of the Easter Chipmunk DVD is true to form of the original series and it’s good to see that the animation transferred well to DVD format. This DVD is presented in Full Screen as most TV shows were back then.

Sound: 9
The sounds of the episodes are quite good and are presented in Dolby Digital English Stereo. The voice acting is quite good and just as funny as I remembered them. The Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Chipettes DVD features several fantastic songs of the time and older. There are actually very few songs to be heard in this DVD release. The only real notable song is a rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Good Luck Charm.” The is a minor song written for the episode “Snow Wrong” but other that that this DVD episodes are geared more towards story than singing.

Value: 7
The Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Mystery of the Easter Chipmunk DVD features 4 episodes and a holiday special which compared to the other holiday set is pretty decent. All of the Holiday sets seem to contain one major TV special along with a couple extra episodes. At this rate the will have released all of the Chipmunks episodes via these DVD releases. The Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Mystery of the Easter Chipmunk DVD retails for around 16 dollars at most retailers.

Overall: 8.9
Overall, The Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Mystery of the Easter Chipmunk DVD is entertaining and fun to watch. Any family should enjoy this DVD with their kids and any fan like me would appreciate it too. While it's still a ways off from Easter this release is a must have for any family.