If you must reboot an over 30-year-old Disney Channel cartoon like “ Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers,” you could do much worse than looking to “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” for inspiration. But it is a high bar and though “Chip ‘n Dale” might not reach the heights of that Robert Zemeckis film, it is still a pleasant surprise stuffed to the brim with pop culture references that children of the “Chip ‘n Dale” era may enjoy.Now, wait, you may be thinking: Aren’t children of the “Chip ‘n Dale” era in their 30s and 40s at this point? And was “Chip ‘n Dale” even that beloved enough to warrant a reboot? The answers are yes and no, but the minds behind this movie know that and aren’t pretending otherwise.
In fact, they lean heavily into the “who cares?” note by establishing a world where Chip (John Mulaney) and Dale (Andy Samberg) are actors who were once on the real television show that was cancelled in 1991. They’re also animated in the real world, which is full of both toons and humans.
So, not only is it Roger Rabbit-esque, but it has shades of a PG-rated “BoJack Horseman” as well.This script comes from “How I Met Your Mother” veterans Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, and it’s directed by Akiva Schaffer, a member of The Lonely Island with Samberg and the director of the cult favorite satire “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.” With those kind of credentials, in addition to the voice talent involved which includes BoJack himself Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, J.K. Simmons, Dennis Haysbert and Eric Bana, it is not surprising that “Chip ‘n Dale” is clever.
If you must reboot an over 30-year-old Disney Channel cartoon like “ Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers,” you could do much worse than looking to “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” for inspiration. But it is a high bar and though “Chip ‘n Dale” might not reach the heights of that Robert Zemeckis film, it is still a pleasant surprise stuffed to the brim with pop culture references that children of the “Chip ‘n Dale” era may enjoy.Now, wait, you may be thinking: Aren’t children of the “Chip ‘n Dale” era in their 30s and 40s at this point? And was “Chip ‘n Dale” even that beloved enough to warrant a reboot? The answers are yes and no, but the minds behind this movie know that and aren’t pretending otherwise.
Prime Video’s “Night Sky,” premiering May 20, can sometimes be an odd duck, a show that launches with an extremely science fiction premise but works best when it comes back to Earth to focus on character and relationships. In fact, when it’s forced to return to its twisting and turning sci-fi plot, it kind of drifts off, too content to wallow in mysteries that the writing purposefully keeps vague and obtuse before bringing them crashing to Earth.