Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animated television seriesA cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
produced by
Walt Disney Television AnimationThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. Created by
Tad StonesTad Stones is an American animator, screenwriter, producer and director best known for his work for The Walt Disney Company, where he worked from 1974 to 2003...
and Alan Zaslove, it featured the established Disney characters Chip 'n' Dale in a new setting. The series premiered on the
Disney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
on March 4, 1989, having aired a preview episode ("Catteries Not Included") on August 27, 1988. The series premiered in national syndication with a two-hour movie special,
Rescue Rangers: To the Rescue, which was later broken up into a five-parter to air as part of the weekday run. The final episode aired on November 19, 1990.
In the fall of 1989, the series was syndicated from September 18. In 1990, as a part of the
Disney AfternoonThe Disney Afternoon was a created-for-syndication two-hour television programming block which aired from September 10, 1990, until Fall 1999. At that time, it was taken out of syndication, and a new Disney weekday afternoon block was started on UPN. The Disney Afternoon was produced by The Walt...
line up, reruns of the show were aired until September 3, 1993.
Synopsis
Chip and Dale, two chipmunks with a nose for trouble, start a detective agency, Rescue Rangers, along with their new friends Gadget, Monterey Jack, and Zipper. The pint-sized detectives deal with crimes that are often "too small" for the police to handle, usually with other animals as their clients. The gang frequently finds itself going up against two particular archvillains: Mafia-style tabby cat Fat Cat and mad scientist Norton Nimnul (both voiced by
Jim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
).
Production
When
Tad StonesTad Stones is an American animator, screenwriter, producer and director best known for his work for The Walt Disney Company, where he worked from 1974 to 2003...
first came up with the idea of the
Rescue Rangers series,
Chip 'n DaleChip and Dale are two chipmunk cartoon characters created in 1943 at Walt Disney Productions. Their names are a pun based on the name "Chippendale"...
were not part of the show. In the original idea, the show would center around a team of animals, which included a
chameleonChameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
, an earlier draft of Gadget, and Monterey Jack (with a different name). The main character, though, was an
Indiana JonesColonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
type mouse named Kit Colby who sported a fedora and a fluffy collared leather jacket. When he proposed the show in a meeting with
Michael EisnerMichael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
and
Jeffrey KatzenbergJeffrey Katzenberg is an American film producer and CEO of DreamWorks Animation. He is perhaps most famous for his period as chairman of The Walt Disney Company's film division, and for producing DreamWorks animated films such as Shrek, Antz, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Chicken...
, the idea was well received except for the character of Kit Colby. At Eisner's suggestion, he was replaced with the chipmunk duo to give the show some established Disney characters to work with. (The chameleon was also removed for unknown reasons.)
While Chip and Dale were established characters, to bring them into the series, only their general appearance and broad personality traits were kept. Unlike their appearances in Disney shorts, in the
Rescue Rangers the chipmunk duo are very verbal, with Chip voiced by
Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
and Dale voiced by
Corey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
. Audio processing was used to speed-up the voice recordings and give the voices a higher pitch, particularly Chip's. The pair were given clothes—Chip the clothing of the original concept Kit, while the goofier Dale, incidentally modeled after
Magnum, P.I.Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
, with his
Hawaiian shirtThe Aloha shirt commonly referred to as a Hawaiian shirt is a style of dress shirt originating in Hawaii. It is currently the premier textile export of the Hawaii manufacturing industry. The shirts are printed, mostly short-sleeved, and collared. They usually have buttons, sometimes as a complete...
.
The series premiered in 1989 on the
Disney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
before moving into a regular slot in the Disney Afternoon line up the next year.
The show's opening theme was performed by the pop group The Jets. It was written by
Mark MuellerMark Mueller is an American songwriter whose career spans pop music, television, film and stage. A two-time winner of the ASCAP Pop Award for writing one of the Most Performed Songs of the year, he’s had three Billboard Top Ten singles and one #1 Adult Contemporary hit...
, an ASCAP award-winning pop music songwriter who also wrote the theme song to
Duck Tales.
Main Characters
ChipChip and Dale are two chipmunk cartoon characters created in 1943 at Walt Disney Productions. Their names are a pun based on the name "Chippendale"...
is the leader of the Rescue Rangers. Loosely modeled on
Indiana JonesColonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
, Chip wears a
fedoraA fedora is a men's felt hat. In reality, "fedora" describes most any men's hat that does not already have another name; quite a few fedoras have famous names of their own including the famous Trilby....
and a bomber jacket and frequently uses rope to lasso or swing to other spots. Chip tends to be serious and with a strong sense of responsibility, to the point that he is sometimes accused of not knowing how to have fun. He can be domineering and often ends up in squabbles with Dale over his more laid back manner. At times, though, he also lets himself go and joins Dale in some frivolity. He and Dale have a crush on Gadget. Voiced by
Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
in English and Roko Takizawa in Japanese.
DaleChip and Dale are two chipmunk cartoon characters created in 1943 at Walt Disney Productions. Their names are a pun based on the name "Chippendale"...
wears a
redRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
and
yellowYellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
Hawaiian shirt reminiscent of
Thomas MagnumThomas Sullivan Magnum IV was the main character and namesake of the popular American television series, Magnum, P.I.. Magnum was portrayed by Tom Selleck.-Early life:...
in
Magnum, P.I.Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
Though dedicated to the job, he is a fun-loving, mischievous prankster who is sometimes irresponsible and forgets to think before he acts. He spends his free time reading
comic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s and playing video games. A known candy addict, Dale has "chocolate attacks" similar to Monterey Jack's cheese attacks (ironically, Monty finds it disgusting that Dale can't control himself over candy). He frequently finds himself being knocked on the head by Chip when he says or does something foolish. Voiced by
Corey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
in English and
Minoru Inabais a Japanese voice actor from Shizuoka Prefecture. He is affiliated with Ken Production.Inaba is best known for his roles in Disney productions , Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory , Buzz Lightyear of Star Command , and The Transformers .-Television animation:*After War Gundam X - Rike Anto,...
in Japanese.
Monterey Jack, or "Monty" to his friends, is an adventure-loving
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n mouse who spent years traveling the world before a chance meeting with Chip and Dale during their first case. After Fat Cat destroyed his home, Monty and his sidekick Zipper decided to join the group in their detective work. Stronger and larger than the others, Monty can be quick to anger if he, or his friends, has been offended. This trait sometimes leaves him ready to do battle with a much larger opponent, and the others having to calm him down. Monty has an overpowering addiction to
cheeseCheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
, and the sight or smell of cheese causes him to be almost hypnotically drawn to it. Monty loves to tell stories of his travels, even if the others often stop his reminiscing, and he often uses colorful "pseudo-Australianisms" while talking, such as "Strike me starkers." Monterey Jack is the only Rescue Ranger known to have two living parents, Cheddarhead Charlie and Camembert Kate, who are also travelers. Also, names of his entire family, including his own, have references to various types of
cheeseCheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
. Monty is most frequently found in the company of either Zipper or Dale, whose fun-loving nature matches his own. He also seems to consider Gadget to be something of a surrogate daughter, most likely due to his long friendship with her late father. Due to his traveling experience, Monty often handles the traveling arrangements for the group. According to the
Disney Encyclopedia, the character was voiced by
Jim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
, however the character is also listed in the voice credits of
Peter CullenPeter Claver Cullen is a Canadian voice actor, known as the voice of Eeyore in the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise, Optimus Prime and Ironhide in the original Transformers series, and the narrator in both of the original American Voltron series...
. Cullen actually originated the role in the early episodes of the show, with Cummings (who had already been voicing Fat Cat, Professor Nimnul, and other characters on the show) taking over the role in later episodes. In Japanese he is voiced by
Eken Minewas a Japanese voice actor from Nagasaki, Japan.-Anime:*3000 Leagues in Search of Mother *Alps no Shōjo Heidi *Anime Sanjushi *Candy Candy *DNA² *Doraemon...
.
Gadget Hackwrench is a young female mouse and the team's pilot, mechanic and inventor. The daughter of deceased inventor and
aviatorAn aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
Geegaw Hackwrench, who was a good friend of Monterey Jack, she first met Chip and Dale when Monty brought them to Geegaw's in search of an airplane. At loose-ends since her father's death and eager to help, she joins the team. Known to say "Golly", whenever she's surprised by something. Gadget moves quickly, thinks quickly, and talks quickly, sometimes leaving the others looking dazed and confused. In addition to building and maintaining the Ranger Plane, Gadget is the one responsible for the various technological items used by the team and is regularly inventing new vehicles and tools for the team's use. She has the uncanny ability to take discarded and unrelated items, and invent nearly anything with them, which she attributes to the fact that she has a "mind-bashingly high IQ" and is easily bored. Unfortunately, her creations don't always work the way she intends and have sometimes failed at just the wrong moment to cause the team trouble. Both Chip and Dale are attracted to Gadget, and often compete for her attention, but she doesn't seem to notice in many cases, and has never demonstrated a preference for either. However in one of the episodes Chip reveals that she has given him a photograph of herself. Voiced by
Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
in English and
Naoko Matsuiis a Japanese voice actress from Hakodate. Matsui was a member of Production Baobab for 20 years before becoming a freelancer. She is also a voice acting instructor....
in Japanese.
Zipper is a tiny green
houseflyThe housefly , Musca domestica, is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha...
and the long time friend and
sidekickA sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
of Monterey Jack. With his tiny size and flying abilities, Zipper often handles little jobs that the rest of the Rescue Rangers cannot. He speaks in unintelligible buzzes that only Monty and other insects are able to understand, although in later episodes, he talks more clearly. Despite his tiny size, Zipper occasionally has impressive displays of strength which are matched only by his unwavering loyalty to his friends. Voiced by
Corey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
.
Antagonists
Fat Cat is a felonious grey tabby cat and one of the Rescue Rangers' most frequent antagonists. Formerly owned by criminal Aldrin Klordane, Fat Cat became an independent agent and animal world crime boss after Klordane's incarceration. Inordinately proud of his appearance, Fat Cat keeps his whiskers clean, wears a purple business suit, and has a taste for expensive things. He is a ruthless criminal mastermind, and his plans, though sometimes bizarre, are nevertheless dangerous and sadistic. Fat Cat hates dogs and several of his schemes have been attacks against them. The only thing he hates more than dogs are the Rescue Rangers, which he always tries to get rid of using an elaborate and slow method, rather than killing them immediately. The complexity of his plans usually ends up being his downfall. Has a cousin who lives in Paris, France. Voiced by
Jim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
, who described Fat Cat as a combination of
Zero MostelSamuel Joel “Zero” Mostel was an American actor of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof, Pseudolus on stage and on screen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Max Bialystock in the original film version...
and
Dom DeLuiseDominick "Dom" DeLuise was an American actor, comedian, film director, television producer, chef, and author. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur from 1965 until his death and the father of: actor, director, pianist, and writer Peter DeLuise; actor David DeLuise; and actor Michael DeLuise...
and in Japanese by
Masayuki KatōMasayuki Kato was the president and founder of the Nihon Falcom Corporation that has made video games for various Japanese PC systems and consoles . The company's key franchises include the Dragon Slayer series, The Legend of Heroes series, and the Ys series.-References:...
.
Fat Cat is usually accompanied by four henchmen. In spite of their combined stupidity, Fat Cat almost always sends them out to do his dirty work for him, as he is too smart, or lazy to dirty his paws himself.
- Wart, a lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
, who dresses in a gangsterA gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
-style suit and hat similar to his boss. Voiced by Jim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
.
- Mole, slow witted but cheerful, this overweight mole
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
wears an undersized red t-shirt and a yellow hat. When plans go wrong, Mole usually is the one who Fat Cat chooses to use as a punching bag. Voiced by Corey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
.
- Mepps, a thin, yellow alley cat dressed in a ratty blue vest and toboggan who speaks with a whiny voice. Voiced by Peter Cullen
Peter Claver Cullen is a Canadian voice actor, known as the voice of Eeyore in the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise, Optimus Prime and Ironhide in the original Transformers series, and the narrator in both of the original American Voltron series...
.
- Snout, a rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
that wears a short sleeved red turtle neck with a black vest and a dark blue hat that covers his eyes. He is usually only seen briefly. Voiced by Corey BurtonCorey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
.
Professor Norton Nimnul, the Rangers' other major enemy, is a
mad scientistA mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
who once worked for Aldrin Klordane. Though Nimnul is an intelligent and creative scientist, his plans often lack any trace of logic and tend to be extremely convoluted. For example, he kidnapped all the cats in the city to make an immense amount of static electricity, and in his appearance in the pilot he constructed a laser cannon designed to create a giant gelatin mold which would be used to cause an earthquake under the United States Gold Reserve. Nimnul has receding
redRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
hairHair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
, wears very thick
glassesGlasses, also known as eyeglasses , spectacles or simply specs , are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes. They are normally used for vision correction or eye protection. Safety glasses are a kind of eye protection against flying debris or against visible and near visible light or...
, and a high-pitched laugh. Unlike other humans in the series, Nimnul is aware of the Rescue Rangers and their interference in his plans. Voiced by
Jim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
and physically modelled on Disney animator Bruce Talkington. Also voiced by
Toshiya Uedais a Japanese voice actor who works for 81 Produce.-Notable voice roles:*Ōsanshōuo-san and Kaeru-kun in Bonobono*Professor M in Burn Up W*Monsieur Dufarge in A Little Princess Sara*Enma-sensei in Mirmo!...
in the Japanese version.
Episodes
Except for the five-part set of episodes made from the pilot movie, each 22 minute episode of the series was self-contained. Plot points introduced in each episode stayed in the episode and any character development did not appear to continue through to future episodes. Most of the episodes followed a similar format, where in the next case was presented at the start of the episode, then the bulk of the episode had the sleuths gathering clues and investigating the situation. In the last few minutes of the episode, the case was resolved, usually in dramatic fashion and the final moments would have a humorous wrap up scene between the Rangers.
Merchandise
In fall of 1989,
McDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
produced a series of
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers themed
Happy MealA "Happy Meal" is a meal specifically marketed at children, sold at the fast-food chain McDonald's since June 1979. A toy is typically included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a small box or paper bag with the McDonald's logo....
that included toy versions of the main characters riding small vehicles. Scenes from series were incorporated into the TV commercials advertising the Happy Meals.
A monthly
comic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
based on the show was published by
Disney ComicsDisney Comics was a comic book publishing company operated by The Walt Disney Company which ran from 1990 to 1993. In the USA, Disney only licensed their comic books to other publishers prior to 1990...
in 1990, that ran for 19 issues. Subsequent comic stories were printed in
Disney AdventuresDisney Adventures was a children's entertainment and educational magazine published ten times per year by The Walt Disney Company. It should not be confused with the Disney Magazine...
from 1990 to 1995, as well as in the Disney Afternoon comic book published by
Marvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. They also had a series from Boom Studios that was published for 8 issues from December 2010 to June 2011.
A 1990 issue of
Comics Scene magazineComics Scene was a magazine published in three volumes by Starlog Group Inc. Its original 11-issue run lasted from January 1982 through September 1983 and the second volume was published between 1987 and early 1996, lasting 56 issues...
reported that a theatrical feature film based on the series was planned for a 1991 release, however the film never saw the light of day, possibly due to the lackluster performance of
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost LampDuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp is a 1990 American animated feature film based on the animated children's television series DuckTales. It was released by Walt Disney Pictures on August 3, 1990. Although it was a theatrically released animated film, it was the first feature outside...
.
Video games
In ,
Capcomis a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
released a video game version of
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers video games for the
Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. It is a
platform gameA platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
featuring
singleA Single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. "Single-player game" usually implies a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" usually refers to a game mode for a single player, where...
and
2-player cooperativeCooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
modes, allowing players to choose which levels to access via a map, giving them access to various locations in the city. Each individual stage is set up as a side-scrolling action game where Chip and Dale can walk, jump, duck, and pick up objects such as acorns, crates, and barrels to throw at enemies and bosses. In the game, the Rangers must stop another of Fat Cat's schemes, only to have his kidnapping of Gadget send Chip and Dale to the rescue.
A second NES game, titled
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2 (Sequel), was released by Capcom in . The sequel features additional incentives for cooperative play, such as mini-games that can only be played by two players, and the ability to throw one's partner as a weapon.
An unofficial Mega Drive sequel to these games, titled
Squirrel KingSquirrel King is a platform video game produced, without license from Sega, by the Taiwanese developer Gamtec for the Mega Drive. Gamtec is also responsible for the development of a number of other games, including many for the Gamate handheld system....
, was produced by the
TaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese developer
GamtecGamtec is a video game developer established in June 1989 and based in Taichung City, Taiwan noted for its unlicensed Mega Drive games such as Legend of Wukong and Squirrel King....
. This game was later the basis of the unofficial Mega Drive
Super Mario World game.
Also released in 1990,
Hi Tech ExpressionsHi Tech Expressions was an American console game company headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City.Hi Tech existed during the early 1990s. During the course of its existence, the company made primarily juvenile-oriented games for young boys and girls...
's
PCIBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
game
Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers: The Adventure in Nimnul's Castle saw the Rangers having to rescue Monterey Jack, who is caught in a mousetrap in Professor Norton Nimnul's castle. To rescue him, the chipmunks must infiltrate the castle to collect various parts so Gadget can build a flying machine to reach Monterey Jack.
Mobile game
In May 2010, Dynamic Pixels Ltd. released a mobile game
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers - Fat Cat kidnapped Zipper and captured the little one on the distant island, the team have to repair their legendary plane to get it, unfortunately, there is no spare parts so the Rescue Rangers have to practice their investigating skills together with enterprising ones as only the Rangers’ plane can help them to get the Fat Cats den. The story is divided into 27 non-linear missions that can be reached via city map, every mission is a mini-game of one of the 3 different gameplays; the game can be downloaded free of charge and a player use micro transactions to purchase ingame money to spend it on different ingame content like upgrades, additional equipment, powerups, bonuses etc. if needed.
VHS
From 1989 to 1990, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released select episodes from the series on five
VHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tapes, containing a pair of episodes each. They include the following:
- Super Sleuths (episodes: "The Pound of the Baskervilles" and "Out To Launch")
- Double Trouble (episodes: "Dale Beside Himself" and "Flash The Wonder Dog")
- Undercover Critters (episodes: Adventures In Squirrel Sitting" and "Three Men and a Booby")
- Danger Rangers (episodes: "Kiwi's Big Adventure" and "Bearing Up Baby")
- Crime Busters (episodes: "Catteries Not Included" and "Piratsy Under The Seas")
DVD releases
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released some of the series on DVD; two volumes have been released in Region 1 thus far featuring the first 51 episodes of the series. The first was released on November 8, 2005 (containing episodes 1-27) and the second on November 14, 2006 (containing episodes 28-51). The episodes on the first volume are arranged by production date, while the episodes on the second volume are arranged by original air date.
In the United Kingdom, volume 1 was released on Region 2 PAL DVD format containing seven fewer episodes than the Region 1 set (containing episodes 1-20). This is due to the Region 1 set having only one language track and the Region 2 release had multiple language tracks. There is currentily no word from Disney on the release on a third DVD boxset volume which should have episodes 52-65.
Other References
In the first Darkwing Duck comic story from Kaboom!, Gadget makes a cameo gag!
Reception
In January 2009, IGN named
Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers as the 60th best in the Top 100 Animated TV Shows.
Revival
From September 2010, Chip 'n Dale's Rescue Rangers was revived by comics publisher
Boom! StudiosBOOM! Studios is an American comic book company headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The "BOOM!" in BOOM! Studios is always capitalized by the company.-History:BOOM! was founded June 22, 2005 with Zombie Tales #1....
, as an ongoing monthly series slated to begin in December of the same year. This choice was based on the extreme and unexpected popularity of
Darkwing DuckDarkWing Duck is an American animated television series produced by The Walt Disney Company that ran from 1991–1992 on both the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon and Saturday mornings on ABC. It featured the eponymous anthropomorphic duck superhero whose alter ego is mild-mannered...
, another Disney Afternoon property which BOOM! revived earlier in 2010. The series featured comics writer Ian Brill, and artist Leonel Castellani.
So far only 8 issues were published, making 2 separate 4-part stories and 2 trade paperback books. The comic series was cancelled May 2011, to be replaced by the launch of DuckTales.