Alvin and the Chipmunks (animation): Difference between revisions

[[File:alvin-and-the-chipmunks.jpg|frame|Left to right: Theodore, Alvin and Simon.]]

 

This '80s [[Animated Series]] is about a suburban singing trio of chipmunks and their adoptive human father, Dave Seville, based on a series of songs by Ross Bagdasarian. Revival of the 1960s [[Animated Series]], ''The Alvin Show''.

 

 

Bagdasarian decided to capitalize on this success by assigning the voice technique to a trio of singing chipmunks -- brainy Simon, gluttonous Theodore and [[High School Hustler]] Alvin -- for the best-selling Christmas tune "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)", in which an increasingly annoyed David Seville's attempts to keep his chipmunk singers on-message served as a [[Framing Device]], and led to Dave Seville's trademark [[Catch Phrase]], [[Say My Name|"Alvin? Alvin? ALLLLLLLVIN!"]]

** Ironically however, it seems more effort was put into the animation of the Ruby-Spears episodes, the supporting and one-shot characters look more human, and more detail was put into the backgrounds and layouts, while the Mukarumi-Wolf-Swenson and [[DiC]] episodes have that standard half-assed Saturday Morning look to them. The character designs did improve with the MWS episodes, and the animation was pretty decent, but the backgrounds and layout were really simplistic; the [[DiC]] episodes are pretty awful... a lot of lazy [[Off-Model]] animations, the backgrounds continue to be simplistic, and unlike the Ruby-Spears episodes, the human characters have a less human, more cartoony look to them.

** Compare them all to the original cartoon designs of the 1961 series, from Format Films (an L.A. studio started up by Herbert Klynn and Jules Engel and various other UPA expatriates).

* [[Auction]]: In one of the '80s episodes, Alvin gets in over his head bidding on expensive items to impress a rich girl he likes.

* [[Autobots Rock Out]]: The opening/closing themes of Season 6.

* [[Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other]]: Alvin and Brittany have these moments sometimes.

* [[Beautiful All Along]]: Jeanette - [[She Cleans Up Nicely]]. Confirmed and done in the episode "My Fair Chipette", to the point that even Brittany was threatened.

{{quote|'''''Brittany:''''' "Jeanette looked beau-beau-"

* [[Belly Dancer]]: The Chipettes get dressed up like this in [[The Movie]], and Brittany on the series at least once.

* [[The Bet]]: Alvin and Brittany's egos make this a routine trope.

* [[Big Damn Movie]]: ''The Chipmunk Adventure'' had a round-the-world trip, diamond smuggling, and international intrigue... and "The Girls of Rock 'n Roll".

* [[Big Eater]]: Eleanor and Theodore.

* [[Chick Magnet]]: Alvin, when he's not screwing things up with his latest [[Zany Scheme]].

* [[Child Prodigy]]: Simon.

** Alvin - Red.

** Simon - Blue.

* [[Class Trip]]

* [[Clip Show]]: The episodes "Chipmunkmania" and "Alvin in Analysis".

* [[Comic Trio]]: Alvin = Moe; Theodore = Curly; Simon = Larry.

* [[Conspicuous Consumption]]

* [[Epic Race]]: ''The Chipmunk Adventure''.

* [[Fantastic Voyage]]: The episode "Inner Dave".

* [[First Name Ultimatum]]: ''The'' series' famous [[Running Gag]] - AAAAAALVIIIIIIN!

* [[Five-Man Band]]: When with The Chipettes.

** Eleanor is [[The Heart]].

* [[Franchise Killer]]: Inverted with [[The Movie]]. It managed to increase Chipmunk popularity and spawned two sequels (without [[Sequelitis]], fortunately).

* [[Funny Afro]]: The Chipettes, of all characters, inadvertently gain them after a run-in with a hurricane in the animated movie.

* [[Gagging on Your Words]]: In ''The Chipmunk Adventure'', Brittany can't bring herself to say she was wrong, and changes the subject instead.

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: The entire "Getting Lucky" number in ''The Chipmunk Adventure''.

** [[Intercourse with You]]

** In general, there seem to be a lot of [[Panty Shot|PantyShots]] (from the Chipettes and other young girls) for no reason, although that may be an attempt at realism, as some of their skirts are quite short. Still...

** Depending on how you interpret it, in an early episode of the series, Alvin runs for school president, and at one point, his campaign slogan is: "Don't be a donkey, vote for Alvin!"

* [[Girl Group]]: The Chipettes.

* [[Girlish Pigtails]]: Eleanor.

* [[Hair-Trigger Avalanche]]: In "Mind Over Matterhorn".

* [[Have a Gay Old Time]]: The TV show's theme contains quite a bit. The series's [[Totally Radical]] pretensions don't help matters. "We'll give you action and satisfaction" indeed...

* [[High School Hustler]]: Alvin. Though the proper term would be ''Elementary School'' Hustler.

* [[I'll Tell You When I've Had Enough!]]: Spoofed with Theodore drinking carrot juice at a bar.

* [[Imaginary Love Triangle]]: An episode had one involving a [[Girl of the Week]], Simon, and a biker boy. Alvin convinced Simon to try out for a bike competition to impress the girl, only to find out that the biker was her cousin.

* [[Interspecies Adoption]]/[[Happily Adopted]]: The chipmunks are raised, and treated as Dave's 'sons'.

* [[Interspecies Romance]]: In the animated movie, the prince of Egypt falls in love with Brittany and intends to make her one of his brides.

*** The whole show was full of this, considering the Chipmunks (and Chipettes) interacted with humans. More so Alvin with his constant flirting. In one episode, Brittany wants to ask the most popular boy in school to the dance.

* [[Jerkass]]: Alvin, though he eventually comes around to being the [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] at some point.

* [[May the Farce Be with You]]

* [[Medium Awareness]]: "Quick! Cut to a commercial!" in the episode "Food for Thought".

* [[Meganekko]]: Jeanette.

* [[Missing Mom]]: The Chipmunks' mother, who they search for in a special episode.

* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]: The episode "Ask Alvin".

* {{spoiler|[[Parental Abandonment]]: Alvin felt this way when he wonders why their mother, Vinnie, left them with "a stranger". Vinnie revealed that during the great winter migration, there wasn't enough food to feed her children; she gave them up to David Seville, [[Friend to All Living Things|whom she knew that he was friendly to the animals]]. She later tried to come back for them, but she sees how happy they are with him; Alvin feels guilty for thinking otherwise}}.

* [[Pretty in Mink]]: Given that the Chipmunks and Chipettes frequently try mingle with, or get into, high society, quite a few furs appear, usually by [[Socialite|Socialites]].

* [[Raised by Humans]]

** Chipmunks: Alvin and Simon.

** Chipettes: Brittany and Jeanette.

* [[Road Show]]

* [[Rock and Roll]]: While the Chipmunks covered famous songs and delved into many genres, they were mostly portrayed as a Rock band in the cartoon series, with Alvin on guitar, Simon on keyboards/piano, and Theodore on drums. And if they wanted, they could switch instruments too.

** Justified considerably less (but still not completely unjustified) because these chipmunks are [[Rodents of Unusual Size|somewhere between the size of a house cat and the size of a human]].

*** The snakes are also absolutely humongous as well.

** Also justified in the episode of the '80s cartoon which shows how the Chipmunks came to live with Dave -- they were babies, and much smaller, and Dave was torn to pieces when he thought they'd been eaten by a snake at the zoo.

* [[Wise Beyond Their Years]]: Simon (who nevertheless gets a lot of [[Not So Above It All]] moments to remind us he's still a kid), and to a lesser extent all the Chipmunks and Chipettes except Theodore.

[[Category:Saturday Morning Cartoon]]

[[Category:Western Animation]]