‘Space Jam: New Legends’ has broken our ability to see the metacinema like something that can be bright. His comment was so lacking irony, sense, grace and talent that part of the public, disenchanted, came to describe the trailer for ‘Chip and Chop: The Rescue Guardians’ as a transcript of the Looney Tunes movie (and Lola Indigo).
Luckily, it didn’t take much expertise to see that there was something else: the magic of The Lonely Island, possibly the most creative and original group of creators of the last twenty years: two of the three members participate in the film. And they have succeeded. ‘Chip and Chop’ is the luminous reverse of ‘Space Jam: New Legends’, the film that makes us believe again that make good humor about pop culture, beyond the reference for the reference, it is possible.
Chip and Chop the best
Originally, the Chip and Chop movie had no The Lonely Island, no meta humor, no jokes about Hollywood and popular culture. In fact, in 2014 the idea was do a reboot and create a franchise to rival ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ (something this movie explicitly takes revenge on) by telling an origin story. The movie that we have on Disney + has transgressed everything that was expected of it and has become something completely different: a comment on the current state of Hollywood and its little imagination that also hides a bittersweet aftertaste about adult life. And all this, with Chip and Chop as protagonists. Neither trap nor cardboard.
The original series ended in 1990, and in these more than thirty years they only had an episodic return in the wonderful ‘Ducktales’. It made no sense to continue with a saga that very few remember as if nothing had happened. In its place, and instead of throwing a humiliating self-hatred, ‘Chip and Chop’ launches down a path as complex as it is successful, that of tell the behind-the-scenes story showing love for the franchise and updating it to the current time. And this doesn’t mean rapping animals, unlucky redesigns, or edgy comedy that only adults can understand. Or at least, not at all.
‘Chip and Chop’ could have been a collection of pop culture snaps, four jokes about well-known movies, and a flimsy plot trying to tie the gags together, but its foundation is that of a good story that resembles a cross between ‘The Character Killer’, Pafman’s fabulous comic, and an episode of ‘The amazing world of Gumball’. In addition, although the reunion is sometimes typical (no matter how groundbreaking it is, it is still a Disney family movie) He manages to excite at times using running gags in his favor, highlighting the details that will later be important and without its moral being obvious and vulgar. And all this forcing the seasoned viewer to press the pause button every so often to catch all the jokes in the background.
Beauty and the Cursed Dog-Man
The fear that the ‘Chip and Chop’ references were, as in the sequel to ‘Space Jam’, a simple showcase for Disney +, was logical and well-founded. And yet They have managed to make a Roger Rabbit (literally): animated characters from different franchises outside of Disney make cameos in the film, managing to encourage the surprise factor and making the trip always fresh and surprising. If you want some names, better enter Twitter: those who have seen it before have already run to give spoilers to demonstrate, I suppose, that being a movie buff is not usually at odds with being a cretin.
If you want to see the film as an opportunity to catch easter eggs and cameos, you’re in luck. But if you ask for something else, luckily, too. Chip and Chop, in their roles as vintage stars, are capable of doing a commentary on current animated cinema, topics included, fun and successful. Obviously it does not amount to a thoughtful reflection, but its creators go much further than any of us thought they would: the presence of the characters as actors who played a role, although it is not something new, allows it to broaden horizons and reach limits that are as fun as they are unsuspected. Filming, bootlegs, rejected characters or useless merchandising come together in a script in which, in the end, what shines the most is the hearts of its protagonists.
ok yes the plot of ‘Chip and Chop’ is not new and reminds us of many things seen before: a couple of actors who have long since broken their friendship for a foolish thing and embark on an adventure to save someone from their old team. But what this work does well is open the channel to its protagonists (not literally). And it is that both Chip and Chop have reasons to go thirty years without speaking to each other, getting the viewer to be able to empathize with both. It helps that you take your time in laying out the story and don’t be in a hurry to start until all the pieces are on the board. It shows that behind there are people who know what they are doing. For better… And for worse.
Zero Zero Chop
On The Lonely Island (if you don’t know who they are, I recommend you take a look at YouTube urgently), as much as there is a missing member and the script is written by people from ‘Crazy ex-girlfriend’, they are too smart to allow a movie like this use the clichés of the cinema without underlining their use. And this is where he makes his biggest mistake: explicitly pointing out that a part of the script is vague and topical doesn’t make it a good thing. In addition, he does so to the detriment of some character who could have given more of himself, and who sadly has his role reduced in this pseudo-reboot. It’s an ingenious solution, but not enough.
However, any small mistake is decimated by the fabulous choice of voice cast: John Mulaney and Andy Samberg, once we get rid of the problem “they don’t speak with the voice of squirrels”, they have the perfect intonation, and Will Arnett embroiders it as the villain (whose identity, obviously, I will not reveal). maybe misses more chances for Mulaney’s vocal humor, but Samberg more than makes up for it. A dream, really.
‘Chip and Chop’ is a small miracle in which dozens of cartoon creators have come together to laugh at their works and the way they are treated by Hollywood, the industry, and even your own expectations as a viewer when you press Play hoping to see what nonsense they have done with a series three decades ago. It has to be bad, right? Surely at some point they start rapping. And that the characters are made in 3D and look weird! Take off all possible prejudices: you will be surprised.
In short
Whether you’re a ‘Chip and Chop’ fan or you’ve never seen it in your life, or if you are a lover of metacinema, Hollywood games and animation All in all you have to see this movie. However, keep in mind that it is still a family movie in which children may end up getting bored, not so much because of the references as because the story has adult layers and mature characters in the form of little rescue squirrels. Adults with a very specific sense of humor are going to have a great time. Now yes, yes, we can proudly sing again that “Chip and Chop rescuers, Chip and Chop, the best”.