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Despite growing up during the 80s resurgence of the Chipmunks, I was never much of a fan of their helium voiced harmonies and sitcom-level shenanigans. I didn’t hate them (I still don’t, although I don’t recognize the grotesqueries they’ve been turned into by the modern live-action films), but re-visiting them here I felt a sense of beguiling innocence. The narrative stakes are low, Alvin is sweetly naughty, Dave is grumpy and ruffled throughout, and the creative team works in harmony to achieve a solid effort.
Perhaps it’s that Ross Bagdasarian Jr. had such a strong presence behind the scenes that this special feels like much of the older Chipmunks work. The look and sounds of the original works from late-50s marry to Chuck Jones’ style very well, and Jones’ gentler side comes out in full force.
Christmas specials can sustain a certain amount of schmaltz, and A Chipmunk Christmas piles it on thick with the running plot about a sick boy who is only cured when Alvin gives him his gold harmonica. But I’d be a liar if I tried to proclaim that the sappy, happy ending didn’t earn a smile from me. Maybe I’m just a soft touch underneath the layers of sarcasm and cynicism.
It doesn’t hurt that A Chipmunk Christmas looks quite pleasing to the eye, with Jones’ quirky character designs being appropriately bouncy and mobile, and Toby Bluth’s backgrounds being warm, inviting creations. The soundtrack is also quite strong, with a pleasant mixture of secular and religious songs, and an appearance from “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” in a scene mimicking the original recording.
None of this is to say that it holds its own against titanic holiday specials like A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or loads of the Rankin/Bass Productions offerings. Put this next to any of those, and it’s slightness becomes an obvious weakness as its limited plotting is good enough for a brisk thirty minutes, but ultimately forgettable.
A Chipmunk Christmas is still an overall success. Obviously, as its solid ratings and warm reception lead to the long-running Saturday morning cartoon, Alvin and the Chipmunks. (If you’re a child of the 80s, that theme song just popped into your head, sorry.) Nostalgia may be clouding my vision, but there was something endearing and charming about how simplistic this thing was. It’s a perfectly pleasant way to spend thirty minutes once a year, and sometimes that’s good enough.
