Weekend Watch: Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers

The gumshoes are back, now with 100% more meta gags

Image Credit: Disney+

Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, two small Disney cartoon heroes are back on our screens for meta-comedy madness. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite

Everything old is new again. And, as companies endlessly scour the archives for old characters and ideas to recycle, upcycle or reboot, there’s a real danger that everything will simply be an updated version of some other idea, originals left to claw for the scraps of remaining box office sales or streaming rights.

Heavens, that got bleak quickly, didn’t it? Fortunately, there are still examples of smart, funny ways to make use of pre-existing concepts and Disney+’s new Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers shows what happens when talented people are handed the proper resources and asked to come up with something that honours what came before yet still feels fresh.

Crafted by the Lonely Island team (the former Saturday Night Live video-loving goofballs behind such underrated movies as Hot Rod and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping), the new film is a sheer, unadulterated delight that appeals not only to those of us who were around for the Rescue Rangers show initially (side note: yes, I’m still old) but also to anyone who just loves a classic tale of buddies who were torn apart by showbiz and the cheese-related story of mobsters, bootleg cartoons and how weird the animation was in the likes of The Polar Express.

We’re introduced to the behind-the-scenes drama that ended Rescue Rangers, though the story starts between that to show how Chip (voiced by John Mulaney) and Dale (Lonely Islander Andy Samberg) first met at school and how their shared love of jokes and entertainment led them to land the show.

Turns out, after a couple of years of success in their TV double act, Dale was ready to break out and star in his own show. Cut to 30 years later and the pair have most definitely gone their separate ways – Chip into a life of suburban blandness, working as an insurance salesman, with Dale still holding on to the idea of his former celebrity existence, opting for “CGI surgery” and working the convention circuit.

When one of their old castmates goes missing, the mystery spurs the old friends to reunite – not always comfortably – and uncover a huge conspiracy aimed at kidnapping and altering fellow ‘toons to use in cheap, knock-off movies and shows.

Written by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend veterans Dan Gregor and Doug Mand and directed by Samberg’s fellow Islander Akiva Schaffer, this new visit with the Rescue Rangers channels the spirit of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (and yes, he has a cameo) to create a bright, funny world where cartoons and humans live alongside each other, and jokes fly thick and fast about their shared entertainment world.

Though the story could have drowned in its references, the movie is clever enough to make proper, sparing use of certain examples (the best being the much-maligned “Ugly Sonic” that was featured in early trailers for 2020’s Sonic The Hedgehog) and let the rest fill in the background, or serve as blink-and-miss-them gags. The meat in this meta sandwich is the emotional story between our heroes and their old friends, plus new human police pal Ellie, played by KiKi Layne.

The mystery element mostly works, though it’s really the foundation for the character story at its heart. Samberg and Mulaney are great, and they’re backed up by an amazing list of voice talent including Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, JK Simmons, Tim Robinson, Keegan-Michael Key, Tress MacNeille, Flula Borg, Dennis Haysbert, Rachel Bloom and more.

Meta comedy can be tricky to pull off, and the sheer number of call-backs and cameos here could have been exhausting. Fortunately, it’s so light on its feet and, yes, clever, that Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers never succumbs to pop culture fatigue. A superb surprise and one that rewards repeat viewing.

Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers is on Disney+ now.