Alright, say what you will… but Alvin & The Chipmunks has been a hit in one form or another with kids for fifty years. I don’t always believe in updating classic characters, but when it’s done well, I’m not so horribly opposed to it. Being that I’m almost as old as Alvin, Simon and Theodore, I can attest to the fact that they were popular in my house when I was a kid. And growing up, I always got a little smile on my face when I’d hear some new incarnation of a song performed by the trio. When I heard there was going to be a brand new live action film, with CGI versions of the trio I was a little hesitant. So much so as I passed it up in theatres and opted to wait for the eventual DVD release. So last week, on a quiet Saturday afternoon I sat down with my 4 year old to watch Jason Lee step into the shoes of Dave, the chipmunks longtime friend and collaborator, and to see just how funny or otherwise “Alvin & The Chipmunks was going to be. While I wasn’t completely floored… we did both enjoy the film, both of us laughing at all the right parts.

“Alvin & the Chipmunks” gives us a new version of how the harmonizing rodents came into Dave’s life. Dave is a struggling musician determined to find a way to hit the big time. Alvin, Simon and Theodore find their way to the big city when their home is cut down to become Christmas tree fodder for a large corporate building. The same corporate building that houses the record studio where Dave is getting what he thinks is going to be his final rejection. Stowing aboard a basket of muffins, the trio soon find their way into Dave’s home… and his life. When Dave discovers their talent, he reconnects with the ‘evil’ head of the record studio to sell Alvin & the Chipmunks as the next big thing. At first, things couldn’t be better for Dave and his newfound charges, but then greed rears its ugly head as Dave want them to remains grounded but the studio wants more, and more, and more…

I’ll have to admit that “Alvin & the Chipmunks” may be formulaic and silly, but it’s a formula and brand of silliness that actually works. Lee’s knack for comedy serves him well as he has to interact with the three CGI chipmunks, and as voiced by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney, the trio actually quite cute and funny. The CGI isn’t perfect, but it works most of the time and my daughter thought they were extremely adorable. I do have to say that I wish the music they sang wasn’t turned into hip-hop… I would have rather it been a musical style that is actually… a musical style.

The DVD allows you to choose between full screen or widescreen, but I mean come on… which would you choose? You’ll also find a featurette on the history of Ross Bagdasarian’s 50 year old creation as well as one on the music.

Directed by: Tim Hill
Starring: Jason Lee, David Cross (and the voices of: Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney)
Extras: Chip Chip Hooray, Hitting the Harmony
Specifications: Widescreen, Full Screen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 4/1/2008
Region: 1
MPAA Rating: PG
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We'll give Alvin and the Chipmunks a B-.