Disney+ is banking big on nostalgia for the foreseeable future, a business strategy that has served the streaming platform well so far. Given Disney’s vast catalog of intellectual property, it was only a matter of time before they got around to Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers. Getting Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island pals involved was less inevitable, as was the involvement of John Mulaney. Suddenly, a lot of grownups who probably hadn’t thought about Chip, Dale, Gadget and the gang in several decades started to pay attention.
The result looks like a very meta production punching way above its weight, attempting to both leverage franchise movie culture and make some commentary on it at the same time (The LEGO Movie proved this was both possible and enormously entertaining, given the right touch). Our first trailer is a real hoot, poking fun at the evolution of animation, Chip (Mulaney) and Dale’s (Samberg) fall into celebrity excess and throws in a few other recognizable figures from the Disney vault for good measure. A final bit featuring Seth Rogan as an uncanny valley motion capture strongman is particularly inspired.
The movie was written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who were behind the similarly funny, very meta Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, so there’s reason to think this reboot/retread might actually have some meat on its bones. The trailer would sure seem to suggest as much.
