Alvin & The Chipmunks – A Chipmunk Christmas
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: D/C Episodes: B-
The
Chipmunks were originally a vinyl record album sensation using sped-up voices
for each of the three characters (Alvin, Simon and Theodore) and also became an
animated TV show in the 1960s. Alvin & The Chipmunks – A Chipmunk
Christmas collects three episodes of their 1980s cartoons form 1981, 1988
and 1989. To be blunt, I thought the
gang became over-processed and lost their charm by the 1980s, but these are not
bad and children might like them. The
shows are:
A Chipmunk Christmas
Merry Christmas, Mr. Carroll
Dave’s Wonderful Life
The 1.33
X 1 image is surprisingly soft and the animation a bit rougher than I
remembered. The color is also a bit poor
and I bet new HD transfers would bring out better detail, as well as color
richness. The Dolby Digital 2.0 is
simple stereo and a generation or two down.
There are no extras in the original basic version, but the new 25th
Anniversary Edition has a bonus CD with music and the like in the tradition of
vinyl albums Liberty Records used to issue of The Chipmunks. Now if only they would dig up those 1960s
cartoons.
- Nicholas Sheffo
