Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers is an animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation Created by Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove, it featured the established Disney characters Chip 'n' Dale in a new setting. The series premiered on The Disney Channel on March 4, 1989, after a preview episode ("Catteries Not Included") was aired on August 27, 1988. The series premiered with a two-hour movie special, Rescue Rangers: To the Rescue, which was later broken up into five parts to air as part of the weekday run. The final episode aired on November 19, 1990.

On September 18, 1989, the series entered national syndication. From 1990 to 1993 reruns of the show were aired as a part of the Disney Afternoon line up.

Synopsis
Chip and Dale are two chipmunks who start a detective agency, Rescue Rangers, along with their friends Gadget, Monterey Jack, and Zipper. The pint-sized detectives deal with crimes that are often "too small" for the police to handle, usually with other animals as their clients. The gang frequently find themselves going up against two particular arch-villains: Mafia-style tabby cat Fat Cat and mad scientist Norton Nimnul.

Production
Rescue Rangers was originally conceived as the first of three new companion shows to Disney's popular DuckTales series, which had more than doubled the ratings among child audiences in its time slots after its debut in the fall of 1987. Disney had originally invested $20,000,000 in DuckTales and then invested $28,000,000 in Chip 'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers.

It, along with TaleSpin and a third series, Double-O Duck (which ultimately became Darkwing Duck), would round out a programming block later known as "The Disney Afternoon" along with the previously established Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears to capitalize on DuckTales' success.

When Tad Stones first came up with the idea for the Rescue Rangers series, Chip and Dale were not part of the show. In the original draft, the main character was an Indiana Jones-type mouse named Kit Colby who sported a fedora and a fluffy collared leather jacket, and the rest of the team included a chameleon, an earlier version of Gadget, and a character resembling Monterey Jack with a different name. When he proposed the show in a meeting with Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the idea was well received except for the character of Kit. At Eisner's suggestion, they replaced him with the chipmunk duo to give the show some established Disney characters to work with. By late 1987, two years before its television debut, the show was announced under its original proposed title of "Chip 'n Dale and the Rescue Rangers".

While Chip and Dale were established characters, in order to bring them into the series only their general appearance and basic personality traits were kept. Unlike their appearances in Disney shorts, in the Rescue Rangers the chipmunk duo are very verbal, with Chip voiced by Tress MacNeille and Dale voiced by Corey Burton. Audio processing was used to speed-up the voice recordings and give the voices a higher pitch, particularly Chip's. The pair were given clothes—Chip the clothing of the original concept Kit, while the goofier Dale was modeled after Magnum, P.I. with his Hawaiian shirt.

The series premiered in 1989 on The Disney Channel before moving into a regular slot in syndication the following fall. In 1990, the series premiered as part of the Disney Afternoon line up, where it aired until 1993. On October 2, 1995, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers began reruns on The Disney Channel as part of a two-hour programming block called "Block Party" which aired on weekdays in the late-afternoon/early-evening and which also included Darkwing Duck, TaleSpin, and DuckTales.

The show's opening theme was performed by the pop group The Jets. It was written by Mark Mueller, an ASCAP award-winning pop music songwriter who also wrote the theme song of DuckTales.

Main characters

 * Chip (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is the leader of the Rescue Rangers. Loosely modeled after Indiana Jones, Chip wears a fedora and a bomber jacket and frequently uses rope to lasso or swing to other spots. Chip is serious and has a strong sense of responsibility, to the point that he is sometimes accused of not knowing how to have fun. He can be domineering and often ends up in squabbles with Dale over his more laid back manner. At times, though, he also lets himself go and joins Dale in some frivolity. He and Dale have a crush on Gadget.
 * Dale (voiced by Corey Burton) is the co-founder of the Rescue Rangers. He wears a red and yellow Hawaiian shirt reminiscent of Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I. Though dedicated to the job, he is a fun-loving, mischievous prankster who is sometimes irresponsible and forgets to think before he acts. He spends his free time reading comic books and playing video games. A known candy addict, Dale has "chocolate attacks" similar to Monterey Jack's cheese attacks (ironically, Monty finds it disgusting that Dale can't control himself over candy). He frequently finds himself being knocked on the head by Chip when he says or does something foolish. Dale is largely a fun-loving and laid back character, though he is just as willing to get serious when the situation calls for it. Dale has also shown some remarkable creativity, as he is depicted constructing several gadgets of his own based on one of his favorite movie characters in the episode Double O Chipmunk, seemingly in only a few hours, despite seeming to have little to no technological background.
 * Monterey Jack (voiced by Peter Cullen and Jim Cummings), known as "Monty" to his friends and called "Cheeser" by his mother, is an adventure-loving, red-haired and luxuriantly moustachioed Australian mouse who spent years traveling the world before a chance meeting with Chip and Dale during their first case. After Fat Cat destroyed his home, Monty and his sidekick Zipper decided to join the group in their detective work. Stronger and larger than the others, Monty can be quick to anger if he, or his friends, had been offended. This trait sometimes leaves him ready to do battle with a much larger opponent, and the others having to calm him down. Monty has an overpowering addiction to cheese, and the sight or smell of cheese causes him to be almost hypnotically drawn to it in a moustache-twisting, spiralling-eyed "cheese attack". Monty loves to tell stories of his travels, even if the others often stop his reminiscing, and he often uses colorful "pseudo-australianisms" while talking, such as "Strike me starkers." Monterey Jack is the only Rescue Ranger known to have two living parents, Cheddarhead Charlie and Camembert Kate, who are also travelers. Also, names of his entire family, including his own, have references to various types of cheese. Monty is most frequently found in the company of either Zipper or Dale, whose fun-loving nature matches his own. He also seems to consider Gadget to be something of a surrogate daughter, most likely due to his long friendship with her late father. Due to his traveling experience, Monty often handles the traveling arrangements for the group. Peter Cullen voiced Monterey Jack in seasons 1–3 excluding the 5-episode pilot. Jim Cummings voiced him in the pilot and seasons 4–5.
 * Gadget Hackwrench (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is a young female mouse and the team's pilot, mechanic and inventor. The daughter of deceased inventor and aviator Geegaw Hackwrench, who was a good friend of Monterey Jack. She first met Chip and Dale when Monty brought them to Geegaw's in search of an airplane. At loose-ends since her father's death and eager to help, she joins the team. Known to say "Golly", whenever she's surprised by something. Gadget moves, thinks, and talks quickly, sometimes leaving the others looking dazed and confused. In addition to building and maintaining the Ranger Plane, Gadget is the one responsible for the various technological items used by the team and is regularly inventing new vehicles and tools for the team's use. She has the uncanny ability to take discarded and unrelated items, and invent nearly anything with them, which she attributes to the fact that she has a "mind-bashingly high IQ" and is easily bored. Unfortunately, her creations don't always work the way she intends and have sometimes failed at just the wrong moment to cause the team trouble. Both Chip and Dale are attracted to Gadget, and often compete for her attention, but she doesn't seem to notice in many cases. Gadget's personality was based upon the inventive female character Jordan in the 1985 movie "Real Genius"
 * Zipper (voiced by Corey Burton) is a tiny bluish-green housefly and a long time friend and sidekick of Monterey Jack. With his tiny size and flying abilities, Zipper often handles little jobs that the rest of the Rescue Rangers cannot. He speaks in unintelligible buzzes that only Monty and other insects are able to understand, although in later episodes, he talks more clearly. Despite his tiny size, Zipper occasionally has impressive displays of strength which are matched only by his unwavering loyalty to his friends.

Supporting characters

 * Sergeant Spinelli (voiced by Jim Cummings) is the chief of one of the departments in the police station, where the Rescue Rangers like to watch for cases. They enjoy his office likely because Spinelli eats a lot and likes cheese dishes. As the chief of the department (which, probably investigates all kinds of loss, thefts, etc.). Usually, he is the one who, even if unintentionally, informs the Rangers about the cases. He is usually seen eating cheese sandwiches.
 * Officer Kirby and Officer Muldoon (both voiced by Peter Cullen) are two police officers who work under the supervised watch of Sergeant Spinelli. They are usually seen driving a police car, while investigating numerous crimes. Sometimes, they act as the Rangers lift to a crime scene. Although they seem like the least competent police officers on the force, the duo actually managed to solve numerous crimes (with the help of the Rescue Rangers), and were many times honored for their bravery and commitment to their uniform.
 * Tammy and Bink (both voiced by Noelle North) are two squirrel sisters who are great fans of the Rescue Rangers and their work. Tammy is strong-willed and exhibits a certain naivety consistent with her depiction as a teenager. She has a simultaneous overconfidence in her own abilities and a craving for approval and acceptance from her perceived hero figure (Chip), partly out of her dream of on day joining the Rescue Rangers. As for Bink is a little toddler who loves to eat just about anything. Although they are at first seen as nothing but a nuissance for the Rangers, they end up showing themselves more than able to handle themselves, while trying to save the rangers from Fat Cat's clutches. Tammy has become a Rescue Ranger in many fan fictions.
 * Foxglove (voiced by Deborah Walley), also known as Foxy, is a pink bat who starts off as an assistant to an evil amateur witch named Winifred alongside a crotchety snake named Bud and a dim-witted spider named Lou. However, she fell in love with Dale and changed sides. Foxglove has tremendous courage and is also shown to be cheerful and fun-loving. Despite only appearing once, she is massively popular with fans. In fan fictions she is often seen as a member of the Rescue Rangers.

Antagonists

 * Fat Cat (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a felonious, obese grey tabby cat and one of the Rescue Rangers' most frequent antagonists. Formerly owned by criminal Aldrin Klordane, Fat Cat became an independent agent and animal world crime boss after Klordane's incarceration. Inordinately proud of his appearance, he keeps his whiskers clean, wears a purple business suit, and has a taste for expensive things. Fat Cat is a ruthless criminal mastermind, and his plans, though sometimes bizarre, are nevertheless dangerous and sadistic. He hates dogs and several of his schemes have been attacks against them. The only thing he hates more than dogs are the Rescue Rangers, which he always tries to get rid of using an elaborate and slow methods, rather than killing them immediately. The complexity of his plans usually ends up being his downfall. He has a cousin who lives in Paris, France. Voice actor Jim Cummings described Fat Cat as a combination of Zero Mostel and Dom DeLuise. Fat Cat is usually accompanied by four henchmen. In spite of their combined stupidity, Fat Cat almost always sends them out to do his dirty work for him, as he is too smart, or lazy to get his paws dirty.
 * Wart (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a lizard henchman of Fat Cat who dresses in a gangster-style suit and hat similar to his boss.
 * Mole (voiced by Corey Burton) is an overweight mole henchman of Fat Cat who is slow witted but cheerful, and wears an undersized red t-shirt and a yellow hat. When plans go wrong, Mole usually is the one who Fat Cat chooses to use as a punching bag.
 * Mepps (voiced by Peter Cullen) is a thin, yellow alley cat henchman of Fat Cat who is dressed in a ratty blue vest and toboggan, and who speaks with a whiny voice.
 * Snout (voiced by Corey Burton) is a rat henchman of Fat Cat who wears a short sleeved red turtle neck with a black vest and a dark blue hat that covers his eyes. He is usually only seen briefly.
 * Professor Norton Nimnul (voiced by Jim Cummings) is the Rangers' other major enemy and a mad scientist who once worked for Aldrin Klordane. Though Nimnul is an intelligent and creative scientist, his plans often lack any trace of logic and tend to be extremely convoluted. For example, he kidnapped all the cats in the city to make an immense amount of static electricity, and in his appearance in the pilot he constructed a laser cannon designed to create a giant gelatin mold which would be used to cause an earthquake under the United States Gold Reserve. Nimnul has receding red hair (and similarly colored, bushy moustache), wears very thick glasses, and a high-pitched laugh. Unlike other humans in the series, Nimnul is aware of the Rescue Rangers and their interference in his plans. He is physically modeled on Disney animator Bruce Talkington.
 * Aldrin Klordane (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer) is a powerful crime lord in the city, who sees himself as the world's most formidable thief, as well as being Fat Cat's owner. Having faked his own death, he tried to blame Detective Donald Drake for the robbery of a priceless ruby he needed to complete his masterplan, which was to rob the World's Gold Reserve. After the Rescue Rangers foiled his plans, he was caught by Plato the dog and surrendered himself to the police.
 * Rat Capone (vocied by Jim Cummings) is a gangster rat. His name is a parody of the crime lord Al Capone. He is responsible for the illegal handling of the cheese within the Rangers' city, as well as stealing gold, which he had once tried to build a gold castle, but the Rescue Rangers prevented him from doing so. Being the leader of his gang he has two sidekicks who do his bidding, Arnold Mousenegger and Sugar Ray Lizard.
 * Sewernose de Bergerac (voiced by Pete Schrum) is an alligator who believes he is the world's best actor. According to himself, he was flushed down a toilet when he was still young. He then lived in the sewers just under the theater, where he learned to appreciate the opera and learned from the best actors and singers who performed there. His love for theater greatly shows in his personality. He loves dramatic entrances, vanishes with a puff of smoke and has his very own puppet show. He dreams about a starring role in an opera. Most of the time, he is "accompanied" by Euripides and Voltaire, both of them having their "own" unique personalities. He seems to have some sort of multiple personality disorder. His name is an obvious reference to the character Cyrano de Bergerac.
 * The Siamese Twin Gang (both voiced by Tress MacNeille) are two siamese cats who own a laundromat and an illegal underground casino. Though not major villains, these two characters have been considered as Asian stereotypes due to the fact that they own a laundromat and speak in horrible English.
 * Water Rabbit

Comic Characters

 * Sky Punks
 * Binky Boy
 * Pole Cat
 * Techno-Rats
 * Wasp Patrol
 * Fearless Frogs
 * Danger Rangers
 * Biff and Daff
 * Jojo
 * Felina
 * Sewer Al
 * Chrapek

Episodes
Except for the five-part set of episodes made from the pilot movie, each 22-minute episode of the series was self-contained. Plot points introduced in each episode stayed in the episode and any character development did not appear to continue through to future episodes. Most of the episodes followed a similar format, where in the next case was presented at the start of the episode, then the bulk of the episode had the sleuths gathering clues and investigating the situation. In the last few minutes of the episode, the case was resolved, usually in dramatic fashion and the final moments would have a humorous wrap up scene between the Rangers.

Cameos/Other Appearances

 * Darkwing Duck (1991–1992): In the episode "Twitching Channels," the voices of Monterey Jack and Chip are briefly heard through an audio-reception helmet-device that can tune into sounds from other universes.
 * Raw Toonage (1992–1993): In the episode hosted by Jitters A. Dog, Jitters serves as Dale's stunt double.
 * Bonkers (1993–1995): In one episode, Bonkers mentions the Rescue Rangers.
 * Aladdin (1994–1995): In the episode "Strike Up the Sand," the Genie transformed into Zipper.
 * Robot Chicken : Those Rescue Rangers was appeared like this:
 * In the episode "Disemboweled by an Orphan" (2012), Gadget goes without pants to challenge the double standard of the males going without pants.
 * In the episode "Botched Jewel Heist" (2013), Gadget without pants in second time.
 * In the episode "Legion of Super-Gyros" (2014), Monterey Jack eat the chesse, Gadget with Pants.

Merchandise
In fall of 1989, McDonald's produced a series of Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers themed Happy Meal that included toy versions of the main characters riding small vehicles. Scenes from the series were incorporated into the TV commercials advertising the Happy Meals.

Theme Parks
In 1990, Walt Disney World presented a show called Mickey's Magical TV World, featuring Gadget, Chip and Dale from Rescue Rangers.

In 1991 Disneyland presented a Disney Afternoon-themed stage show called "Plane Crazy" featuring Chip and Dale, as part of the park's Disney Afternoon Avenue.

In January 1993, a junior roller coaster called Gadget's Go Coaster debuted along with the rest of Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland. The coaster looks like it was built and designed by Gadget herself. In April 1996, the attraction opened in Tokyo Disneyland.

Comic
A monthly comic book based on the show was published by Disney Comics in 1990, that ran for 19 issues. Subsequent comic stories were printed in Disney Adventures from 1990 to 1995, as well as in the Disney Afternoon comic book published by Marvel Comics. They also had a series from Boom Studios that was published for 8 issues from December 2010 to June 2011.

Cameo appearances
In the first Darkwing Duck comic story from Kaboom!, Gadget makes a cameo gag.

BOOM! Revival
From September 2010, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers was revived by comics publisher Boom! Studios, as an ongoing monthly series slated to begin in December of the same year. This choice was based on the extreme and unexpected popularity of Darkwing Duck, another Disney Afternoon property which BOOM! revived earlier in 2010. The series featured comics writer Ian Brill, and artist Leonel Castellani. 8 issues were published, collecting the two 4-part stories into two trade paperback books. The comic series was cancelled May 2011, to be replaced by the launch of DuckTales.

Revival/Film adaptation
A 1990 issue of Comics Scene magazine reported that a theatrical feature film based on the series was planned for a 1991 release, however the film never saw the light of day, possibly due to the lackluster performance of DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.

On January 31, 2014, it was announced that Disney is adapting the show for a live action/CGI movie. The film will be produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films. No release date has been announced yet.

Video games
In 1990, Capcom released a video game based on the show called Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers for Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a platform game featuring single and 2-player cooperative modes, allowing players to choose which levels to access via a map, giving them access to various locations in the city. Each individual stage is set up as a side-scrolling action game where Chip and Dale can walk, jump, duck, and pick up objects such as acorns, crates, and barrels to throw at enemies and bosses. In the game, the Rangers must stop another of Fat Cat's schemes, only to have his kidnapping of Gadget send Chip and Dale to the rescue.

A second NES game, titled Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2, was released by Capcom in. The sequel features additional incentives for cooperative play, such as mini-games that can only be played by two players, and the ability to throw one's partner as a weapon.

An unofficial Mega Drive sequel to these games, titled Squirrel King, was produced by the Taiwanese developer Gamtec. This game was later the basis of the unofficial Mega Drive Super Mario World game.

Also released in 1990, Hi Tech Expressions's PC game Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: The Adventures in Nimnul's Castle saw the Rangers having to rescue Monterey Jack, who is caught in a mousetrap in Professor Norton Nimnul's castle. To rescue him, the chipmunks must infiltrate the castle to collect various parts so Gadget can build a flying machine to reach Monterey Jack.

A Disney's Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers hand-held LCD game was released by Tiger Electronics.

Mobile game
In May 2010, Dynamic Pixels Ltd. released a mobile game Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers – Fat Cat kidnapped Zipper and imprisoned him on a distant island. The team have to repair their legendary plane to get it but unfortunately, they have no spare parts so the Rescue Rangers have to use their investigating skills together with enterprising skills as only their plane will help them to get to Fat Cats den. The story is divided into 27 non-linear missions that can be reached via a city map. Every mission is one of 3 different mini-games. The game can be downloaded free of charge and players use micro transactions to purchase in game money to spend it on different in game content like upgrades, additional equipment, power ups, bonuses etc. if needed.

VHS releases
On February 22, 1991, Walt Disney Home Video released 10 select episodes from the series on five VHS cassettes in the United States, containing a pair of episodes each.

Additionally, on December 14, 1994, the Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers episode "Ghost of a Chance" was released together with the Goof Troop episode "Hallow-Weenies" on one VHS cassette as a special release called Boo-Busters. On September 3, 1996, the Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers episode "Good Times, Bat Times" was released together with the Darkwing Duck episode "Ghoul of My Dreams" on one VHS cassette as a special release called Witcheroo!

Several other episodes were available on international releases.

UK, Australia and New Zealand releases
Eleven VHS cassettes containing 23 episodes of the series were released in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

US (Region 1)
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released some of the series on DVD; two volumes have been released in Region 1 thus far featuring the first 51 episodes of the series. The first was released on November 8, 2005 (containing episodes 1–27) and the second on November 14, 2006 (containing episodes 28–51). The episodes on the first volume are arranged by production date, while the episodes on the second volume are arranged by original air date. The sets were packaged in a box containing 3 slipcases, one for each disc. There has yet to be any word from Disney regarding the release of a third volume set for episodes 52–65.

International (Region 2)
In the United Kingdom, Disney released one Region 2 volume in 2007, titled Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers First Collection. Despite the set being similar to the US version, the DVD contained only 20 episodes, while having 6 language tracks: English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and Italian. Several other similar releases were then made to international countries, but only going up to episode #20. On December 5, 2012, a second DVD set of the series was released in the UK, but as a Region 2 version of Volume 2, titled Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers Season 2. Unlike the first DVD, this 3-disc set includes a Fastplay mode and only two language tracks: English and German, but subtitles have not been added. As of yet, there are no plans to release the rest of the series, or the seven episodes missing between the first two sets.

Video on Demand
The series was released on Amazon Instant Video in 2013 and is free for Amazon Prime members. However as of May 2014 it is currently unavailable.

Reception
In January 2009, IGN named Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers as the 60th best in the Top 100 Animated TV Shows. Hal Erickson, author of Television Cartoon Shows, An Illustrated Encyclopedia compared the show to DuckTales, stating that it was "consummately produced and written" and its animation "succeeded in putting most other overseas output to shame."