Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman (2000) (2020 Reissue)   Starring (voice): Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Janice Karman, Tress MacNeille, Elizabeth Daily, Maurice LaMarche and Rob Paulsen, Frank Welker and April Winchell Distributor: Fabulous Films Ltd / Fremantle Media Enterprises RRP: £9.99 FHED4019 Certificate: U Release Date: 05 October 2020

Alvin’s just wild about monsters. After devouring every movie and book on the subject, he considers himself an expert. So when a mysterious new neighbour, Mr Talbot, moves nearby and strange howling noises come from his yard, Alvin is sure he is a werewolf! Of course, everyone else thinks Alvin is watching too much late night TV. But when Theodore is nipped by a “dog” and suddenly starts chewing his own socks, even the logical Simon agrees that something weird is going on. Can Alvin and Simon save their brother before the next Full Moon, or will Theodore become a fully-fledged werewolf forever...?

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman is an animated movie from 2000. Alvin and the Chipmunks was never really as big a deal here in the UK as it was in the USA. While Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Warner Bros. shorts and the Peanuts television specials (featuring Snoopy and Charlie Brown) were a mainstay of kids TV in the '70s and '80s, Alvin and the Chipmunks, in my experience, wasn't really given the same sort of exposure.

This movie was only released in 2000, but it has dated quite poorly, I think mainly down to the insistance on having songs which are sung by the high-pitched chipmunks. These get old real fast and are particularly annoying.

The story is fun enough, and is being released just in time for Halloween. However, it's only going to appeal to the very young, there's not enough depth to the gags to appeal to an adult audience. But if it entertains the smallest members of your household for a short while then that's no bad thing - just keep the volume down if you don't want a migraine.

5

Nick Smithson