Those who are familiar with the 1980s TV series and three movies, written by Janice Karman and her husband Ross Bagdasarian, know that it follows a trio of singing chipmunk friends – Alvin, Simon, and Theodore – who live with their adopted dad, David Seville. Simon is the smart one, Theodore the chubby, goofy one, and Alvin the troublemaker. The latter’s typical antics are what spark the triple “n” spelling, and gratuitous exclamation points included in the title, denoting how Dave is constantly yelling at Alvin for causing mischief. All three, naturally, have high-pitched chipmunk voices, all provided by Bagdasarian, with a little help of speeding up playback.
Related: Go, go gadget trailer! Netflix gives a first look at Inspector Gadget reboot
According to Karman, while the reboot will remain true to the essence of the show, it will follow a new narrative. “…[we] strived to bring something new to the way they react and behave, as well as their look.” Bagdasarian adds that the show is more like an “animated sitcom with real emotions.” That would require some female friends, too. So we’ll see the return of the female trio, the Chipettes, as well, including Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor. Judging from the images released thus far, the characters look slightly older, and a bit more human.
Nickelodeon has already been airing the show on more than 70 of its international channels for the last few months, and reports that it has been performing successfully. So it was a natural progression to bring it to the U.S.
A new movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, is also set to be released in theaters this December.
