“Alvin and the Chipmunks,” a global phenomenon to generations of fans becomes a live action/CGI motion picture event with a contemporary comic sensibility. Songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) transforms singing chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore into pop sensations -- while the out-of-control trio lays waste to Dave's home, wreaks havoc on his career, and turns Dave's once-orderly life upside-down.
Alvin and the Chipmunks have been wreaking havoc for Dave Seville - and delighting audiences around the world - for nearly 50 years, in various incarnations. From the moment they sprung into being, the creative brainchild of singer/songwriter Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., the 'Munks' catchy sound has been a pop culture mainstay, for both young and old.
Three of today's hottest young actors - "Dodgeball's" Justin Long (in photo), "Criminal Minds'" Matthew Gray Gubler, and pop sensation/actor Jesse McCartney - joined the project in post-production to voice, respectively, Alvin, Simon and Theodore. Producers Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman were delighted with the work of all three performers - no small thing given that Bagdasarian's father, Ross, Sr., voiced all three roles before his untimely passing, with Bagdasarian and Karman performing the voices the past thirty years. "Justin, Matthew and Jesse were all funny and smart, while conveying the critical heart of the characters," says an appreciative Bagdasarian.
The band frontman, Alvin is being voiced by Justin Long who recently starred Bruce Willis opposite the hit action movie ‘Die Hard 4.0.’ Alvin is personified as impulsive, charming, musical and full of animal magnetism. What others might characterize as half-baked schemes, Alvin prefers to see as “challenging the ordinary.” What sets Alvin apart from the other two chipmunks is his red sweater emblazoned with the letter "A" made by Dave from a sock.
Matthew Gray Gubbler whose popular film credits include “Criminal Minds” and “R.V.” voices the brainy Theodore. Simon’s signature look is his pair of spectacles borrowed from a wind-up toy that gives him the genuine “specs appeal,” which has inspired far-sighted fans around the globe to proudly sport their specs. His dry sense of humor added to his musical talents, never fails to delight the band’s legions of fans.
Behind Theodore’s voice is actor-pop sensation Jesse McCartney. Theodore is known to his fans as “The Sweet One,” who is also helpful, lovable, sensitive, gullible, trusting and naïve. He has a big heart and even larger appetite, and has been known to stuff an entire box of candy into his adorably puffy cheeks. Theodore is also the youngest of the Chipminks and often intercedes when Simon and Alvin disagree.
Fun for the old and young when “Alvin and the Chipmunks” opens on January 16 in local theaters (Metro Manila, Pampanga and Davao) from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. – Mae Romero Vecina
