Alvin and the Chipmunks | |
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Directed by | Tim Hill |
Screenplay by | |
Story by | Jon Vitti |
Based on | Alvin and the Chipmunks by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Lyons Collister |
Edited by | Peter E. Berger |
Music by | Christopher Lennertz |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
Country | United States[1] |
Language | English |
Budget | $60 million[3] |
Box office | $361.3 million[3] |
Alvin and the Chipmunks is a 2007 American live-action animated jukebox musical comedy film[1] based on the characters Alvin and the Chipmunks created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr.; the film was dedicated in his memory.[4] Directed by Tim Hill from a screenplay by Jon Vitti and the writing team of Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi, the film stars Jason Lee, David Cross and Cameron Richardson, while Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney voice the titular Chipmunks. The film follows chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore, who move in with struggling songwriter Dave Seville after they lose their home. When Dave discovers they have rare singing talent, he has them perform in front of JETT Records executive Ian Hawke, who then plans to trick them into living with him to profit off their success with a world tour.[5][6]
Development of Alvin and the Chipmunks began in 1997 when Ross Bagdasarian Jr. expressed interest in creating a live-action film. The project saw multiple changes before it was officially announced in September 2004 as a collaboration between Fox 2000 Pictures, 20th Century Fox Animation, and Bagdasarian Productions. The animation for the film was handled by Rhythm and Hues Studios, which studied real chipmunks and previous versions of the characters to design CGI models that retained the original essence. The integration of CGI with live-action footage presented challenges, particularly in scenes involving actor Jason Lee, who portrayed David Seville, requiring match-moving techniques and advanced visual effects software.[7]
Alvin and the Chipmunks was released in the United States on December 14, 2007, by 20th Century Fox. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, who criticized the film's humor and "rehashed kids' movie formula", while Cross’ performance as the villain received general praise.[8] It grossed $361.3 million worldwide against a $60 million budget[9][3] and was the third-best-selling DVD of 2008 in the United States.[10] The film's success spawned a live-action film series, which comprises the sequels Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009), Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011), and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015).[11]
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