A Chipmunk Reunion
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''A Chipmunk Reunion'' is a 1985
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer * Special police forces ...
produced by Bagdasarian Productions, in association with
Ruby-Spears Enterprises Ruby-Spears Productions (also known as Ruby-Spears Enterprises) was an American entertainment production company founded by veteran writers and ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' creators, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, in 1977, before closing in 1996. Spec ...
, and is spun off of
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's popular animated series, '' Alvin & the Chipmunks'', starring the Chipmunks and the Chipettes. The special originally aired on NBC on Saturday April 13, 1985, as a primetime special, in between seasons two and three of the series. When the series went into syndication in the fall of 1988, this special was included in the syndication package as a regular episode.


Plot

Alvin, Simon and Theodore argue about when exactly they were born. But not even their adoptive father, Dave Seville, knows the exact date (he celebrates their birthday on the day he found them), so Alvin decides that the only way to find out would be to look for their long lost mother. When Dave comes downstairs the next morning and sees the Chipettes in the house (the boys asked them to look after Dave), he realizes that the boys went to find their mother, and fears that they could get hurt by wild animals in the forest. So, he sets out to find them, while the girls join him on his search. Meanwhile, as the boys search the forest, they imagine what their mother might be like (except Alvin, who wonders why their mother abandoned them), while asking other forest animals about her (with no such luck). Later that night, the boys decide to go home, when they encounter a wild boar that chases them into a log, then grabs the log and throws it to the bottom of a mountainside, knocking them unconscious. However, someone finds them, and takes them into their home. When the boys wake up the next day, they find themselves inside the home of their long lost mother named Vinny, who is happy to see her boys again. Meanwhile, Dave and the Chipettes are right on the boys' trail, while Dave wonders why they left him. However, the girls assure him that just because the boys are looking for their mother, it doesn't mean that they don't love him anymore. Back at Vinny's home, the boys reminisce with her about when they were babies, and then she tucks them in with a tendersweet lullaby that she used to sing to them when they were babies. The next morning, a bitter Alvin claims that Vinny never loved him and his brothers to begin with, because she left them on a stranger's doorstep. However, Vinny then explains that she had her reasons for doing this, those reasons being that the boys were too young to survive the long winter, and that there was a severe food shortage. However, she knew of a man (Dave Seville) who was very kind to the forest animals, and had no choice but to leave them with him. She then admits that giving them up was the hardest thing she ever had to do. The boys decide to have Vinny come and live with them, but she tells them that she doesn't know anything about life in the city and that she wants them to live with her. Alvin, failing to understand and not wanting to leave Dave behind, walks away to a nearby log, while Simon and Theodore try to comfort him, telling him that their lives are completely different from that of their mother, but it doesn't mean that she doesn't love them. Suddenly, the boar comes back and attacks them. After missing the boys, the boar sees Vinny, and rams into her, injuring her badly. A weakened Vinny then backs up by the cliffside, and jumps up to a nearby branch, while the boar misses and falls into the river to his death. The boys hurry to their mother and fear the worst. They take her home and tend her wounds, while Alvin apologizes for his earlier attitude. The next day, the boys find that Vinny is nowhere to be seen, and when they reach downstairs, they learn that Vinny and the others are throwing them a surprise party. Dave and The Chipettes, all of whom are tired, find them but decide not to disturb them. However, the boys notice Dave, and run up to him and hug him, telling him that they are coming back with him after all, but they'll be back in the forest for visits. After another celebration at Vinny's house, this time with Dave and the girls, the special ends with the boys later that night back at home in bed. Then Alvin, after being asked what his birthday wish was, says that he initially wished they were like other families, but he has now realized that they have parents who love them very much.


Voice actors

*Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. - David "Dave" Seville, Alvin, Simon *Janice Karman - Theodore, Brittany, Jeanette, Eleanor, Allie *
June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...
- Vinny *
Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
- Boar *Marc Fischbach - Forest Ranger


Songs

*''
Mother and Child Reunion "Mother and Child Reunion" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his second studio album, ''Paul Simon'' (1972), released on Columbia Records. The song reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 cha ...
'' - Written by and originally performed by
Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
*''Vinny's Lullaby'' *''Vinny's Blues'' *'' Shake It Up'' - Written by
Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek ( ), was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the America ...
and originally performed by
The Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...


Home video

This special has been released twice on home video. The first time was on VHS in 1989 on ''Alvin and the Chipmunks in The Chipmunk Family Tree'' (from The Chipmunk Video Library), along with the season 1 episode "The Chipmunks Story". The second time was on DVD on September 8, 2009 as part of the set titled The Very First Alvin Show (from
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
), along with the first episode of ''
The Alvin Show ''The Alvin Show'' is an American animated television series that aired on CBS in the early 1960s. This was the first series to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks. ''The Alvin Show'' aired for one season, from October 4, 19 ...
'' and the special ''
Rockin' Through the Decades ''Rockin' Through the Decades'' is a live-action/animated TV special based on characters from ''Alvin and the Chipmunks''. It was directed by Steve Karman, produced by Bagdasarian Productions, and premiered on NBC on December 9, 1990. The specia ...
''.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chipmunk Reunion Alvin and the Chipmunks 1980s American television specials 1980s animated television specials 1985 television specials 1985 in American television NBC television specials Films scored by Dean Elliott Films directed by Charles August Nichols Films with screenplays by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Films produced by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Films with screenplays by Janice Karman Films produced by Janice Karman Ruby-Spears television specials