About Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (HBO)

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a 2009 American live-action/computer animated musical comedy film directed by Betty Thomas. It's the second installment in the Alvin and the Chipmunks film series, following the 2007 film. The movie involves Alvin, Simon and Theodore starting school, where they face bullying from jocks, despite their massive popularity, and deal with their newfound rivals, The Chipettes.

Making / Production

The Squeakquel was produced by Fox 2000 Pictures, Regency Enterprises, and Bagdasarian Productions, with Betty Thomas as the director. It took around one year for the completion of the film's production due to intricate and detailed animation.

Actors

• Jason Lee as Dave, he manages to portray the caring yet often frustrated caretaker of the chipmunks with humor and heart.
• Zachary Levi as Toby, who filled in for Dave in the film. He demonstrated an affable charm while interacting with the chipmunks.
• Justin Long lends his voice to Alvin. Justin managed to capture Alvin's playful and mischievous character excellently.
• Matthew Gray Gubler provides the voice for Simon. Matthew's portrayal of Simon brought out the nerdy yet endearing character of Simon.
• Jesse McCartney voices Theodore. McCartney beautifully portrayed the sweet, shy and loveable Theodore.
• Christina Applegate, Anna Faris and Amy Poehler voice the Chipettes. Their voice performances bring out the distinctive personalities of the three Chipettes brilliantly.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The Squeakquel was Betty Thomas' first experience directing a film with a mix of live actors and CGI characters.
• David Cross, who plays Ian, ad-libbed many of his lines in the movie.
• The film was converted to IMAX format and released in IMAX theatres across the USA.

Awards

The movie won the 'Favorite Movie' award at the Kids' Choice Awards in 2010. The character of Alvin also won the 'Favourite Animated Movie Voice' at the same event.

Quotes

• "You guys are like miniature Buddhas, covered in hair." - Toby
• "We're back, baby!" - Alvin
• "I am not a real-estate agent. This is not my natural hair color." - Ian

Music, Soundtrack

• The movie soundtrack features a number of songs performed by the chipmunks as well as the Chipettes, including popular hits like "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "Hot N Cold", and "We Are Family".
• An original song titled "The Song" is a key part of the movie's plot and features prominently in the soundtrack.
• The official movie soundtrack was released by Rhino Entertainment and it peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200.