Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (TV series) facts for kids
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a fun American animated TV show. It's an adventure comedy made by Disney Television Animation. The show stars the famous Disney characters Chip 'n' Dale, but in a brand new way! They become detectives who solve mysteries.
The series first aired on The Disney Channel on March 4, 1989. Before that, a special preview episode called "Catteries Not Included" aired on August 27, 1988. The show then continued with a two-hour movie, Rescue Rangers: To the Rescue, which was later split into five parts for daily viewing. The very last episode aired on November 19, 1990.
Later, on September 18, 1989, the show started airing across the country in syndication. It was shown in the afternoons, often after DuckTales. From 1990 to 1993, you could watch reruns as part of The Disney Afternoon block of cartoons. The entire series is now available in HD on Disney+ since November 12, 2019.
Quick facts for kids Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers |
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| Genre | |
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| Theme music composer | Mark Mueller |
| Composer(s) | Glen Daum (for Score Productions) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (list of episodes) |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
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| Distributor | Buena Vista Television |
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| Picture format | NTSC (480i) |
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| Original release | March 4, 1989 – November 19, 1990 |
Contents
What is Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers About?
Chip and Dale are two clever chipmunks. They start a detective agency called the Rescue Rangers. Their friends are Gadget Hackwrench, Monterey Jack, and Zipper. This tiny team solves crimes that are too small for the police. Their clients are usually other animals.
The gang often faces two main bad guys. One is a fancy tabby cat named Fat Cat. The other is a crazy inventor called Professor Norton Nimnul.
Meet the Rescue Rangers Characters
Who are the Main Heroes?
- Chip (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is the leader of the Rescue Rangers. He's like a tiny Indiana Jones! Chip wears a fedora hat and a bomber jacket. He often uses a rope to swing around. Chip is serious and always tries to do the right thing. He sometimes argues with Dale because Dale is more laid-back.
- Dale (voiced by Corey Burton) is Chip's best friend and a co-founder of the team. He wears a red and yellow Hawaiian shirt. Dale loves his job, but he's also very free-spirited and sometimes acts without thinking. He enjoys reading comic books and playing video games. Dale loves candy so much that he has "chocolate attacks"! Even though he can be silly, Dale is a friendly character. He can also be very creative when he needs to be.
- Monterey Jack (voiced by Peter Cullen and Jim Cummings), or "Monty," is a brave Australian mouse. He has red hair and a big mustache. Monty traveled the world for years before meeting Chip and Dale. After Fat Cat destroyed his home, Monty and his tiny friend Zipper joined the team. Monty is much stronger than the others. He can get angry if his friends are in danger. Monty has a huge addiction to cheese! The smell of cheese makes him go into a "cheese attack." He loves to tell stories about his adventures.
- Gadget Hackwrench (voiced by MacNeille) is a smart, blond-haired female mouse. She is the team's pilot, mechanic, and inventor. Gadget wears a purple jumpsuit and blue goggles. Her dad was an inventor and a good friend of Monterey Jack. Gadget is super quick at moving, thinking, and talking. She often says "Golly!" when surprised. Gadget builds and fixes the Ranger Plane. She also invents all the cool gadgets the team uses. She can take old, random items and turn them into amazing new tools. Both Chip and Dale like Gadget a lot, but she often doesn't notice their crushes.
- Zipper (voiced by Burton) is a tiny, bluish-green housefly. He's Monterey Jack's long-time friend and sidekick. Because he's so small and can fly, Zipper helps with jobs the others can't do. He mostly speaks in buzzes that only Monty and other insects understand. But in later episodes, he talks more clearly. Zipper is very loyal to his friends.
Who are the Main Villains?
- Fat Cat (voiced by Cummings) is a big, grey tabby cat. He's one of the Rescue Rangers' most common enemies. Fat Cat is a crime boss in the animal world. He loves his looks and wears a purple suit. He is a very smart and mean criminal. His plans are often strange but always dangerous. He hates dogs and, even more, he hates the Rescue Rangers! He always tries to get rid of them with complicated plans.
- Wart (voiced by Cummings) is a lizard henchman of Fat Cat. He wears a suit and hat like his boss.
- Mole (voiced by Burton) is an overweight mole henchman. He's not very smart but is cheerful.
- Mepps (voiced by Cullen) is a thin, yellow alley cat henchman. He wears a blue vest and a toboggan hat.
- Snout (voiced by Burton) is a rat henchman. He's seen less often than the others.
- Professor Norton Nimnul (voiced by Cummings) is the Rangers' other big enemy. He's a mad scientist. Nimnul is smart, but his plans are often very strange and confusing. For example, he once kidnapped all the cats in the city to make static electricity! He has red hair, thick glasses, and a high-pitched laugh. Unlike other humans in the show, Nimnul knows about the Rescue Rangers and how smart they are.
How Was the Show Made?
Rescue Rangers was planned as one of three new shows to go with Disney's popular DuckTales series. Disney spent a lot of money on DuckTales and then even more on Chip 'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers. These shows, along with TaleSpin and Darkwing Duck, became part of a block of cartoons called "The Disney Afternoon".
When Tad Stones first thought of the show, Chip and Dale were not in it. He first wanted to make a TV show based on The Rescuers, but Disney said no because a movie sequel was already being made. So, he created a new idea called Metro Mice. The main character was an Indiana Jones-type mouse named Kit Colby. The team also had a chameleon, an early version of Gadget, and a character like Monterey Jack. When he showed the idea to Disney leaders, they liked it but suggested adding Chip and Dale to make the show more familiar.
Even though Chip and Dale were known characters, only their look and basic personalities were kept for the show. In Rescue Rangers, they talk a lot! Tress MacNeille voiced Chip, and Corey Burton voiced Dale. Their voices were sped up to make them sound higher pitched. Chip got Kit's clothes, and Dale got a Hawaiian shirt like a character from Magnum, P.I..
The show's catchy theme song was written by Mark Mueller, who also wrote the DuckTales theme. Jeff Pescetto sang the song for the show.
Where Can You Watch It?
Home Video Releases
Over the years, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers episodes have been released on VHS tapes and DVDs. In the United States, the first 51 episodes were released on two DVD sets. There are also international DVD releases.
Online Streaming
The full series is available to buy in SD and HD on platforms like iTunes and Google Play. Since November 12, 2019, the complete series has also been available on Disney+, Disney's streaming service.
Cool Stuff and Games!
Merchandise
In 1989, McDonald's made Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers Happy Meal toys. These toys included the main characters riding small vehicles. You could also find Chip 'n Dale ice cream from Good Humor.
Theme Parks
The Rescue Rangers characters have appeared in Disney theme parks and shows:
- In 1990, Chip and Dale appeared in their Rescue Rangers outfits in a show called Mickey's Magical TV World at Walt Disney World.
- In 1991, Disneyland had a stage show called Plane Crazy featuring the characters.
- In January 1993, a roller coaster called Gadget's Go Coaster opened at Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland. A similar ride opened in Tokyo Disneyland in 1996.
- Gadget also appeared in the stage show Disney's Twelve Days of Christmas in December 2010.
Comic Books
A monthly comic book based on the show was published by Disney Comics starting in 1990. It ran for 19 issues. More comic stories appeared in Disney Adventures and a Disney Afternoon comic book by Marvel Comics.
In 2010, the comics publisher Boom! Studios brought back Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers as a new comic series. This happened because another Disney Afternoon show, Darkwing Duck, had become very popular in comics. Eight issues were published before the series ended in 2011.
Video Games
- In 1990, Capcom released a video game called Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was a platform game where you picked up and threw boxes to attack enemies. You could play with a friend!
- A second NES game, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2, was released by Capcom in 1993. It had similar gameplay and new features for two players.
- In 1990, Hi Tech Expressions released a PC game called Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: The Adventures in Nimnul's Castle. In this game, you had to rescue Monterey Jack from Professor Norton Nimnul's castle.
- Tiger Electronics also released a hand-held LCD game for the show.
- In 2010, Dynamic Pixels Ltd. released a mobile game called Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. In this game, Fat Cat kidnapped Zipper, and the team had to fix their plane to rescue him.
Other Games
- Chip, Dale, Gadget, and Zipper appeared on cards in the 1993 puzzle game Mickey's Memory Challenge.
- Chip and Dale (in their Rescue Rangers outfits) are characters you can play as in the 2000 racing game Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour.
Is There a Movie?
Yes! In January 2014, The Walt Disney Company announced they were making a live-action movie based on the show. It would use CGI special effects, like the Alvin & the Chipmunks movies.
By May 2019, Akiva Schaffer was chosen to direct the film. The movie was released on Disney+. Corey Burton returned to voice Zipper. John Mulaney voiced Chip, and Andy Samberg voiced Dale. Filming officially began on March 16, 2021.
Images for kids
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The official logo for the TV series.
See also
In Spanish: Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers para niños
