Chip and Dale are back on Disney + . An eagerly awaited return for 30 years, with an action comedy that blends CGI and live-action animation and reunites former Disney Afternoon TV stars in modern-day Los Angeles.
The film, titled Cip and Ciop Special Agents , was presented to the press today, during a conference that saw the participation of the Italian voices, specifically Raoul Bova and Giampaolo Morelli , who dub respectively the protagonists Cip and Ciop. With them Francesca Chillemi , voice of Scheggia, and Jonis Bascir voice of Monterey Jack.
In the film, which will debut May 20, 2022 exclusively on Disney + , the little darlings of the public live among cartoons and humans in modern-day Los Angeles, but their lives are now very different. It’s been decades since their hit TV series was canceled, and Cip, meanwhile, has undergone CGI surgery and works on the nostalgic convention circuit, desperate to relive its glory days. When a former cast member mysteriously disappears, Chip and Dale must mend their broken friendship and re-assume the role of Special Agents to save their friend’s life.
A nostalgic revival but not only
It is a nostalgic revival but not an end in itself, as underlined by Raoul Bova himself :
The very fact that these reboots are made, that old series are taken back, implies that they were beautiful. They have always done remakes, maybe now they are doing more but I am of the opinion that these attempts are equally creative.
Of the same opinion Giampaolo Morelli , according to which this film brings to mind one of the most magical periods in the history of cinema:
I have always tried to merge Neapolitan culture with that of American cinema of the 80s and 90s, a wonderful historical moment for cinema.
But this certainly does not mean that Cip and Dale Special Agents is a film aimed only at a certain type of audience:
You don’t need to know the originals to enjoy these quotes, even those who didn’t grow up in the 80s and 90s can pick them up. These are iconic characters that my son also knows. Those who grew up there can experience the nostalgia effect but also those who do not know the series and the characters can enjoy it.
The magic of Disney
We are in fact talking about a Disney film, and for Giampaolo Morelli the films of the House of Mickey Mouse have a unique power:
Disney movies have this power to be evergreen, you review them today and you always enjoy them. They have the great power to bring the family together, it is not easy to carry out works like this.
For Raoul Bova it is above all a “family matter”:
I started watching them with my first children and now I’m starting over with the little ones. It’s nice to see these cartoons that never get old. They are very stimulating, much more so than many programs on TV that don’t have a message.
For Francesca Chillemi a pleasant journey back in time:
The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, every time I see them I go back to being a child and I see things with different eyes. Each story has a message, I grew up with that magic.
Finally, for Jonis Bascir , the reason for an entire career.
I started this job because of the Disney movies that inspired me and drove me crazy when I was little.
Chip and Dale Special Agents is directed by Akiva Schaffer ( Saturday Night Live ), written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand ( Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ) and is produced by Todd Lieberman ( Wonder ) and David Hoberman ( Beauty and the Beast ), while Alexander Young ( Extinction ) and Tom Peitzman are the executive producers.