Alvin and the Chipmunks

Crooning Chipmunks

Who says singing is for the birds? Meet three chipmunks who can carry a tune

Alvin and the Chipmunks began their lives as a singing group. Their first song, the number one hit “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” was released in 1958. Of course, real chipmunks weren’t singing. It was actually a musician named Ross Bagdasarian Sr. who performed the song three times, at half the normal speed. Then the recording was played back at double speed so it sounded very high and squeaky.

People loved the song, and a TV network wanted to see a kids show based on the singing chipmunks, who were named Alvin, Simon and Theodore. A cartoon was created, starring the three animals and a human named David Seville, who worked as the manager of the group. The cartoon ran for a few years in the early 1960s, and returned again in the early 1980s. There were also TV specials, albums and movies starring the chipmunks.

The Chipmunks now return to the big screen in Alvin and the Chipmunks. But this movie isn’t a cartoon, rather it’s a live-action film, meaning it stars real people, and the movie’s heroes — Alvin, Simon and Theodore — are computer-generated. But boy, do they seem real!

Expect the furry singers to belt out a few high-pitched tunes, get into a whole lot of trouble — they always do — and drive their human pal David nuts in the process!

Alvin and the Chipmunks opens December 14