Remakes and reboots are always a touchy subject, but Disney’s recent re-invention of Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers seemed to buck the trend when it was released on Disney+ earlier this year. Rather than simply rebooting the original animated series, the movie went meta and delivered a brand new adventure for the dynamic duo, which not only delivered a fun sequel to the classic series but also ripped into Hollywood and Disney itself in a self-deprecating way that was so chock full of references and Easter eggs that even two viewings just wasn’t enough. Now that approach has paid off, with the movie earning an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie at this year’s awards.
Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers joined a host of nostalgic returns that have littered the box office and streaming services in the last few years, but unlike many, the revival was an almost unanimous hit by not attempting to be either a reboot, or a remake, but, in its own words, was an unlikely comeback for the pair of chipmunks. When it came to the Creative Emmy Awards, though, the film was up against strong competition from The Survivor, Ray Donovan, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas, but ended up walking away with the award, which meant another win for Disney.
Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers Was Only Possible Through Disney+
Like many revivals and reboots, Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers was made for streaming and without the existence of Disney+, the movie may never have been made. Like many streamers, Disney has been delving into its IP lists to pull out old shows and movies that they think could provide new content to their platform. Rescue Rangers has been considered by many to be one of the best additions to Disney+ this year, and while speaking to ComicBook.com recently, co-writer Doug Mand addressed the challenges of bringing such a unique, meta movie to life. He said:
"What we can say is we can't believe this movie got made with the crazy things that were written, the crazy things we came up with, with Akiva Schaffer, our animators, our producers, and Disney. It's insane that this thing got made. I would say that as a blanket is this movie exists really probably because Disney+ exists. We wrote this movie seven years ago. Disney+ did not exist. And it was a big swing. To Disney's credit, they paid us to write this thing that was very much a big swing. And we don't really know the ins and outs of what it would mean to have gone in theater, but the creation of Disney+ and Akiva Schaffer coming on board gave it life again, as a possibility to release something that maybe didn't have to be a four quadrant movie in the same way."
Like any hit, there is a question of whether a Rescue Rangers sequel, or even a new series of the show, could be on the cards, but the movie itself acts pretty much as a one-shot idea that probably wouldn’t work a second time in quite the same way. For now, though, Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers and the entire original animated series are available on Disney+.