Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers (1989-1990) (TV Series Review)

(This Post has been updated for 2022 content)

     Well, I’m one of those guys who just gets really nostalgic for things I grew up with, and when I’m in the mood, I just want to talk about it. Way back when I was just a little kid, the Disney channel was always on in our house, there was a whole gallery of memorable shows I watched from the 1990’s, and of them all, my absolute favorite that I loved the most was “Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers”. This animated Disney TV show first aired back in 1989, and while the series ended only a year later in late 1990, it still re-ran through the decade, and left quiet the impact on my childhood. 

With its cute animal leads, colorful animation, fast paced adventures, humble morals and insanely catchy theme song, this is the show that literally made Disney Channel a house hold station for me. Now, I’ve previously reviewed the Disney TV shows “Gargoyles” and “Gravity Falls”, and declared them both as the absolute greatest animated programs from the station by far. However, those two shows were not traditional Disney, and were in a whole other league. “Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers” however was right at home along with “Duck Tales”, “Tale Spin” and so forth. The key difference is that, while I remember liking all those other shows back when I was a kid, “Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers” is the only one … and I mean the only one … that has never left me. Even into my adult years, I still have this infectious love and fondness still reserved for the show. It’s something that just takes me back to when I was a kid, and puts me in a warm, positive mood.

      As part of the Disney Afternoon line-up, “Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers” revolved around a team of five cute little rodents, who form their own detective agency to deal with crimes that are often "too small" for the police to handle. Usually their clients come in the form of other animals, and sometimes its children visiting a police station looking for lost pets, while the grown police just can’t do a thing about it. 

Their mysteries and adventures typically start small-scaled, but always end up in an over the top situation, with a crazy climax, and finally a subtle message tying it all together. Initially, this show was going to feature five completely original characters, but following on the success of “Duck Tales”, it only made sense to tie this show in with recognizable Disney characters. Thus, Chip and Dale replaced the two leads, and were given a new makeover to fit the shows look and tone. Chip adorned the look and attire of “Indiana Jones”, while Dale was dressed to resemble “Magnum P.I”. They still maintained the personality traits and attitudes of their original cartoon counterparts, but with some simple character layers added on top. While both did their job tying the show in with classic Disney, I truthfully never liked either of them as much as the new characters introduced in the show.

Monterey Jack

First there’s Monterey Jack, an adventure-loving, muscle bound, Australian mouse who spent years traveling the world before becoming a ranger. He’s stronger and larger than the others, and is quickest to jump into the action. One of my favorite traits of the guy is that he loves to tell stories of his travels, and he often uses colorful "pseudo-australianisms" while talking, such as “Bonzer idea” or "Strike me starkers”. He’s also got a fun-loving personality that can rival Dale, and personally, I always found him the funniest of the two. In my view, he's perhaps the most consistently entertaining presence of the show, and he just feels like the kind of guy I’d want to share an adventure with. My one annoyance with Monterey Jack is that, unlike the other characters, he's voiced by two different talents, Peter Cullen and Jim Cummings. Both are voice acting titans, but between the two, I absolutely prefer Jim Cummings personality in the role, and I just wish he voiced the character all the way through. Peter Cullen by contrast, while perfectly serviceable, just makes the character sound like he has a nasal congestion.    

Zipper

Next is a cute little blue house fly named Zipper, who clearly stands as the adorable mascot, but he’s also just as heroic, determined and selfless as any of them. In fact, he’s probably got the biggest heart of any member on the team, and will always do his best to lend a helping hand. I’ve grown up watching numerous cute animal characters, and to this day, Zipper still stands apart as one of my absolute favorite adorable sidekicks. With his big-eyed expressions, amusing little squeaky voice, and selfless need to be there for others, Zipper is so lovable that he’ll make you feel guilty for ever swatting at a fly.




Gadget

Saving my absolute favorite Rescue Ranger for last is the teams inventor, a cute little blond mouse, colorfully named Gadget. As far as leading animated girl characters are concerned, Gadget is still just as cute and lovable as they get. She’s a brilliant inventor, but also a clumsy goof, which are the perfect ingredients for hummer and charisma. In many ways, she’s the smartest member of the team, crafting high-tech vehicles ranging from plains, to boats and even a submarine just using small, common, everyday things that she finds lying around. Clearly, she’s the MacGyver of the animal world. At the same time, her brilliant, hyperactive mind leaves her a pinch clueless towards other things, and leads to a lot of funny situations. 

I love how energetic she is, I love how excited she can get creating inventions, I love her chemistry with the other characters, and I love how funny she can get when accomplishing something completely unintentional. Even when she gets angry, she still somehow maintains her cute innocents. I’ve been around the block with many charming animated characters for years, many of which can instantly put a smile on my face, but Gadget has this special charm that’s all her own. She had a wonderful personality, she was inventive, heroic, funny, emotional, tough, caring and always a real joy to watch. Being completely honest, she still has a secure spot among my absolute favorite animated characters in general.

The Villains

Now let’s quickly round up the villains of the show, most of whom were just one-shot villains contained in a single episode. Some of the more note worthy include an evil Gadget look-alike, a nasty band of pirates colorfully referred to as "Pir-rats", the mystical Banshee from Ireland, a shady love interest from Monterey Jack's past, and a guy controlling a swarm of deadly mosquitoes that turn people into mind-controlled zombies. Next, there was a small, but effective collection of regular villains in the shows run. 

The first and best villain of “Chip N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers” is a feline crime boss called Fat Cat, who’s schemes usually involve either making lots of money or becoming a monarch over the animal world. While most of the bad guys in this show were goof-balls, Fat Cat had a sense of intimidation, brilliance and a subdued wicked sense of hummer. Something about his voice, colorful design and personality always made me feel that he could fit right along with any one of the classic Disney movie villains, and I think he could have been regarded as a classic bad guy, if he ever appeared in a movie. 

The shows second main villain is a mad doctor named Professor Nimnul, and he definitely fits the bill as a goof ball bad guy. Likewise, his schemes involved collecting lots of money, but his methods usually involved some kind of over the top experiment. While the character had a charm, he was never on par with the enjoyment of Fat Cat. At last, there was something of a third villain that came in the form of a rodent mobster named Rat Capone. Obviously, his name is a parody of the crime lord Al Capone, and his voice and mannerisms are deliberately modeled on James Cagney. Truthfully, I wouldn’t be surprised if this character was created just to put a spin on the phrase “You Dirty Rat”. He too aimed for riches, but unlike the others, he also aimed to start a slave empire, and finally, he joins the ranks of Disney villains dead set on having the most attractive girl as their own. This villain was a lot of fun, but he didn’t become a reoccurring villain until the tail end of the show, and thus, he didn’t make nearly as many appearances as the ladder two villains. All three villains are voiced by the distinguished Jim Cummings, who in my view is one of the greatest vocal talents to ever live. Watching him bring distinct personalities and flair to all three of these villains highlights just how versatile he can be as a voice actor.

   The series ran for three seasons strait, and had a total of 65 episodes. While there were some stinkers, the majority of the episodes still hold up. So, rather than discus every single detail of the show, I think I’ll just keep it simple from this point, and round up my own personal top 10 favorite episodes of “Chip N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers”.

#10 "Fake Me to Your Leader" 

As I said earlier, the little blue house fly Zipper is one of the most important members of the team, and everyone agrees, that is with the exception of Zipper himself. Without the strength or capabilities of the other Rangers, he begins doubting his worth, and fly’s away from home wishing to be bigger. On the other side of town, the evil Professor Nimnul uses a growth Gun on some bugs in a plan to pass them off as aliens that will extort lots of gold for "spaceship fuel". Zipper unintentionally gets caught in the growth-gun rays, and slowly becomes a giant, super strong fly. At first, it’s a dream come true, but things get out of hand as he grows to big to fit in the house, and the military confuse him for another invading alien insect. Thus, the team set off on a mission to rescue Zipper, return him to normal size and expose the professors fake alien invasion. This is easily my favorite of Zippers solo episodes, as it highlights just how lost the team is without him, and it gives our little house fly the perfect variety of funny, adorable, and heroic moments. Throw in a climax that pays homage to “King Kong”, and you get a perfect large-scale adventure with our tiniest hero.   

#9 "Last Train to Cashville" 

When Fat Cat steals a little boys toy train-set, he uses it as a means to switch-out gold bricks from a vault with fake painted bricks. The rangers are naturally on the case, but with one unfortunate set-back ... Dale stayed up all night watching TV, and as a result is constantly falling asleep during this rather dangerous mission. As such, the team spend more time rescuing their fellow comrade then they do stopping Fat Cat. This is all around one of the shows funniest episodes, as the situations Dale sleepwalks himself into lead to a number of amusing mishaps. However, there's more to this episode then slap-stick goof-ups, as Dale acknowledges his mistake, utilizes all his strength to finish the mission, and ends-up being the hero who saves the day. I find myself genuinely sympathizing with Dale in this episode, as I can relate to having those tired day's at work, and I have to channel my energy just to keep going, and complete my task. With a number of fun set-pieces, and funny reactions from our hero's, I simply find this a delightful episode, and one that's well worth a viewing. 

    

#8 "Double 'O Chipmunk" 

Dale and Zipper love spy movies, and find themselves inspired to emulate their favorite super spy heroes. Gadget, admiring his ambition, wishes to make Dales dream come true, and sets up a pretend espionage case to make both Dale and Zipper feel like real Spy heroes. Things are all fun and games at first, but things take an exciting turn when the pair find themselves caught in a real spy caper, which involves a group of villains aiming to steel a supper tank. Now, I’ve been a fan of James Bond for years, and it’s such a treat to see Dale and the gang have a 007 like adventure. Dale has had a number of lone episodes, and this is easily my favorite of his solo ventures, as he’s got his little buddy Zipper along for the fun, and it’s great to see the team encouraging Dales heroic fantasies for once. Aside from that, this is just a plain fun episode, with a menacing villain, and a really fun climax involving a super tank battling a weaponized car. Finally, this episode has always stood out to us fans of Gadget, as she takes the role of a traditional Bond girl, and goes full on “Jessica Rabbit” for her re-design. 

#7 "Robocat" 

A junk-man builds a mechanical guard-cat, but it breaks down and is quickly discarded. The Rangers soon find him in the junk yard, and discover that the cat has some kind of will-power, and wishes to be loved like a real pet. Gadget takes an immediate liking to the cat, as she’s already an inventor with a need to fix things, and Dales humble nature likewise leads him to grow close to this friendly machine. On the flip side, Chip doesn’t view the robot-cat as a living thing, and thinks it’s a waste of time helping it, while Monty just hates cats on principle. Thus, a rift is formed and splits our team right down the center, leaving the robot cat unsure of what to do. Meanwhile, lurking in the shadows is their arch foe Fat Cat, who finds out about this, and plots to reprogram the cat for his own ends. This is one of those special episodes that just has all the right ingredients in one offering, we see the team conflicted on how to help something different, our main villain hatching a nefarious plot, exciting action sequences, and the exploration of weather a machine could have real feelings or just programming. The concept of exploring the metaphorical soul in a machine has obviously been done before, but seeing this as a little kid made it my first exposure to the topic, and it paved the way for me to discover other great robot themed stories ranging from “The Iron Giant”, to select episodes from “Star Trek: TNG”, and even “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”. 

#6 "The Carpetsnaggers"

When a string of wealthy homes get robed, the teams investigation lead to the discovery of flying carpets committing the crimes. Monty believes it to be some form of black magic, while Gadget looks for a scientific explanation. Sure enough, the flying carpets are being controlled by none other than their old foe, the evil Professor Nimnul. This was the first of two episodes that drew inspiration from the tales of Aladdin and the Arabian Knights, with the ladder episode featuring a Gennie in a lamp. However, I personally prefer "The Carpetsnaggers" for just how unique, inventive, bizarre and fun it gets. 

With flying carpets as the threat, it leads to a number of exciting sequences in which our heroes are either up in the sky or fighting against gravity. The whole appeal of this show in general is watching these characters play off each other while facing such odd situations, and this episode just has all the right ingredients. We have the excitement of our heroes caught in a giant sewing machine, and there’s a fun climax in which an entire building is lifted into the air and flown through the city. Yet, along with all the crazy action, we also have the charming appeal of Monty bickering with Gadget on their views of science versus magic. This episode really highlights the chemistry of the two, and features some of their best individual moments. 

#5 "Ghost of a Chance" 

No matter what the show, one thing I always look forward too is a good Halloween themed episode to air around October. Regrettably, the rangers never had a specific Halloween centered venture, but they did at least have a number of “spooky” episodes that could pass for one. A personal favorite of mine is “Ghost of a Chance”, which revolves around our hero’s tracking their greatest enemy Fat Cat to a castle in London. While there, the team’s strongest member Monterey Jack meets the ghost of his great ancestor, and must do a brave deed in order to save his trapped soul. What follows is an exciting venture into a spooky castle, a battle with a giant ghost-cat monster, and Fat Cat once again shines as the show’s greatest antagonist. The castle setting gives the episode its atmosphere, and there’s even a tense climax with our hero’s caught in a slow-moving death trap. This episode also has a humble message about concurring one’s fear, and it’s cool to have a supernatural venture with a Ghost that needs to redeem himself for past failures, as opposed to the cliched evil ghost concept.

#4 "Out to Launch" 

At Gadgets request, our hero’s take a day to watch the launching of a NASA space plane. Upon arrival, Chip and Dale find themselves in competition to impress Gadget with how they would handle a real space mission. The pair soon overstep their bounds, get themselves trapped in a spacesuit, then launched into space, and finally stranded in orbit. This forces the rest of the gang to venture into space to rescue them. Little do they realize that things are only going to get worse as the space plane collides with an asteroid, knocking out all the human piolets, and leaving our heroes with the challenge of landing the broken ship safely. A full seven years before Ron Howards classic “Apollo 13”, this episode was my first exposure to both the excitement and danger of man flights into space. This episode also highlights the strengths of these five characters, as they’re really the only players in the whole episode, with no villain or guest hero, but they easily carry the whole thing. It’s also an all-around exciting space venture, made all the larger scale thanks to our small heroes in the experience.     

#3 "Mind Your Cheese and Q's" 

Every member contributes something meaningful to the team, and Monterey Jack basically serves as the muscle of the group. He’s courageous, strong and the guy who always gets our heroes out of the tightest spots. However, every Superman has a  Kryptonite, and for Monty it comes in the form of an uncontrollable cheese obsession. In the opening of this episode, we see Monty failing to help rescue Gadget from a tight spot, and all due to his urge to consume cheese. Thus, he does his best to give up cheese entirely, which is no simple task. However, a mysterious cheese shortage in town forces him and the gang to seek out the very thing he’s trying to avoid. The trail soon leads to the sinister Rat Capone, who actually makes his first appearance here. This episode has all the good stuff, including our heroes dressing up as mobsters, sword fights, a memorable introduction to a great villain, and a hero fighting to control a deadly obsession. Also, the climax is one of the most satisfying as it echoes back to the opening, but this time Monty over comes his addiction and rescue’s Gadget from a lethal death trap. People struggling with addictions in general can probably take something from this episode, and it’s easily one of Monterey Jack’s best.

#2 "Seer No Evil"

While on holiday at a carnival, Monty reunites with a fortune-telling moth named Cassandra, who predicts a mysterious chain of events that will culminate in the death of their team leader Chip. Shortly after, the team discover that a carnival member is a crook, and is somehow using stuffed bears from his booth as part of his thefts. What’s worse, the fortuneteller’s prophecy has begun to take shape, and each shocking revelation seems to get the team closer to Chips apparent demise. Thus, the Rangers must find a way to solve this mystery, while also keeping Chip out of harm's way. This episode has a very distinct atmosphere and tone that sets it apart from others. The mystery is more layered then usual, and there’s a looming sense of danger hanging over head. Also, with a friend’s life on the line, it brings the team closer together on this venture, and seeing their genuine love and friendship for each other on display gives this episode a very warm and friendly flavor. Mixing an edgy mystery with the humble ties of friendship ultimately makes "Seer No Evil" a strong episode in the series, and one that shouldn’t be missed.

Before I reveal my favorite, here are some quick Honorable Mentions … 

"Gadget Goes Hawaiian", 

"A Chorus Crime"

"The S.S. Drainpipe", 

"Bearing up Baby", 

"Rest Home Rangers" 

#1 "Rescue Rangers to the Rescue” (5 part episode arc)

Initially this show began with a full length TV movie under the title of "Rescue Rangers to the Rescue”. For the season two premier, this movie was split into a five-part story arc, and in my view, to call this my favorite of “Chip N’ Dale Rescue Rangers”, might just be underselling it. Truthfully, I’d go so far as to call this one of my absolute favorite multi-episode arcs from an animated program. This arc chronicles the teams very first grand adventure, the origins of how they all first met, how both Fat Cat and Professor Nimnul became their greatest foes, and how our young heroes were inspired to do both detective work and be there to help others. The beauty of this episode is how it takes its time introducing us to our heroes, how their individual friendships took shape, and it really gives us the chance to bond with them on their first, and biggest adventure. 

As the arc begins, we see Chip and Dale up to their usual harmless mischief, and take great inspiration from a local police dog and his detective owner. Disaster soon rears its ugly head when a sinister crime boss steals a valuable jewel, frames both the police officer and his dog for the crime, and it turns out to only be the beginning of a far larger scheme in progress. Naturally, Chip and Dale set out to solve the case and prove their friends innocents. Initially this arc focuses on how Chip and Dale learn to get along, as one is committed to being a serious detective, while the other just wants to go back to goofing off. Monterey Jack and Zipper are both introduced in Part 2, and join our heroes in hopes to be part of a family, as well as settle a score with Fat Cat, who demolished his house. 

In part 3, our heroes seek a new mode of transportation, which leads us to the introduction of Gadget, and we’re finally given context to her backstory. She aims to follow the path of her late father and be a piolet, but she just needs to except that her real talent is inventing. This arc also marks the biggest roundup of villains in the shows run, and its great stuff. The evil crime boss is arguably the best one-shot villain of the show, and it’s a real treat to finally see both of the show’s main villains Fat Cat and Professor Nimnul together in one outing. There’s exciting action, our heroes venturing across the globe, an engaging mystery, a laser gun that looks like it belongs in “Star Wars”, and in the end, it’s just really satisfying to see these five strangers come together as both a team and a family.

   Back when I was a kid, I had the fortune of growing-up in California, which meant that Disneyland was a frequent vacation spot for my family. One ride I always had to go on was the "Toon Town" Roller coarser, which was themed around the Rescue Rangers, and it was called "Gadgets Go Coaster". Amazingly, this ride has remained open over all these decades, while most other rides themed around the Disney Afternoon programs go debunked. The Rescue Rangers also had select cameo's in other Disney Afternoon programs, including "Dark-Wing Duck", the "Aladdin" series, and even the short lived "Raw Toonage". The rangers even made two funny appearances in the adult comedy program "Robot Chicken", and it was a welcome surprise to see them in a contemporary program. One of their best cameo appearances was in the 2017 animated reboot series of "DuckTales", and seeing the team in a modern animated Disney program was a real joy. 

"Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers" (2022 movie)

Much to my surprise and delight, the rangers made a come-back in a 2022 movie, which revolved around Chip and Dale as out of work celebrities, who find themselves adorning their signature TV character roles for one more adventure, as they solve a mystery revolving around missing cartoon characters. It's both a loving nod to the show, and in many respects is a spiritual sequel to "Who Framed Rodger Rabbit", as it revolves around two head-budding friends, solving a mystery in a setting where cartoon characters live among live action people. However, it one-ups the formula with variety of different animated characters, some traditionally animated, some CGI, some stop-motion, some puppets, some motion-captured, some Anime, and even licensed characters from other companies. While I've never really been one for these modern live action movies featuring marketable animated characters, this film was a special exception that captured the spirit of it's source material, and was made with clear love and affection from people who grew-up with it. 

I only wish they changed the title to "Chip & Dale's Rescue Adventure", as the other team members are only seen in brief supporting roles. Regardless, it was still delight to go on another adventure with Chip N Dale, and even the Rangers brief appearances had me smiling from ear to ear. Seeing Gadget again was great, and with voice actress Tress MacNeille reprising the role, she was still just as charming as ever. The shows villains Fat Cat and Professor Nimnul make walk-in cameos, and even the catchy theme song makes a come-back, which was great. While the movie is by no means a new Disney classic, it still makes for a very fun family comedy/adventure, and one that really celebrates it's source material.

    

    Still to this day, after so many years, and so much growing up, “Chip N’ Dale Rescue Rangers” has a very special place in my nostalgic heart. The strange thing is that I remember watching a number of Disney channel cartoons as a kid, and enjoying them, but the feelings have never lasted, nor have I had any desire to re-watch anything from those old cartoons. “Chip N’ Dale Rescue Rangers” by contrast is that rare exception, where the feelings are still there, and the episodes still bring me joy, even as a full-grown adult. I can’t even explain why it’s just this show, maybe because I love a small team of heroes, whiling to take on the missions that regular police cant, and their just plane lovable characters too.

   It was a great series for us kids back in the 80’s and 90’s, it was colorful, charming, and that theme song really is one of the all time best. I sincerely hope that in some way, new generations of children will be able to go on ventures with these wonderful characters, and even learn some good morals along the way. In an age full of reboots, spin-off material and people consumed by nostalgic products from the past, it only makes sense to bring the Rescue Rangers back for a new series. Until that time … if ever, I’m thankful I still have this wonderful little series to look back on.

    RESCUE RANGERS AWWWAAAYYY!!!!!!