Rescue Rangers Away
Around 25 years ago Chip n’ Dale and the gang first flew in that truly awesome flying contraption of theirs on the fabled Disney Afternoon block. Who would have thought at the time that the chipmunk duo had changed the game in the animation field by becoming Rangers? It’s hard to remember that there was a time when there really were no cartoons that featured major characters in starring roles from the Golden Age of Animation. “Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers” changed the game by offering a much needed rethinking of a storytelling method which had been garbage upon for far too long. The popularity of the show proved to be twofold for both Disney and the animation industry as it lead to a revitalization of classic cartoon characters in high quality produced TV shows during the Animation Renaissance.
The seeds of the show can be traced back to the kick-ass success of “Ducktales”, which was THE cartoon that effectively redefined TV animation for all shows to follow. It proved that TV cartoons could be more sophisticated in writing and animation when more time and money was invested in it. The series had also started a trend in incorporating Disney characters onto the small screen. Donald Duck’s nephews, who had played minor roles in their uncle’s films, were given big supporting roles on the show. Scrooge McDuck, who had made far more appearances in Disney comics than he did in the theaters, was the main star of the series. But curiously lost in the shuffle was Donald Duck, who normally would have been the focus of the TV show. Instead he was relegated to that of a recurring guest star throughout the entire series.
I believe there was a more deliberate reasoning behind the push back of Donald Duck’s status on the show. Disney was probably afraid a TV show might not be suitable for a major character of Donald’s stature. For a studio like Disney there were certain limits to which characters they can pick and choose from the well. This might be why in the end Scrooge was given the role because there were fewer risks to his minor status and how he had no exposure in animation. The decision payed off in the end as a character whose reach was initially restricted to the comics became a huge part of the Disney animated canon from that period forward.
In that context it seems that the huge success of the series convinced Disney that maybe it was time to push the concept even further than they thought otherwise. Applying the same high standards of writing and an even bigger budget than “Ducktales”, the studio focused on revitalizing their iconic characters and extend their popularity with audiences in ways that perhaps their theatrical shorts did not. This scenario applied to Chip n’ Dale, who had starred in 23 shorts but really had only three solo shorts under their name. If "Ducktales" was able to propel Scrooge McDuck into new heights of popularity, imagine what wonders a new series would do for the chipmunk duo in the long haul with audiences.
The concept of reusing well known cartoons was nothing new as it had been done from time to time over the years. Sadly however the method was always executed poorly because there was a lack of imagination and risk behind those projects. The two studios that unfortunately played a big role in that very lame mindset in the 1970's and 80's were Hanna Barbera and Filmation. They really did a terrible job with reusing their characters or third party franchises in lousy spin off shows and sequels to the point that it diluted their appeal amongst the fans. The only point in churning out shows like “The Flintstone Kids”, Gilligan's Planet", or “The Partridge Family 2200 A.D.” was to shamelessly cash in on the brand name of those characters and franchises.
You see it was one thing to reuse toons or live actors from a TV show, but to reuse them from the theater was another matter entirely. The quality in animation and writing was always a huge factor in their less than appealing visuals and stories. Their comparison with the theatrical shorts, still playing on the TV in perpetual reruns, was even more dismaying. And whenever theatrical cartoon characters did make the leap to the small screen as was the case with Tom & Jerry, Looney Tunes, or Popeye the results were always disappointing. Those shows were often met with little praise, low viewership, and eventually they were canceled after a very brief run on the air. That’s why it was hard for us to find any new shows that featured beloved characters like Chip n' Dale from studios like Disney or Warner Brothers.
One would think that the writers would just simply reapply the formula of the original shorts into the series, but that was easier said than done. In the 20 cartoons they co-starred in they played comical antagonists to protagonists like Donald Duck as an inverse to the classic Walter Lantz style of humor. This idea could not have work since the chipmunks were now going to anchor the show on their own as the main protagonists. The change in positions meant the characters were now blank slates given that much of their prior adventures were achieved as comic foes, not heroes of the story. So the show needed to deviate from the old structure in order to create an inventive one to sustain itself creativley.
But how did the writers settle on the rescue rangers idea in the first place? Well, as the series was trying to find a voice there was a failed pitch for another Disney cartoon series based on the “The Rescuers” which featured its own set of characters. So it was decided by Michael Eisner to merge the two shows together as one. The show became a sleuth mystery with a great Rogues Gallery conspiring against the gang. And that is how we got “Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers”. It would be this novel angle that would provide the biggest break between this show and the gluttony of other cash in cartoons that had preceded it. This series was going to totally reinvent or re-purpose established characters in both structure and environment while still being faithful to their characters.
You know in the original Chip n’ Dale shorts the only way one could tell the duo apart was by their chocolate and strawberry coded noses. That was pretty much it other than one was a hot head and the other was kind of goofy. They were very much like those obnoxious Goofy Gophers from the Looney Tunes series. So what I really liked what the Rescue Rangers series did was further develop their personalities and identities in the context of modern times.
You can just think of them as two sides of the same coin since they complete each other. Dale is the dumb-ass who is all into pop culture ranging from comics to movies while Chip is the hard-ass who is obsessed about minuscule details and time management. The writers didn’t pathetically force them to become “hip” or “cool” but just how they would comfortably be in today’s world. It could have been stupid what they were wearing since they didn't wear anything originally, but the clothing actually helped separate the two as the outfits nicely reflected their personalities. You can sense in the stories that there was a brotherly bond between the two which, while it was never fully addressed by the writers, I still believe they were brothers.
But just as great as the duo was so were the new additions to the show which were the remnants of "The Rescuers" pitch. Past Disney shows either loosely based the characters on an established franchise (as was the case with "The Gummi Bears" and the candy of the same name) or the cast was entirely composed of Disney characters (which the world of "Ducktales" was based in part on the comics of the famed Carl Barks). The new series offered a different model from the earlier shows, however, with newly created characters joining alongside old stables like Chip n' Dale to form the main cast. This created a nice blend of both old and new characters in the series.
It would have been lazy of the writers had Gadget been written as a passive character given her intellect and mechanical wizardry. But Gadget is anything but passive as she is the brains of the operation. She also had a tragic backstory regarding her missing father which gives the character a depth and emotional core. Gadget does not have to prove her worth or intellect to the group in contrast to past Disney female TV characters like the childlike Webby of “Ducktales” and the tween Sunni of “The Gummi Bears”. In spite of her good looks she is already a valued member of the group because she is simply a bad-ass who knows how to get things done both quickly and effectively.
Loner Monterrey Jack may be the muscle of the group but he is also the most eccentric of the bunch as well. I always thought of him as a Don Deluise type of character because he had such a big personality. And as his name would suggest he really loves…no, he is obsessed with cheese. One of the funniest recurring gags on the show is how Monty would go on an acid trip whenever he smelled cheese. You can chalk it up as an addiction to drugs given his experience with his bizarre family. And finally there’s his loyal friend Zipper, the bug on the team who happens to be silent. I think the reason why he uses pantomime to convey his emotions is because the writers initially based him off of Evinrude, Bernard & Miss Bianca’s trusty dragon fly from “The Rescuers”.
I think the thing that really sold the show for us growing up with it was the bond the characters had shared with one another. Whereas “The Gummi Bears” and “Ducktales” focused on characters that were already a functioning family on the onset, Rescue Rangers had characters that were not related to each other at all. Come to think of it the Rescue Rangers were really a dysfunctional family with battle of egos, addictions, and inter-species romance being played out as well. The only thing that they all had in common was their messed up backgrounds or lonely existence in life.
I guess that’s why when they do come together in those first several episodes we don’t question it because they just gelled so well together. The characters never appeared to be throw always one would cynically expect in those countless spinoffs in the 1970’s and 80’s. It seemed so right and legit that you just accept it as part of the Disney canon which I believe was crucial to its appeal. To this day I can’t quite separate all the five leads from each other because I like to see them together still. That I believe was the key ingredient that put it above other similar shows that had failed to creatively re-purpose their characters in the past.
“Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers” was a very popular show during its initial run in syndication. Its appeal did not end when production on the show ended as it continued to attract viewers in reruns over the years. The series’ success gave Disney enough confidence in investing more time and money into their Disney Afternoon shows. More importantly it persuaded Disney to use more of their iconic characters from the pool to develop shows like “Tale Spin” with Baloo of “The Jungle Book” and “Goof Troop” with Goofy in the years that followed. Another lasting effect from the series was the studio began focusing on creating shows that centered on entirely new characters like the super hero spoof "Darkwing Duck".
Perhaps the show’s impact was even greater on other studios. Warner Brothers saw what was happening across the street and like Disney they were very eager to revitalize their storied animation studio for the public. It’s no coincidence that the high quality “Tiny Toon Adventures”, a cartoon that like Rescue Rangers successfully combined both the original Looney Tunes with newly created characters in one setting, would be the studio’s inaugural foray into TV animation. Other studios took notice of this sophisticated method and saw that there was a public demand for these creative animated shows for the market in the late 1980’s and into the 90’s. So thank you Chip n’ Dale for paving the way for all our favorite toons to be revitalized with their integrity still intact for all of us to enjoy today.
