WHY IT'S AWESOME: Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers
Since today is the 76th birthday of our chipmunk pals Chip 'n' Dale, I thought we'd focus this week's WHY IT'S AWESOME on Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers!
The show was created by Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove for the popular 90s cartoon block Disney Afternoon that also contained shows such as DuckTales, Goof Troop, TaleSpin and Gummi Bears.
Believe it or not, the show was originally being developed as a vehicle for Bernard and Bianca from The Rescuers where they would globe trot around the world rescuing children. But, because The Rescuers Down Under was greenlit, they could no longer use the characters and went back to the drawing board to create a new show with a similar concept. And, so, Metro Mice was born centering around an Indiana Jones style mouse named Kit Colby and his menagerie of a team that included earlier versions of Gadget and Monterey Jack. When the show was pitched, though, then Disney CEO Michael Eisner didn't love the idea of Kit Colby and suggested, instead, Chip 'n' Dale. And the rest is history!
Chip took the guise that Kit Colby had originally worn while Dale became more of a Magnum P.I. type. Joining them were Gadget Hackwrench, the team's inventor and mechanic; Monterey Jack, an adventuring mouse from Australia; and Zipper, a small fly with unusual strength. Together, they ran a detective agency taking on cases that might be considered "too small." And, they found themselves up against some dangerous criminal types such as big boss Fat Cat, mad scientist Norton Nimnul, and actor gone criminal Sewernose de Bergerac.
I would have loved to have seen what they would have done with a show based on The Rescuers, but, at the same time, Chip 'n' Dale are two of my favorite Disney characters and I love the world building that they developed and, most of all, I just love the team. It has always been my favorite Disney Afternoon cartoon!
I hope that Disney will eventually revive Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers in the way they recently revived DuckTales on the Disney Channel. Ever since it was announced that all the Disney Afternoon neighborhoods now live in a shared universe, I've hoped to catch a glimpse of them. Perhaps its because of the movie that has been in development for years which I also hope eventually comes out. I think there are still so many stories that can be told with this team of characters.