Escape From Vault Disney Episode #94: "Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (2022) (with Mystery Shack Lookback!)"

Saw this with my roommates when it came out and we loved it! I did have to explain to my roommates why I went holy crap to seeing Mr. Natural. Good eye on spotting that one! I knew about him because my parents were ex hippies so of course they had a book by R. Crumb.

I believe it was Tony himself who once tweeted something in the spirit of how this may be the most unique movie to come out of Disney in a long time, and in a time when it feels like many corners of the world of entertainment media are getting more and more homogenized, this is something worth holding up. Still, that's the thing about taking risks. Even when people are calling out for something different, something that takes chances, you run the risk of having a plurality of people, even the ones who are calling for this, turning up their noses and saying "no, not that". Risks ARE divisive by nature of not being something most people could find agreeable. Speaking from personal observation, I feel like people tend to be more open to risks when they're about style/presentation. For example, one of the biggest draws of Gravity Falls (which was brought up a lot here) is that it's a Disney animated series that's allowed to be dark and creepy in a way that stretches what's deemed appropriate for its age bracket (and YES it's does that on top of being funny and clever so nobody jump down my throat about that). Meanwhile, the biggest risks this movie takes are about themes, which tend to be less "popular". It takes what could've been a straightforward idea of rebooting an old property, and on top of that, turns into something that's part buddy-cop movie, part commentary on contemporary trends in entertainment in relation to nostalgic reboots, part commentary on aging Gen-X celebrities coping with their has-been status, and part sequel to Roger Rabbit. And all of it is brought to us by the minds behind The Lonely Island. That's a LOT, and definitely not for everyone. Still, what could've been just a cop-out (or just another live action Disney reboot) took a more unique approach, one that while not as universally agreed upon, I still find very commendable.

ArthurCrane