When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk, Your Dreams of a Great Album Don't Come True

I love Alvin and the Chipmunks, and I’m one of the biggest Disney fans around, so I was intrigued when I saw that this fictional band of high-pitched critters had done an entire album devoted to Disney music. Perhaps I should have worried, given my disappointment with the Chipmunks’ experimentation with the Beatles. But I wanted to give the album a whirl anyway, and what I found was that this is not an album that represents the Chipmunks very well. They do a good job of imitating the sound of the original songs, but there’s little humor or genuine personality to be found.

Hakuna Matata - This cheerful song seems appropriate for the Chipmunks, especially exuberant Alvin. They don’t do much with it, though, aside from adding a further reference to Pumbaa’s gastronomical issues. One of the Chipmunks - I think it’s Simon, though I can’t be sure - portrays Pumbaa, making himself sound gruff but still warthog-like. Except they change the word “warthog” to “chipmunk,” so the whole thing doesn’t make that much sense. At least it’s a peppy way to start the album off.

I’ve Got No Strings - If the first song stuck pretty close to the original, this one turns the Pinocchio song into a techno mix in which Alvin, having just broken up with his girlfriend Brittany, asserts how happy he is to be independent. An interesting take, but after the banter at the beginning of the song, I expected the conversation to continue. It never does, and the Chipettes sound a little strange singing those verses from the movie in their high-pitched phony accents.

Friend Like Me - There’s a lot of comedy in this one, with the boys switching off on doing silly voices in imitation of the Genie in Aladdin. It’s a fun song, though since their voices are rarely their own, it’s hard to tell which of the Chipmunks is singing when.

Kiss the Girl - Alvin is the unwilling recipient of this stream of advice from Theodore and Simon, who don Caribbean accents for this song from The Little Mermaid. They think he has a crush on Vanessa, a character who seems to have been invented for this track, perhaps in homage to the granddaughter of Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., who created the Chipmunks. Alvin is mortified by their meddling, though whether that’s because he doesn’t like the girl or because he does isn’t entirely clear...

Colors of the Wind - The Chipettes take on this stirring song from Pocahontas. It’s a pretty somber song, and they sing it as such. Their version is respectful and very similar to the movie, except that there are more voices and they harmonize rather nicely. Pretty but a bit dull.

Be Our Guest - Another straightforward take on an iconic song from a Disney movie, this time Beauty and the Beast. It’s a very busy and chaotic song, but it still doesn’t feel very Chipmunky, though it is fun to hear Alvin don a French accent and Brittany a British one.

He’s a Tramp - Brittany sings the blues over Alvin’s rascally nature with some help from her fellow Chipettes Eleanor and Jeanette. They bring an R&B flavor to the song, which incorporates the occasional barking of dogs in the background to serve as a reminder that this was a song from Lady and the Tramp.

The Three Caballeros - This song seems very fitting for the Chipmunks, since it’s all about how these three chums are always together. It’s also the most obscure song on the album, which makes it rather interesting. The lively brass and the guys’ harmonizing makes it a fun song, though all the whistling and girl-ogling they do seems slightly age-inappropriate.

Under the Sea - The Chipmunks bust out their impression of Sebastian the crab again, which feels a bit repetitive; I’m a little surprised they included two songs showcasing the same character. Like Kiss the Girl, this is a peppy song, but it lacks any banter and pretty much just sounds like the somebody is playing the Little Mermaid soundtrack on high speed.

When You Wish Upon a Star - Brittany closes out the album with a tender rendition of this classic from Pinocchio as the rest of the gang provides back-up. A soothing finale to the album.

Kids love Disney movies and kids love Alvin and the Chipmunks, so this seems like a natural pairing, and maybe its intended audience will simply be satisfied with the silliness of all those high-pitched voices. But for me, what makes the Chipmunks so great is the comical banter and the ways in which they mold songs to accentuate the individual personalities of Alvin, Simon and Theodore, as well as Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette - though I tend to prefer albums without the Chipettes. I'd much rather have Dave Seville, the Chipmunks' frazzled guardian, who isn't on the album at all.

This CD feels a bit slapped together, trying to cash in on the popularity of Disney music at the height of the 1990s, when Disney was clearly on a winning streak. It’s a fun album to listen to once, but instead of When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk, I’d suggest just sticking with the original movie soundtracks.