Story
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked is the third movie in the Chipmunks series. Dave (Jason Lee) is the Chipmunks’ adopted father. He decides to take the Chipmunks and Chipettes on a family holiday on a cruise ship. After a series of antics, mostly initiated by the mischievous Alvin (voiced by Justin Long), the Chipmunks and the Chipettes find themselves overboard and stranded on an isolated island without Dave.
Dave attempts a rescue mission with the former boss of the Chipmunks, Ian (David Cross). In the meantime, the Chipmunks find the sole inhabitant of the island, Zoe (Jenny Slade). They’re not sure they can trust her.
During their adventure, the Chipmunks and Chipettes find another side to themselves as they try to survive the wilds of the desolate island and learn to become responsible for each other.
Themes
Violence
There is some violence in this movie. For example:
- Simon is underwater and runs into a shark who bares its teeth and tries to eat Simon. Simon punches the shark in the nose and gets away.
- Zoe traps Jeannette and ties her up. Zoe aggressively forces Jeanette to steal some treasure.
Content that might disturb children
Under 5
In addition to the violent scenes mentioned above, this movie has some scenes that could scare or disturb children under five years. For example:
- Theodore watches a scary monster movie and gets frightened. The movie he watches isn’t a cartoon and could be scary for children of this age.
- Through the later parts of this movie, a live volcano looks like it’s going to explode. This creates a lot of suspense and could be scary for some children.
- Spider climbs out of Simon’s shirt and bites him.
- Zoe turns into a villian when Simon accidently discovers treasure on the island.
- As Dave and Alvin escape with Jeanette, they cross between two very high cliffs using a tree stump. Zoe finds them and tries to drag Jeanette back by pulling her leg. While rescuing Jeanette, Dave falls and hangs from the tree stump. Zoe is about to stomp on his hand, but Ian arrives. Dave does get rescued, but the scene doesn’t actually show the rescue. This could be frightening and confusing for younger viewers.
- The volcano erupts as Dave, Ian and Zoe are running to the rescue raft. Ash falls and almost hits them, but they all escape unhurt.
From 5-8
Younger children in this age group might also be scared by some of the scenes mentioned above.
Over 8
Nothing of concern
Sexual references
This movie has some sexual references. For example, Jeanette and Simon flirt together, Simon talks about his love for Jeanette in French.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
This movie shows some use of substances. For example:
- Waiters serve cocktails to sunbathing patrons on the cruise ship.
- A nightclub scene includes drinks being served.
- Dave goes to dinner with the Captain, and there’s wine on the table.
Nudity and sexual activity
This movie shows some partial nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- The Chipettes wear outfits that would be revealing on humans – short dresses, low-cut tops and so on. In one scene, the three Chipettes are wrapped only in towels.
- Simon and Jeanette kiss, embrace and dance in a passionate way.
- Alvin flirts with a woman at the casino.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in this movie: Carnival (a brand of cruise liners), YouTube, UPS delivery and a Swiss army knife.
Coarse language
None of concern
Ideas to discuss with your children
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked is the third movie in the Alvin and the Chipmunks series. It’s a fairly family-friendly movie about the mischievous Chipmunks and Chipettes, and their dad, Dave. But the movie might lack interest for children under five and has scenes that might scare children under eight.
The main messages from this movie are about family loyalty and commitment.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include loyalty, forgiveness, responsibility and trust. Being prepared to take risks is also important in the movie.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues, including the way the Chipmunks and the Chipettes behave while they’re on the island.
For example, Alvin becomes responsible, discovers that rebellious behaviour isn’t very helpful, and thinks about how Dave must feel when the Chipmunks misbehave. Simon becomes daring, and Brittany discovers she’s smart. You could talk with your children about how the Chipmunks show different and changing parts of their personalities.