TCFHE Press Release: Alvin and The Chipmunks (DVD/Blu-ray)

Ronald Epstein · 02-05-2008, 11:47 PM

IT’S TIME TO GET MUNK’D!

#1 Family Comedy Event of the Year
Singing Onto DVD and Blu-Ray Disc April 1st
From Fox Home Entertainment
Alvin and The Chipmunks

Two-Disc Special Edition DVD & Blu-Ray Disc Highlighted By
Exclusive Digital Copy Download Along With Family-Friendly Extras Including
Two Chipmunks History & Music Featurettes, “Witch Doctor” Music Video and More!

**Plus Two Newly Remixed Soundtrack iTunes® Downloads Available on Special Edition DVD**

CENTURY CITY, Calif. – Get your squeak on because The Chipmunks are back and bigger than ever! The $208+ million blockbuster family comedy sensation Alvin and the Chipmunks sings and dances its way to Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) April 1st from Fox Home Entertainment. Funny, mischievous and very adventurous, the famous talented chipmunk trio - Alvin, Simon and Theodore - come to life like never before in the new live-action, CGI-animated film that rocked the box office. Filled with heartfelt moments, catchy music and witty humor for both children and parents alike, Alvin and the Chipmunks stars Golden GlobeÒ nominee Jason Lee (“My Name is Earl”) as the struggling songwriter Dave Seville who is surrogate father/stage manager to the famous threesome – Alvin, Simon and Theodore, respectively voiced by teen heartthrob Justin Long (Live Free or Die Hard), Matthew Gray Gubler (R.V., “Criminal Minds”) and actor-pop sensation Jesse McCartney (“Summerland”). Directed by Tim Hill (Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties) and from the writers of The Simpsons Movie and Ice Age 2, the film also features hilarious performances from EmmyÒ-winner David Cross (“Arrested Development”), Jane Lynch (Anchorman) and rising star Cameron Richardson (“Point Pleasant”).

A global phenomenon to generations of fans, Alvin and the Chipmunks were originally created in 1958 by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. The singing trio have delighted audiences around the world with the release of 16 studio records selling over 43 million albums, which have garnered five Grammy Awards*, notably with their Christmas perennial favorite “The Chipmunk Song” becoming a #1 hit single in the U.S., selling over 43 million albums. Also a smashing success, the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” animated TV series debuted in 1983 and was broadcast in over 100 countries and recipient of three Emmy® nominations**, followed by several other animated feature films and TV specials over the years. The ‘Munks’ catchy sound and comic adventures have been a pop-culture mainstay for both young and old, now celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year!

Loaded with fun-filled bonus features including a hilarious “Munkumentary,” “Witch Doctor” music video and two behind-the-scenes featurettes exploring the Chipmunks history, music and more, the Alvin and the Chipmunks Special Edition DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $34.98 U.S./$45.98 Canada; the Blu-ray Disc (BD) is priced at $39.98 U.S./$49.98 Canada. In addition, Fox Home Entertainment will also release a single-disc version with select bonus materials, priced at $29.98 U.S./$43.48 Canada.

As an added bonus, both the Alvin and the Chipmunks Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray Disc release will offer Fox’s new Digital Copy feature that allows viewers to quickly and easily download a digital version of the film to a Mac® or Windows-based PC computer and then transfer to select portable video devices including an iPod® and/or iPhone™. Plus also available on the Special Edition DVD will be two exclusive Alvin and the Chipmunks film soundtrack iTunes® music downloads, with brand-squeaky new remixes of “Get Munk’d” and “Get You Goin’.”

Synopsis:
Struggling songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) opens his home to a talented trio of chipmunks named Alvin, Simon and Theodore, they quickly become overnight music sensations. But when a greedy record producer (David Cross) tries to exploit the musical ensemble, Dave must use a little human ingenuity—and a lot of ’munk mischief—to get his furry family back before it’s too late!

DVD Specs:
The Alvin and the Chipmunks Special Edition two-disc DVD release will be presented in widescreen format (1:85.1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Spanish/French Dolby Surround plus English and Spanish subtitles. DVD bonus features will include:
· Digital Copy download feature
· Behind the Nuts Munkumentary featurette
· Chip-Chip-Hooray! Chipmunk History featurette
· Hitting the Harmony featurette
· “Witch Doctor” Music Video
· Two exclusive iTunes® music downloads – “Get Munk’d (DeeTown Remix)” and “Get You Goin’ (DeeTown Funk Remix)”
· Inside Look at Horton Hears a Who

The single-disc Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD release is presented on a flipper disc featuring both full screen (1.31:1 aspect ratio) and widescreen format (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Spanish/French Dolby Surround with English and Spanish subtitles. DVD special features will be the Chip-Chip-Hooray! Chipmunk History and Hitting the Harmony featurettes.

Blu-ray Disc Specs:
The Alvin and the Chipmunks BD release will be presented in widescreen format on a 25GB single-layer disc authored in AVC (MPEG 4) compression with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, Spanish/French 5.1 Dolby Digital plus English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and French subtitles. BD bonus content includes:
· Digital Copy download feature
· Chip-Chip-Hooray! Chipmunk History featurette
· Hitting the Harmony featurette
· Several high-definition trailers

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
Street Date: April 1, 2008
Pricing: $29.98 U.S. / $43.48 Canada (Single-Disc Edition)
$34.98 U.S. / $45.98 Canada (Two-Disc Special Edition)
$39.98 U.S. / $49.98 Canada (Blu-ray Disc)
Total Run Time: 91 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Closed Captioned: Yes

**HTF Ads**

Rod J · 02-06-2008, 04:48 AM

With all the movies that Fox has that deserve a blu-ray release, they offer this?

John Gido · 02-06-2008, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rod J

With all the movies that Fox has that deserve a blu-ray release, they offer this?

AND, at such a high SRP!

Arild · 02-06-2008, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rod J

With all the movies that Fox has that deserve a blu-ray release, they offer this?

What, we don't want new movies released day and date with the DVD now? Wouldn't it be a step in the wrong direction if they didn't do this?

Dave_P. · 02-06-2008, 01:21 PM

^Exactly, this movie made over $200 mil in the U.S. alone, why would they NOT release this on Blu-Ray? And the SRP is the same as every other studio's day-and-date BD & HD-DVD releases.

John Gido · 02-06-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_P.

And the SRP is the same as every other studio's day-and-date BD & HD-DVD releases.

Yes, I understand that. But I was referring to the SD SRP. $35 for a 2-disc special edition SD release seems a little high.

Dave_P. · 02-06-2008, 02:46 PM

Oh, alright, though everyone else is pricing their 2-disc DVD SE's at $35 as well. Except for Paramount who's hitting the $40 SRP now with Into The Wild. Luckily I have no interest in extras so the $20 "regular" editions are fine for me.

Scamp · 03-30-2008, 09:27 AM

So, what happened to the 2 disc Special Edition dvd? All I see advertised as being released this week are the standard single disc edition and the blu-ray edition. If the 2 disc is no more, then what special features are actually on the dvd being released? Did some of those features move over onto Target's exclusive bonus disc?

Andrew Radke · 03-31-2008, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scamp

So, what happened to the 2 disc Special Edition dvd? All I see advertised as being released this week are the standard single disc edition and the blu-ray edition. If the 2 disc is no more, then what special features are actually on the dvd being released? Did some of those features move over onto Target's exclusive bonus disc?

Fox canceled the 2 disc edition in early February, shortly after the DVD was announced. Features include:

"Chip-Chip-Hooray! Chipmunk History" featurette
"Hitting The Harmony" featurette
trailers
Inslide Look at "Horton Hears A Who"

Features that would have been in the 2-disc edition that are NOT present in the single disc version include:

Digital copy of the film
"Behind The Nuts Munkementary" featurette
"Witch Doctor" music video
2 itunes music downloads ("Get Munk'd" & "Get You Goin'")

Scamp · 03-31-2008, 11:27 AM

Thanks for the reply, Andrew. With the announcement coming only 2 months before release date, surprised to see the 2 disc was then cancelled inbetween. I'll really only miss the "Behind the Scenes Munkementary" although the "Witch Doctor Music Video" might have been a nice touch, too. Wonder the odds on those showing up on Target's bonus disc?

Tony J Case · 04-01-2008, 12:29 AM

Wait - 35 and 40 bucks? Did I accidently wake up in 1997 and we're really talking about a laserdisc release?