Squeaking past

The Chipmunks are a slice of my childhood that have been reinvented and brought into the future.

I have found from personal experience that whenever something from my childhood is 'updated' it loses some of its charm.

This film is no different, but audiences can expect another family adventure with the three most successful chipmunks in the world and have a pretty good time along the way.

After Dave is injured the Chipmunks are sent to live with Dave's lazy cousin and forced to put aside their musical fame and go back to school.

Obviously, they're more than a little unhappy about it and they are also given the daunting challenge of saving the school's music department by winning the hefty cash prize in a battle of the bands.

Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on your outlook) the Chipmunks meet their match in three singing female chipmunks known as The Chipettes.

The Chipettes are managed by Ian Hawke (David Cross), the Chipmunks greedy former manager, who provides the majority of the comic relief in this film.

Cross does a fairly good job in his role and keeps the gags flowing well.

For me, the most amusing thing about this film is the way in which everyone acts as if having talking/singing rodents scurrying around in the real world is not unusual. It's odd since there is never really any explanation given as to how they can talk!

But with a film like this you can't help but suspend disbelief, once you let yourself go and stop letting your brain ruin things, this movie isn't half bad.

However, it is a film of two halves. On one hand, you can't help but be impressed by the stunning visuals and seamless interaction between animation and live-action. On the other hand, perhaps too much time was spent on the production and not enough attention was given to the script.

Yes, this movie has all the elements of a family blockbuster and even a few moments that really made me chuckle but, in my opinion, it simply falls short of the mark. This film was barely a squeak on my radar, but it will no doubt keep children amused for an hour.