Most critics find Chipwrecked tired and unimaginative, another round of familiar family messages and squeaky pop covers with little story or humour to carry it. Seven of the eleven reviews are negative and none is positive. Where there is praise, it clusters on the grown-ups: David Cross’s acerbic Ian is named more than once as the bright spot, and Jason Lee is credited for playing convincingly against the CGI chipmunks, with their exchanges singled out as the liveliest thing on screen.
The spread runs from grudging tolerance to outright hostility, and the gap is not wide. The kindest notices, from The Guardian and HeyUGuys, concede that small children will enjoy the cruise-ship antics and the musical numbers. Slant is the harshest, calling the film an endurance test. The songs divide critics most: The Hollywood Reporter hears a glimmer of inspiration in the Chipettes’ a cappella turns, while the Los Angeles Times finds the covers tame and uninspired.