--- title: "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" year: 2009 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel" fi1m_id: "alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel" imdb_id: "tt1231580" tmdb_id: 23398 wikidata_id: "Q378311" fi1m_score: 36 critics_score: 39 critics_reviews: 9 published: "2026-10-05T11:24:18.543794+00:00" updated: "2026-10-05T11:24:19.115182+00:00" region: "IE" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009) Directed by Betty Thomas · 1h 29m · IFCO G · Comedy, Family, Animation, Fantasy, Music ## Identity Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel - **IMDb ID:** tt1231580 - **TMDB ID:** 23398 - **Wikidata ID:** Q378311 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231580/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/23398, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q378311 **Fi1m score: 36** · Critics 39 from 9 reviews *In a sentence:* Six helium rodents, a wheelchair down a flight of stairs and David Cross living in a basement; only Cross seems to be enjoying it > Betty Thomas’s sequel is a high-school comedy sung at a pitch only dogs and eight-year-olds can bear. David Cross works hard and the chipmunks sit convincingly in the frame, and nothing else here was made for anyone over ten. ## Synopsis At a charity concert in Paris, Alvin (Justin Long) showboats, a giant cutout topples, and Dave Seville (Jason Lee) ends up in hospital. Alvin, Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) are sent to Aunt Jackie (Kathryn Joosten), who goes down the front steps in her wheelchair, leaving her grandson Toby (Zachary Levi), a jobless gamer, in charge. He enrols them at West Eastman High, where Dr. Rubin (Wendie Malick) asks them to win a battle of the bands and save the music programme. Across town, the ruined Ian Hawke (David Cross) opens a parcel containing three singing female chipmunks, Brittany (Christina Applegate), Jeanette (Anna Faris) and Eleanor (Amy Poehler), and sees a way back. ## Review Betty Thomas’s sequel gets Dave Seville (Jason Lee) out of the way inside ten minutes. A concert in Paris goes wrong, Alvin is to blame, and Dave is carried off on a stretcher, leaving three chipmunks in the care of his cousin Toby (Zachary Levi), a grown man who lives in his grandmother’s house and plays video games. Jon Vitti, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger have written a high-school comedy around this, with a battle of the bands to save the music department and a rival girl group, the Chipettes, managed by the disgraced Ian Hawke (David Cross). It runs 89 minutes and holds a U certificate, and it is made for children who will be under ten when they see it. For those children, it will do. For anyone sitting beside them it is a long hour and a half of pitch-shifted singing, corridor jokes and a plot assembled from other, better high-school films. We do not say that in anger. The film is not cynical in the way the worst of these are; it is simply incurious, and it has no idea what to do with a grown-up. What works is mostly David Cross. Ian has lost everything since the first film and lives in the basement of his old record label, and Cross plays him as a man who has decided that dignity was never going to be an option. He sells a line, he sells a pratfall, and he is the only performer here who seems to have read the script and chosen to enjoy it. Zachary Levi is likeable and under-used; Jason Lee spends most of the running time in a hospital bed and phones in, literally. The compositing is also good. Anthony B. Richmond lights everything flat and bright, like a daytime sitcom, which gives the animators nowhere to hide, and the chipmunks still sit in hands and on shoulders with weight and shadow. When Theodore (Jesse McCartney) climbs into Toby’s bed because he misses Dave, the fur catches the lamp and for a moment the film is tender. Then someone presses play. By the fourth song we had a headache, and we noticed we had started counting them, which is never a good sign in a comedy. The problem is not the pop songs themselves but the voices, sped up until Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate are indistinguishable from one another and from a smoke alarm. Faris gives Jeanette a shy, swallowed delivery that survives the processing, and Applegate’s Brittany has some bite; the rest are lost. David Newman’s score barely gets a look in, and Matt Friedman cuts the numbers into two-second fragments as if he, too, wanted them over. The script is the other trouble. Alvin (Justin Long) joins the football team, neglects his brothers and must learn a lesson, and it is the lesson every film of this kind has taught since the 1980s. Marcia Hinds’s school is a run of beige corridors that could be in any film, and is. Alexandra Welker dresses the Chipettes in short skirts and small heels, and we found that an odd choice for cartoon rodents in a U certificate, though we accept the seven-year-olds will not notice. Wendie Malick’s principal, Dr. Rubin, is a fan of the band and says so, which is the film’s one joke about itself. Thomas made *The Brady Bunch Movie*, which knew exactly how silly its source was and said so. There is none of that here. The first film, from 2007, had the small advantage of novelty; this one has three more chipmunks and nothing else new, and most critics have said as much. We are a little kinder than the harshest of them because the compositing is real work and because Cross is funny, but not much kinder. If you have a child who liked the first one, they will like this one, and you can let them. Sit in the next room with the door shut. The sound carries, but less. *Fi1m score 36, published 5 October 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics dislike it, and only one is prepared to recommend it. The praise, such as it is, clusters on the effects: several reviews note that the computer-animated chipmunks sit convincingly among the live actors, and that the bickering between the two sets of rodents gives the film its liveliest stretches. Variety is the lone positive voice, finding it frenetic but funny with some nostalgia for grown-ups, and Radio Times has a kind word for Justin Long and Christina Applegate. Where they part is on how much to mind. The mixed reviews settle for bland but harmless, a serviceable babysitter over the holidays. The negatives go further. The Guardian finds the shrill soundtrack close to unbearable and objects to how the Chipettes are presented; Slant calls it brain-dead, citing the thin story, wall-to-wall pop and fart jokes; Empire thinks Alvin an unsympathetic lead. Two reviews are only partly visible, though one is a one-star rating. Nobody argues it is for anyone over ten. ## Straight answers **How long is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, and what is it rated?** *Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel* runs 1h 29m and is rated G by the IFCO in Ireland. It is a comedy and family film. **Where can I watch Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel in Ireland?** *Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Ireland, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **What should I watch after Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel?** After *Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel*, try [*Paddington*](https://film.one/film/paddington) (2014, Fi1m 84): A digital animal among real people, done with wit the chipmunks never manage. Then [*Babe*](https://film.one/film/babe) (1995, Fi1m 88): Talking farm animals, a quiet farmer and a film that trusts children with feeling; and [*Ernest & Célestine*](https://film.one/film/ernest-and-celestine) (2012, Fi1m 84): A bear and a mouse in watercolour; gentle, funny and over in eighty minutes. ### Reviews we read (9) - **Variety**, Joe Leydon (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel frenetic but funny, with broad appeal for children and some nostalgic charm for older viewers. He praises the persuasive, technically accomplished interplay between the live-action cast and CGI chipmunks. [Read](https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel-1200477818/) - **Screen Daily**, Brent Simon (64/100, inferred): The review text is hidden behind a paywall, so its verdict is unavailable. The article’s praise or criticism cannot be determined from the visible page. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel/5009082.article) - **Radio Times**, Sue Robinson (3/5): The review finds the sequel’s most successful element is the lively banter between rival chipmunks. It praises Justin Long and Christina Applegate for bringing energy to the lead performances. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-vmqbdi/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel/) - **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin (C-): Rabin finds the film cheerfully bland and barely adequate, though serviceable as a babysitter. He singles out its recycled high-school clichés and contractually obligated performances for criticism. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel-1798207656) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, The Associated Press (35/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel stale and uninspired, though it may still offer families harmless holiday entertainment. They praise the chipmunks’ seamless integration into the live-action scenes through improved CGI. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/alvin-chipmunks-squeakquel-film-review-93815/) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (20/100, inferred): Newman finds the film disposable and says Alvin makes an unsympathetic lead. He singles out Alvin’s squeaked-up De Niro impersonations as especially unhelpful. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/alvin-chipmunks-squeakwel-review/) - **The Guardian**, Catherine Shoard (20/100, inferred): Shoard gives the film a strongly negative verdict, finding its shrill sound nearly unbearable. She also objects to the franchise’s sexualized presentation of the Chipettes. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/dec/17/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel) - **Time Out**, Derek Adams (1/5): Time Out gives the film a one-star rating, indicating a negative verdict. The available page information does not reveal what the critic singles out for praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-2-the-squeakquel) - **Slant Magazine**, Jason Clark (10/100, inferred): The critic pans the film as a dispiriting, brain-dead sequel. They single out its paper-thin story, relentless pop music, and crude fart humor for criticism. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel/) ## Details - **Director:** Betty Thomas - **Director:** Betty Thomas - **Writer:** Jon Vitti, Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger - **Cinematography:** Anthony B. Richmond - **Editor:** Matt Friedman - **Music:** David Newman - **Production design:** Marcia Hinds - **Costume design:** Alexandra Welker - **Producer:** Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Janice Karman - **Cast:** Zachary Levi as Toby; David Cross as Ian; Jason Lee as Dave; Justin Long as Alvin (voice); Matthew Gray Gubler as Simon (voice); Jesse McCartney as Theodore (voice); Amy Poehler as Eleanor (voice); Anna Faris as Jeanette (voice) - **Runtime:** 1h 29m - **Certificate (IFCO):** G - **Release (Ireland):** 21 December 2009 - **Genres:** Comedy, Family, Animation, Fantasy, Music - **Budget:** $75 million - **Box office:** $443 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwVzCtRvcyY ## Where to watch in Ireland - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: rent €3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent €3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy €8.99, sd - Apple TV: buy €8.99, sd *Checked 2026-10-05.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IL, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, SE, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie 2010: Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie (won) ## If you liked this - *Paddington* (2014), Fi1m 84: A digital animal among real people, done with wit the chipmunks never manage — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paddington.md) - *Babe* (1995), Fi1m 88: Talking farm animals, a quiet farmer and a film that trusts children with feeling — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/babe.md) - *Ernest & Célestine* (2012), Fi1m 84: A bear and a mouse in watercolour; gentle, funny and over in eighty minutes — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ernest-and-celestine.md) - *The Muppet Movie* (1979), Fi1m 82: Puppets on a road trip to Hollywood, with songs an adult can bear — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-muppet-movie.md) - *Fantastic Mr. Fox* (2009), Fi1m 84: Rodents and a heist, dry as a cracker, for parents who have earned a treat — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-mr-fox.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/alvin-and-the-chipmunks-the-squeakquel