"Rescue Rangers away!"
"To the Rescue", also titled "Rescue Rangers to the Rescue", is a five-part episode of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers that serves as the pilot to the series, although it ironically is not the first five episodes in either production or airing order. It was instead aired as the fourteenth through eighteenth episodes of the series, though they were the first five episodes aired when the show began airing in syndication in the fall of 1989.
Synopsis[]
Part 1[]
In the big city, Chip and Dale tag alongside their old friend Plato the Police Dog to help his master, police detective Donald Drake (who's retiring next month), chase down a thug named Percy, who has stolen the Clutchcoin ruby necklace. They track him down to a lumber warehouse, where Chip and Dale manage to distract Percy with their antics and cause him to lose the ruby. Just as the good guys leave with the evidence, Percy confronts his boss, Aldrin Klordane, a crimelord who seemingly drowned a year ago and now has a much bigger plan in store.
Klordane sneaks on over to the police station and sends his pet feline, Fat Cat, to "make Drake's life extremely difficult." He does this by stealing the ruby, stuffing the necklace into Drake's coat, and filling it with airline tickets and gambling debts. He then catches everyone's attention by getting Plato to chase him around, and once the captain notices the ruby's gone, they find the planted evidence that Drake has stolen it and lock up him and Plato. Chip and Dale, however, know that Drake and Plato are innocent, since they saw the whole thing, and offer to track down Klordane.
Chip and Dale find Klordane and his thugs at his old hideout, the Happy Tom Cat Food Factory. Behind his master's back, Fat Cat snatches the ruby without him noticing and, once the humans have left the room, suits up and greets his three cronies - Mepps, Wart, and Mole. He then struts his way to his casino (which happens to be in the giant novelty cat on top of the factory), telling his minions that he'll bring the ruby back to Klordane before he even notices it's missing. Chip and Dale sneak into the casino just in time to see Fat Cat singing to his patrons about how he deserves "The Best of Everything". During the song, Chip manages to snatch the ruby, but in his and Dale's effort to escape, they get caught, and Fat Cat has Mepps drop them off the roof.
Part 2[]
Luckily, the chipmunks manage to slower their descent and land in a garbage box. They overhear that Fat Cat and his minions are going to the Chinatown laundromat, hitching a ride in a pizza delivery van that he has tricked into stopping off at the factory and the laundromat. The chipmunks give chase in a wheel, and then a rich couple's limousine.
Upon reaching Chinatown, Dale can't resist surfing on a wet scrub brush; this greatly annoys Chip, who orders him to go home. Chip then proceeds to follow Fat Cat, who meets with the mysterious Siamese Twins to discuss his purchase - a master fighting fish named Juice Lee. During their discussion (and demonstration) of Juice Lee's power, Chip attempts to grab the ruby from Fat Cat with a makeshift fishing rod. The Twins soon catch sight of him, but he is saved when Dale returns surfing on the scrub brushes again. In the massacre that follows, Chip ends up getting a new fedora hat similar to Drake's (this part is strangely not shown at any point; contrary to popular belief, the original airing did not have such a scene), and Fat Cat and his men make their retreat.
Fat Cat brings Juice Lee to a large cargo boat and uses him to get rid of the nearby sailors, unaware that Chip and Dale are right behind him. There, they fall into the cargo hold, where they meet Monterey Jack and Zipper. After a brief scuffle, Monty eventually warms up to them and offers to show them his "house", a large trunk filled with his belongings. Suddenly, Fat Cat's men empty the cargo hold and dump Monty's house into the sea. The loss of his home greatly upsets Monty, and he vows to take down Fat Cat for sinking it. Fat Cat sets up a machine with which to suck great amounts of fish out of other people's boats, but the chipmunks and Monty manage to foil his plan. However, they accidentally wreck the boat's steering wheel in the process, and this causes it to go sailing right for the city.
Part 3[]
The heroes luckily manage to slow the boat down as it nearly crashes into the city, and the chipmunks continue their pursuit of Fat Cat, with Monty and Zipper joining them in their quest, because Monty still wants to get back at Fat Cat for sinking his house. Meanwhile, as he and his men are out at sea on a makeshift raft, Fat Cat remembers he's forgotten to bring the ruby back to Klordane and orders his goons to hurry up. He makes it back to the factory and into Klordane's helicopter just in time to bring the ruby back to his master without him ever finding out that it was missing. With the ruby in his possession, Klordane heads for Glacier Bay.
The chipmunks and their companions are unable to stop the copter from taking off, but Monty says he knows a way they can catch up. They first go to the airport, but find there are no flights to Glacier Bay, and Monty causes a ruckus by eating the cheese off of a hamburger. Afterwards, he explains to Chip and Dale that he has a problematic addiction to cheese, and then explains that he's bring them to meet a friend of his who could fly them to Glacier Bay - a pilot named Geegaw Hackwrench, whom he used to have adventures with. Monty, however, mentions that there might be a chance Geegaw is still upset with him about their last adventure in Zanzibar.
When they arrive at the abandoned military plane where Geegaw supposedly lives, they find it riddled with booby traps, suggesting that Geegaw is still mad about Zanzibar, though Monty suggests maybe he just hates door-to-door salesmen. Monty then makes the mistake of setting the traps off due to a bit of cheese left out in the open. The group are then caught in a net as a security mech steps out to attack. When Monty begs for mercy, however, the person controlling the mech frees them and steps out to greet them. It is Geegaw's super-inventive daughter, Gadget, whom Chip and Dale are both immediately infatuated with. Gadget explains that her father been gone for over a year now, and that he left behind his old plane, the Screaming Eagle, because he wanted Monty to have it. Monty has trouble working the plane, though (especially with the modifications that Gadget has made to it), so Gadget offers to fly them to Glacier Bay.
Upon their arrival, they end up crashing the plane because Gadget had wheels instead of skis for landing gear. She's rather upset with this, but after a pep talk from her friends, she begins to repair it, but not before providing the guys with an iceboat to go after Klordane in. Nearby, a mad scientist named Professor Norton Nimnul has been ordered by Klordane to construct a giant laser cannon powered by the ruby (otherwise, it's just "a big overgrown flashlight"). After finishing it, Nimnul uses the laser cannon to slice up the ground so Klordane's choppers can lift it into the air. Pleased with this, Klordane leaves in his copter, leaving Fat Cat behind with Nimnul. When Nimnul catches the rodents scurrying on his laser, he orders Fat Cat to take care of them, which he proceeds to do by throwing snowballs at them and knocking them off the glacier.
Part 4[]
Luckily, Gadget comes to the rescue by way of a newly-built plane, which she has built using the Screaming Eagle's remains and some trash from Klordane's camp. Nimnul then brings the glacier to a valley just in time to greet Klordane's train. He then has the choppers chop up the glacier into snow cone material to be loaded onto the train. But the heroic rodents show up and sneak inside the machine to snatch back the ruby. Nimnul and Fat Cat try to stop the group from making off with the ruby, but this time they are unsuccessful.
The next day, Klordane captures Drake (but not Plato) and brings him to see his master plan unfolding, but when Nimnul reports to him that the ruby is missing, he orders Nimnul to retrieve it, "or I'll get an elephant gun."
Over at the police station, Mrs. Clutchcoin shows up to reclaim her ruby, which the rodents have returned to the police station. But Nimnul, having tracked the ruby down, sends Fat Cat inside to provide a distraction. The rodents try to stop him, but Monty is distracted by some cheese from a nearby mousetrap. Fat Cat stuffs Chip, Dale, and Gadget into a desk drawer and then lathers shaving cream on Plato and stuffs Mrs. Clutchcoin's pet chihuahua into his mouth. While the cops thinks Plato's gone mad and have him sent to the pound, Nimnul grabs the ruby.
The heroes fly over to the pound, during which Chip chastises Monty for letting his cheese addiction mess up their plan. Monty responds by yelling back that he doesn't need them and jumps out of the plane, with Zipper following.
At the pound, the chipmunks and Gadget meet a poodle named Frenchie and his shaggy companion Que Sera ("Sera!"), the lone members of the Pound Underground, an organization dedicated to setting innocent dogs free. With help from the PU, they find Plato's cell and grab the keys to his cell right under the Doberman guard's nose. The furious Doberman chases them out of the pound, but Monty and Zipper return in the nick of time and knock him out. Afterwards, Frenchie makes his exit, but not before giving Chip the realization that he and the others have become a team.
The team proceeds to look for Klordane's current hideout, tracking it down using a thermometer, on the newly-made Rangermobile, with Plato coming along on roller skates. They find the subway entrance they're looking for, and Plato breaks down a wooden door blocking the way in, but it falls apart on them. Klordane and Percy come by and recognize Drake's dog.
Part 5[]
With Plato now captured too, Klordane explains his master plan to Drake: he has smuggled the ice in from Glacier Bay, and his thugs are now piling it up under the foundation of the Federal Gold Reserve. At the same time, they're also mixing lime gelatin, which is then poured on top of the ice, creating the world's largest gelatin dessert. Klordane plans to use it to trigger an earthquake that will crack the Federal Gold Reserve. He then has Nimnul do just that, sending a rainfall of golden coins and bricks to fall down into his train cars.
The protagonists, meanwhile, arrive just in time to witness Klordane's homemade earthquake and find Plato, who has been chained to Klordane's train. He tells them that they must find a way to alert the police of Klordane's whereabouts, during which he calls them Rescue Rangers for the first time. The name inspires Chip, and, despite an interference from Fat Cat, they trigger another earthquake, this one bringing down the whole Gold Reserve building and the investigating cops within. The cops come running out, but Klordane escapes onto his train and takes off with the ruby, taking Plato with him and blocking a tunnel entrance.
Fortunately, the Rangers give chase and catch up with the train. Plato tells them that they must stop the train, and they run up to the front car, where they proceed to frustrate and humiliate Klordane as he attempts to swat them. When he tries speeding up the train, Chip and Dale manage to hit a lever that reroutes the train onto a dead end. Klordane is furious with the Rangers for ruining his plans, but before he can do away with them, Plato, having unchained himself using a blowtorch the Rangers used to catch up, comes running at him. The train goes flying out of the subway, and Klordane lands right in the police captain's office. Having brought Klordane to justice, Plato is given his own police medal, which he gives to the Rangers for their work. Just when it seems the Rangers have to split up after the adventure, though, they find that a little girl has lost her puppy and decide to find him for her. The movie ends with the Rangers setting off on their new adventure.
Memorable quotes[]
[First lines of the series] Chip: As heroic test pilot Chip scans the morning skies, he scientifically tests the weather conditions. The wind is at his back, the updraft is perfect, and the clouds... Will you hurry up, Dale?! Dale: How come I gotta lug all this junk? Chip: 'Cause you're the fearless co-pilot who can handle any job. Dale: Hey, you're right! Make way for the fearless co-pilot! Here ya go, Chip! Chip: Did I say "fearless"? I meant "brainless". |
Sgt. Spinelli: [regarding Plato and Fat Cat] Get those animals! SWAT Team: Yes, sir! [aim their guns] Sgt. Spinelli: Alive!! SWAT Team: Aww.. |
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"I don't know who you are, and I don't care, but when you cross Fat Cat, you go spuh-lat!" |
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"There's only one thing I like more than cheese: Nothing!" |
Monty: That ride almost beats the time I rode a walrus over Niagara Falls. Chip: ARE YOU CRAZY?!! Monty: The walrus thought so. |
Fat Cat: That's three times those rodents have pushed their pointy noses into my business! How dare they try to take my ruby! Mole: But boss, isn't it actually Mr. Klordane's ruby? Fat Cat: Gasp! I forgot! I have to get it back before he misses it! Paddle! Stroke! Mush! Whatever! |
Chip: Just what do you think you were doing back there? Monty: Nothing to worry about. Sometimes I sort of have these... cheese attacks, is all. Zipper: Sometimes? Monty: Well, most times, I guess. Zipper: MOST!? Monty: All right! All the time! I just can't help meself. When there's a hint of cheddar in the air, something inside me snaps. Chip: [to Dale] Yeah, his brain! And this is the guy we're counting on to get us to Glacier Bay! |
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"I'll have this plane ship-shape in no time. Well, actually it should be plane-shaped, shouldn't it?" |
Gadget: You know, suddenly the plane seems to handle lighter. Chip: Monty just jumped out! Gadget: Oh. That would account for it. |
Chip: Klordane may have mechanical marvels. Gadget: He does? Chip: He may have fiendish thingies. Dale: He does! He does! Chip: He may even have hundreds of cutthroat bloodthirsty thugs. Monty: Yup! Them too. Chip: But we've got something he doesn't have. Gadget: Enough sense to get out of here? Chip: Courage and our friendship binding us together! So follow me! We've got a date with a ruby! Monty: He's bonkers in the conkers, ya know. Dale: Yeah? But he is my friend. Monty: Oh, well. You only live twice. |
Detective Drake: That's it? You're going to start an earthquake with lime gelatin? [laughs] Oh, Klordane! You really had me going there! Did you forget the whipped cream? Nimnul: Now you stop laughing! My theories are perfectly legitimate! |
Trivia[]
- This was the first and last five-part episode to be animated by Walt Disney Animation Japan.
- The names of Donald Drake and Plato are obvious nods to those of Chip 'n Dale's old co-stars, Donald Duck and Pluto.
- In Part 1, Percy mistakes Dale for his gun and attempts to fire, prompting Dale to shout out, "Bang bang!" This is a reference to the 1954 cartoon short The Lone Chipmunks, where the same gag occurs. Likewise, the ship in a bottle that Monterey Jack manages to save from sinking near the end of Part 2 is reminiscent of the 1956 short Chips Ahoy.
- Snout the Weasel does not appear in this serial. This, coupled with the fact that there are a few other episodes featuring Fat Cat without Snout, suggests that he joined the gang at a later time.
- Due to this multi-parter being produced later, this would be the first episode in airing order to have Jim Cummings as Monterey Jack's voice.
- The Rangerplane already has the "RR" logo painted on it, before the Rangers start calling themselves the Rescue Rangers. (Presumably, the "RR" logo is actually the logo of whatever company made the bottle that was made into the Rangerplane.)
- The two men in the subway watching the Rangers chasing Klordane's train are based on Chauncey and Edgar from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.
Edits[]
This five-part serial originally aired as a two-hour special in syndication. In order to fit the five half-hour segments into a two-hour time slot, the following cuts were made:
- The sequence with Chip and Dale driving the rich couple's limousine was removed. Oddly, Chip mentioning it later ("First in the casino, then in the car, and now with that stupid scrub-brush!") was left in.
- Some of the dialogue in the laundromat sequence was trimmed.
- The scene with the two sailors whom Juice Lee throws off the boat was cut.
- The reversal of Fat Cat's fish-nabbing machine was trimmed down.
- Monty's failed attempt to stop Fat Cat from getting to Klordane's helicopter was cut.
- Klordane calling the police station to gloat to Drake was removed.
- The airport sequence and Monty explaining his cheese attacks were cut. This unfortunately creates a plot hole in the next scene, as it seems Chip and Dale are already aware of Monty's cheese attacks when Zipper spots a piece of cheese.
- The Screaming Eagle almost colliding with a bigger airplane was cut.
- The Glacier Bay sequence was trimmed to remove the Rangers using Gadget's homemade iceboat and Nimnul calibrating the ruby. Some of the dialogue about Klordane leaving Fat Cat in Nimnul's care was also trimmed.
- The movie version didn't have Monty and the chipmunks hanging from the edge of the iceberg and Fat Cat rolling down another snowball at them.
- The Rangers snatching the ruby and keeping it away from Nimnul and Fat Cat was much shorter in the movie version.
- The police station sequence was edited to trim down the Rangers and Plato discussing Drake's disappearance, and also remove Nimnul mentioning the ruby was "still in perfect pitch."
- In the dog pound sequence, Frenchie and Que Sera's scenes were cut entirely. The guard dog also has a few more lines in the serialized version than he does in the movie version.
- Klordane and Percy finding Plato after the door collapsed on him and the Rangers was cut.
- The Rangers getting tossed about by the gelatin earthquake was trimmed down, and Gadget's "pennies from heaven" line and Dale's gumball machine line were removed.
Contrary to popular belief, the original movie broadcast did not have a shot of Chip finding his hat while he and Dale were in the washing machine at the laundromat.
On the DVD and Blu-ray sets, the first commercial fade-outs in parts 1, 2, 3, and 5 and the second commercial fade-out in part 4 were removed.
Voice cast[]
- Tress MacNeille - Chip, Gadget Hackwrench, Siamese Twins
- Peter Cullen - Officer Kirby, Officer Muldoon, Mepps, Police Captain, Que Sera
- Corey Burton - Dale, Zipper, Mole
- Rob Paulsen - Percy, Donald Drake, Frenchie
- Alan Oppenheimer - Aldrin Klordane, Plato
- Jim Cummings - Fat Cat, Monterey Jack, Professor Nimnul, Sgt. Spinelli, Wart
- Maureen Schrum - Sheila
- Jerry Bishop - Announcer