Storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins recently revealed a cameo from Star Wars' Jar Jar Binks was cut from Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers. The original 1989 animated television series featured the titular characters running a detective agency along with an eclectic group of adventurous pals. However, the recent reboot of the same name featured Chip and Dale in a meta world where animated characters live alongside human beings, similar to the setting of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.
The new film sees Dale (Andy Samberg) as a washed-up actor who, after his successful yet brief run on the Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers television series, fails at a larger career in Hollywood. After his longtime friend Monterey Jack (Eric Bana) mysteriously goes missing, Dale enlists the help of his old on-screen partner Chip (John Mulaney) to find him. Due to the unique setting of the world, the film is chock-full of cameos plucked from Disney's expansive library, including an older version of Peter Pan (Will Arnett), the CGI iteration of Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) from the 2019 remake of The Lion King, and Flounder (Rachel Bloom) from The Little Mermaid.
Wilkins took to social media to share a cut cameo from the Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers reboot. The artist shared an animatic of the Fan Expo chase scene featuring Jar Jar Binks which would have had the Star Wars character taking the role instead of Ugly Sonic. Check out the video below.
Click here to view the original post on Instagram.
The storyboard animatic was likely created early in the film's production as Jar Jar was replaced in the film. However, Jar Jar Binks was not the only character cut from the cameo-stuffed chase scene. Sulley and Mike from Monsters, Inc., were replaced by He-Man and Skeletor, Chris Evans was intended to cameo instead of Paul Rudd, and Chip and Dale were rescued by Mushu from Mulan instead of Lumière from Beauty and the Beast.
Although Jar Jar Binks was cut from the original story, his character would have worked in the role instead of Ugly Sonic. The scene called for a character that was resoundingly rejected by fans yet embraced by meme culture later on. Both Ugly Sonic and Jar Jar Binks fit that category well. Although it would have been nice to see Jar Jar Binks save the day at the end of the film, and receive his long-awaited praise, Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers greatly benefited from Ugly Sonic's inclusion.
Source: Simeon Wilkins