Warning: Contains spoilers for Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers.
Chip 'n' Dale make a huge comeback in the movie Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers, and they're joined by cameos from well-known Disney faces and even some classic cartoon characters from many years ago. The movie's premise of life in a world that mixes live-action with animation gives ample opportunity for a plethora of special guests, and there are indeed many. The nostalgia is really amplified as Chip 'n' Dale take on their latest case, with a cast worthy of this cinematic multiverse age that allows for crossovers, mashups, and inter-franchise interactions.
Instead of following on from the lovable chipmunk duo's original animated show of the same name from the late 1980s, the hybrid feature film resides firmly in the meta and the satirical. The lovable chipmunk characters Chip 'n' Dale are now washed-up actors, long estranged from each other, and only reunite to investigate the disappearance of their old friend Monterey Jack, who is widely believed to have been kidnapped for movie bootlegging purposes. The other two main characters from the original Rescue Rangers cartoon, Gadget and Zipper, also appear in the Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers movie.
The overarching idea is unique and fun and allows Disney to make fun of itself — something the giant corporation rarely does. Disney, being one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world, has hundreds of characters under its belt, which makes their inclusion, or their acknowledgment through Easter egg references, very easy. But Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers also includes some other famous cartoon cameos and allusions. For example, in Chip's freezer, he has Frozone frozen vegetables, Ice Age ice cream, and Looney Tunes pasta. Then, his TV displays an advertisement featuring Alvin and the Chipmunks. A fan convention in the movie is also ripe with cosplay cameos, such as Fat Thor from Avengers: Endgame, the title princess from Moana, and rats dressed as Leia and Kylo Ren from Star Wars. But the most memorable nods with actual appearances from pop culture favorites. Here's a guide to every Disney and cartoon cameo in Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers.
Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar
Clarabelle Cow, usually seen in Disney cartoons as one of Minnie Mouse's closest friends, seems to appear as Chip 'n' Dale's teacher in the opening of the movie documenting the duo's first meeting. Clarabelle was first introduced in 1927, and the character has appeared in numerous Disney projects. A few minutes later in Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers, Clarabelle's occasional boyfriend Horace Horsecollar is shown in a black and white movie that the two chipmunks are watching.
Blaster
Blaster, an Autobot from the '80s cartoon series The Transformers (and the controversial Transformers: The Movie), appears in the audience when Chip 'n' Dale are performing their signature comedy sketch at their school talent show. The Transformer Blaster still manages to stick out even amongst this crazy mix of the real and the animated due to his huge stature. Still, despite his intimidating demeanor, he smiles and claps along with the rest of the student body at Chip 'n' Dale's performance.
MC Skat Kat, Three Little Pigs, And Roger Rabbit
After the original Rescue Rangers cast wraps on a new season, they naturally have a huge party to celebrate. At this event, MC Skat Cat, famous for starring in the music video for Paula Abdul's ''Opposites Attract,'' is the DJ. On the dance floor, the Three Little Pigs — Practical, Fiddler, and Fifer — are enjoying the music, and Roger Rabbit appears to be doing the dance named after him. The last of these is particularly notable since Who Framed Roger Rabbit inspired the Rescue Rangers movie.
Fan-Con Cameos
The Fan-Con event is an easy place to include cameos from a wide range of media. First, Baloo appears, not in his 2-D animated form but his CGI incarnation from the live-action The Jungle Book, singing his signature theme song. And it looks like Trusty from Lady and the Tramp is playing the saxophone. Lumiere from Beauty & the Beast has a booth right next to Dale, and Marvel's Tigra has a booth opposite him. Later on, when the characters crash the convention, Sweet Pete is confronted by the Lost Boy Cubby from Peter Pan, and Chip 'n' Dale are caught in a stampede of the My Little Pony characters. Skeletor and He-Man put aside their differences to share a booth, and a giant Voltron appears, too. Finally, the last of notable Fan-Con cameos is Paul Rudd sharing an Ant-Man joke claiming the hero was originally called "Aunt-Man," and his power was simply being a hit with aunts.
Ugly Sonic
One of the most unexpected Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers movie cameos is from Ugly Sonic, a character that was memed in response to the original trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog. The original design for Sonic featured pronounced human teeth, to the horror of fans, and the internet went wild. This design was ultimately changed for the final cut of the Sonic movies, but the original rendering was apparently left behind to fend for himself. In the wake of becoming an internet laughing-stock, he now attends conventions, branding himself Ugly Sonic, and is now iconically one of the most genius cameos in Rescue Rangers.
The Little House
A small throwaway cameo for the Little House appears as Chip makes his way home from his insurance job, greeting her as "Mrs. House." The Little House is a 1952 Disney short based on the children's book of the same name. In the short, the Little House gets lonely at night and wonders if there are any other houses she can talk to, which makes Chip's interaction with her even more wholesome.
Flounder
Flounder, Ariel's best friend from The Little Mermaid, is, unfortunately, one of the many beloved characters to be kidnapped and bootlegged by Sweet Pete. Deeply in debt to Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers' controversial villain, Flounder desperately tries to bargain with his goons, offering them a genuine "dinglehopper," a reference to the unique Disney princess movie. He even uses Ariel's own line, ''Isn't it neat?'' from the song ''Part of Your World,'' but to no avail.
Wynnchel and Duncan
A perfectly placed and underrated cameo comes from Wynnchel and Duncan, the donut police officers from Wreck-It Ralph. They appear on the scene to investigate Monterey Jack's disappearance, evidently traveling all the way from Sugar Rush for the case. Originally working as the henchmen for the evil King Candy/Turbo, it seems they finally turned to the right side of the law.
Captain Putty
Not a distinct cameo, but the double-crossing police officer Captain Putty is based on the classic claymation character Gumby. The star of children's programming and a feature film, Gumby has a wholesome nature. This makes Captain Putty's characterization even more genius, as it distinctly twists something familiar into something cold-blooded and evil.
Cars
Some blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos hail from Pixar's Cars movie franchise. As Chip 'n' Dale are cruising for clues on their case, a truck and a car with the signature animated windshield from Cars also appear on the road next to them. What is jarring, though, is that the rest of each Cars-style vehicle is live-action, and only the windshield is animated, which prompts a new type of car previously unseen in the Pixar universe.
Main Street Cameos
Main Street, a reference to the iconic land in Disney theme parks, is reportedly hiding a dark underworld beneath its sickly sweet surface in Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers. Among the characters in the crowd is Linda Flynn-Fletcher, mother to the title characters of Phineas and Ferb, and Colonel from One Hundred and One Dalmatians is seen blowing bubbles. The Cheesemonger Bjornson seems to be a parody of the famous Swedish Chef from the many Muppets movies and TV shows. A very obscure inclusion is Mr. Natural, the barber to whom Dale reportedly sold his chipmunk fur. Created by cartoonist Robert Crumb, the character was a symbol of 1960s counterculture and has since gone on to be used for various merchandising.
Peter Pan
Illusively referred to as Sweet Pete in the movie, Peter Pan transforms from the boy who never grows up into a middle-aged big-shot villain. His story seems to be controversially modeled on Bobby Driscoll, the original voice for Peter Pan, whose life ended in trauma and travesty. Whilst Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers may have included Peter as the villain to cleverly subvert his iconography as a classic Disney character, the villainous twist is modeled on real-life suffering.
Randy Marsh
Seeing a South Park character in a Disney movie is nothing short of staggering. Randy, the father of Stan, makes a brief cameo in the sauna of the bathhouse, seemingly enjoying some relaxation. The idea of a South Park character sharing the same screen as the innocent chipmunk duo seems twisted at its very core, but it works inconceivably well in terms of the surprise factor.
Scrooge McDuck
Seen fleetingly, Scrooge McDuck makes a cameo at the bathhouse. In true Scrooge style, the anthropomorphic duck is bathing in gold coins, living up to his title of ''richest duck in the world.'' The character is voiced again by David Tennant, the famous Tenth Doctor, who also voiced Scrooge in the DuckTales reboot.
Seth Rogen Characters
Seth Rogen predominantly features in the movie as Bob the Warrior Viking, a striking looking dwarf in the haunting uncanny valley style. Yet his other famous cartoon counterparts make a wonderful appearance, too. As Bob falls to the ground at Fan-Con, standing over him are Pumbaa, B.O.B, and Mantis, from The Lion King, Monsters Vs. Aliens, and Kung Fu Panda, respectively. In a movie where a flock of different animated characters can come together, Seth Rogen's own Rolodex of voice acting credits is a great addition.
Detective Florez
Detective Florez from the Netflix show Big Mouth makes a brief background appearance in the police station. Comedian John Mulaney, who lends his voice to Chip in the Rescue Rangers movie, also voices Florez in Big Mouth. Earlier, in a scene also in the police station, PSA icon McGruff the Crime Dog can be spotted in the background.
Pete
The famed Disney antagonist Pete makes a cameo, obviously being the only toon character willingly appearing in Sweet Pete's bootlegs and therefore not being altered. Being the oldest continuing Disney character ever, having first appeared in 1925, it seems only fitting that this dastardly cat gets a cameo. He's shown in a bootleg version of Aladdin, dressed as the title character and riding a magic carpet for good measure. As Chip 'n' Dale crash through the set, a banner floats down that comically reads "Welcome, Prince Jhali!"
Bootleg Mashup Cameos
Chip 'n' Dale continue to crash through other bootleg movie sets, encountering Pooj (a play on Pooh Bear from Winnie The Pooh), and versions of the main family from The Simpsons (a show full of cameos). When the duo saves the day, a whole host of mashed-up bootleg characters are released from shipping crates. Included in the hoards that escape from the docks are; Phineas, Gus-Gus, Bambi/Pegasus, the Cheshire Cat/Tigger, Jiminy Cricket, Woody Woodpecker, Zazu, Abu/Diddy Kong, Fred Flintstone, Patrick Star, Dipper Pines, a Care Bear/Boo-Boo bear, Princess Tiana as a frog, and a very buff Toby the Turtle.
Zummi Gummi
The wise old Zummi Gummi of Disney's classic animated series Adventures of the Gummi Bears cameos sitting on a bench and cooly drinking coffee, browsing a device that looks an awful lot like an iPhone. The magician of the Gummi Glen has apparently abandoned his spells for the newest mystical craze: 21st-century technology.
Darkwing Duck
Last, but certainly not least, is the most nostalgic cameo for many in the audience. During the credits for Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers, a Darkwing Duck Easter egg displays another mainstay of the Disney Afternoon television programming block: the superhero alter-ego of ordinary duck Drake Mallard. Given that a Darkwing Duck reboot is reportedly in the works for Disney+, his demanding "We want Darkwing!" chant may soon come to fruition.