FOX has released "ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS" on blu-ray and dvd.  While this adult viewer, familiar with the animated characters from his youth, wasn't particularly thrilled about having to review this retooling of what was arguably a mediocre cartoon, it's actually much more entertaining than expected. Mixing live-action with CGI, "ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS," while obviously designed for the most commercial tie-ins possible, still manages to entertain in the process.  Re-tooled for today's younger viewers, the songs and riffs utilized are much less annoying than the ones used in the past.  When down and out musician, Dave Seville(Jason Lee), is having his whole world fall apart, a girlfriend leaving, no music deal in sight, his job in advertising all but certain to be lost, he finds three chipmunks with the ability to sing and talk! While the ups and downs of the group that follows, has its share of moments that stretch a bit too long, "ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS" never reaches the point of dullness.  There are enough cute, humorous and genuinely engaging moments to please adult viewers along with the youngsters, however, it's still not the kind of film an adult will feel completely satisfied with, in the way the children audience watching the blu-ray with us did. 

FOX has provided the correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio for this 1080p blu-ray release, with AVC MPEG-4 encoding.  The blending of CGI and live-action promotes and hinders the limits of this presentation. The CGI effects look stunningly vivid, especially in terms of detail and color. However, the live-action scenes lack the level of detail one expects from high-definition, rendering these moments just slightly above the standard dvd in level of depth obtained. Contrast is generally impressive, but not to the levels of many superior FOX blu-ray releases. 

While the image quality is generally only slightly better, overall, than the standard dvd, the audio mix is notably superior in every way! FOX has provided a DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 mix.  While the Dolby Digital mix found on the standard dvd offers a fine presentation, with aggressive effects, it never comes close to realizing the depth offered on the DTS-HD mix!  The 360 degree environment accomplished on this blu-ray actually rivals the best blu-ray  mixes out there!  Ambient effects are impressive throughout, with even the most subtle nuances creating some dazzling moments. However, when the music kicks in,...WOW!  These songs, love 'em or hate 'em, are presented with impressive depth and brilliant clarity. It's really outstanding to listen to for the technical accomplishment alone.

Two brief featurettes are offered, along with trailers for some other films.