Being a Walt Disney Studios production, released on Disney+ featuring characters from the Disney Afternoon programming block and inspired by one of the greatest Disney movies (and movies in general) of all time, it’s pretty obvious that there would be a lot of Disney references everywhere like “Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers.” In fact, the film begins with one. Thanks to Sweet Pete’s laser, the classic logo for the Cinderella’s Castle company is transformed to include parts from other iconic castles from the Disney catalogue. I discover the Sultan’s Palace from Aladdin, Elsa’s Ice Castle from Frozen, King Triton’s Palace from The Little Mermaid and possibly Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
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Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella’s castles are staples of Disney theme parks. Fans can visit them in real life at Disneyland and Disney World respectively. But another thing that’s always present at a Disney facility is the always elusive Hidden Mickey. The company hides them everywhere, from parks to hotels to offices and beyond. In this scene, the rocket that destroyed Sweet Pete’s toon changing machine shoots up into the sky, creating a hidden Mickey with fireworks.
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Poor flounder. He went deep into the Valley Gang and ended up being smuggled. Here he tries to knock the debt collectors off their feet with a “real Dinglehopper” that is “worth a lot”. Fun Fact: Flounder is voiced by Rachel Bloom in Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers. She is probably best known for creating and starring in The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but she is also the wife of Dan Gregor, one of the writers on that film. She also voices Insurance Sheep, Flower Girl, Black & White Reporter, Lost Boy, Stinson’s Boy, Chip’s Mom and Cannon Ball.
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Officers Wynnchel and Duncan are certainly a far cry from the Sugar Rush machine in Litwak’s Arcade. A nod to donut chains Winchell’s and Dunkin Donuts, these two donut cops first appeared in Wreck-It Ralph and returned for the sequel Ralph Breaks The Internet. But in this film, where toons and humans live and work side by side, they work alongside JK Simmons’ Captain Putty and Los Angeles Police Department’s Officer Ellie Whitfield, Kiki Laynes.
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Earlier when I mentioned one of the greatest Disney movies (and movies in general) of all time, I was talking about Robert Zemeckis ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’. The team behind Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers took great inspiration from this groundbreaking film and managed to get the titular star a cameo at the beginning of the film, performing the popular dance move that bears his name. However, there is also a reference to Roger’s nemesis, the insane Judge Doom. Later, when Sweet Pete pulls out his torture kit, it contains a vial of dip. This stuff is known for having the power to completely wipe a toon off the face of the earth with a keg and is extremely dangerous for all toons, as the horrible Judge played by Christopher Lloyd found out for himself at the end of this film .
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Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many of us have been conditioned to wait for a post-credits scene. Luckily, that conditioning paid off when watching Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers because another Disney Afternoon star appeared in the film. As the Rescue Rangers enjoyed their renewed popularity, Darkwing Duck lamented the fact that he wasn’t enjoying the same kind of resurgence. However, thanks to the recent Ducktales reboot, the Masked Mallard could see its day in the sun thanks to a spin-off in the works. Or night in the sun? You know what I mean.