Posted by shitty speller...DEAL WITH IT! at 24-205-35-70.gln-eres.charterpipeline.net on September 20, 2003 at 13:59:59:
NEW YORK (Billboard) - All you want for Christmas is your two front teeth? How about a brand-new movie featuring Alvin, Simon and Theodore, plus a trio of classic Chipmunks titles that are scampering to DVD for the first time in November through a direct-response campaign?
Featuring the Chipmunks in their preschool glory days and filmed in high-definition using 3-D puppetry, "Little Alvin & the Mini-Munks" is the latest production by Ross Bagdasarian and Janice Karman, the husband-and-wife team that has been creating Chipmunks entertainment for almost 25 years.
Also due this fall are a complementary CD -- the new movie features six original songs -- plus the vintage Chipmunks Christmas, Halloween and Easter specials. All will be released on DVD/VHS.
Bagdasarian says he plans to release a new "Mini-Munks" film each year for the next six years. He also plans to roll out some of the older Chipmunks TV fare via direct-response. "This is just something that makes sense to us," Bagdasarian says of the direct-marketing tact. "We get to have a direct relationship with the fans for the first time, which we are really looking forward to."
Bagdasarian and Karman own the rights to the entire Chipmunks video catalog except for the 1999 title "Alvin & the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein" and 2000's "Alvin & the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman," both owned by Universal Studios.
Buena Vista Home Entertainment formerly had rights to select TV serials and specials but has not released any Chipmunks properties since the early '90s.
Pricing and a precise November release date are still being etched out as Bagdasarian Productions puts the finishing touches on a 30-minute infomercial and several advertising spots it is shopping to cable TV outlets.
The titles also will be sold on a new Web site (chipmunks.com), and Bagdasarian says they are not ruling out a possible traditional retail presence.
"We would love to have a retail component that makes sense, but meanwhile we want to make sure fans that want to get hold of the music, videos and DVDs can," he says.
The Chipmunks made their TV debut in 1961 with "The Alvin Show"; "Alvin & the Chipmunks" aired on NBC from 1983-91. The trio has sold more than 43 million albums globally, according to Bagdasarian