Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a 2009 American live-action/animated jukebox musical comedy film directed by Betty Thomas and written by Jon Vitti and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.

The film stars Zachary Levi, David Cross and Jason Lee, with voices by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney.

Dave Seville is injured when a cardboard cutout of Alvin sends him flying across the stage during a charity benefit concert in Paris.

While he recovers in a French hospital, Dave asks his aunt, Jackie, to look after the Chipmunks, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.

Ex-JETT Records chief executive Ian Hawke, who is broke and destitute after losing the Chipmunks,[a] lives in the company's basement.

The principal, Dr. Rubin, a fan who saw them in Denver, enlists their help to raise money for the school's music program by participating in a contest.

The boys are shocked to see the girls working with him, and a rivalry emerges when Ian convinces Dr. Rubin to let the Chipettes compete in the competition.

The Chipettes learn that they are to perform as an opening act for a Britney Spears[b] concert on the same night as the school contest.

Before the school contest, Alvin receives a distressed phone call from the Chipettes, who inform him that Ian has locked them in a cage.

An additional scene involving costumed rats, monitored by American Humane, was excluded from the theatrical release.

The website's consensus reads: "This Squeakquel may entertain the kiddies, but it's low on energy and heavily reliant on slapstick humor.

"[12] Sue Robinson from Radio Times said that "even if there's little here for older viewers to enjoy, youngsters will love the slapstick action and catchy soundtrack.

"[13] Joe Leydon, writing for Variety, called it "a frenetic but undeniably funny follow-up that offers twice the number of singing-and-dancing rodents in another seamless blend of CGI and live-action elements.

"[14] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times commented on Betty Thomas' direction, saying that she brings "a light campy touch as she did in 1995's The Brady Bunch Movie.

"[15] After the film had garnered $112 million worldwide at the box office over its first weekend, some critics were disappointed that it was more popular than other movies in wide release aimed at a family audience.

[16][17] Richard Corliss of Time wrote that families "could have taken the cherubs to The Princess and the Frog or Disney's A Christmas Carol, worthy efforts that, together, took in only about a fifth of the Chipmunks' revenue in the same period".

[19] The film was one of the nominees for the "Family" category at the 2010 National Movie Awards, losing to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009).

Filming took place primarily on the ship's upper, open decks with scenes featuring actor Jason Lee (reprising his role) and the antics of The Chipmunks in the Carnival Dream's outdoor recreation areas.

Stops on the itinerary included Cozumel, Roatan, Belize, and Costa Maya (which provided tropical backdrops for many of the film's shipboard scenes).