Skittish ‘Squeakuel’

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel” is cute but unmemorable. The squeaky little pop stars take a hiatus after a show-stopping accident sends their human guardian (Jason Lee) to the hospital. The cuddly critters go to school and are introduced to female counterparts, the Chipettes (who originally appeared in the ‘80s animated series).

Story elements are rehashed, while the situations are, understandably, kiddie cartoon-predictable. The song selection is semi-hip--the girls performed “Single Ladies” and “Hot N Cold” (but no, the line “you PMS like a bitch” wasn’t sung). The new version of “We Are Family,” while relevant to the movie’s sibling drama, isn’t a very catchy one. And like the first movie, “Squeakuel” ends rather abruptly (despite the extra comeuppance scene). It’s of little consequence, a diverting movie that tries to appease multiple demographics, but is ultimately one that they’ll forget about.