As Summer was coming to a close end, The Chipmunks' kickoff performance for their world tour is supposed to be in the Orpheum Theatre, but there's a big problem. However, Something was severely wrong. In the dressing room, The boys found themselves sore throats, meaning their singing voices were almost nonexistent.
"You guys sound like you've been gargling nails", said the doctor. After a few more examinations, the doctor emerged from the dressing room. In the hallway, Ian paced anxiously back and forth while Harry tried to calm him down.
"So?" Ian asked, barely able to contain his anxiety. The doctor sighed.
"I can give you a lot of technical terms, Mr. Hawke, "she said, "but the bottom line is these guys are exhausted."
"Shock," said Ian, sarcastically.
"Well, give them a shot, or a cream, or a pill or something," said Harry, "We have a lot riding on this—"
"I have a lot riding on this," corrected Ian, "I've invested every dime I have in these guys, and I stand to lose it all over some sore throats!" The doctor looked at Ian and Harry quizzically.
"...They need a long rest," the doctor said. Ian and Harry blinked.
"A long rest," Ian repeated, "You know what? I'm not a doctor, so I'll give them that rest." Ian smiled as the doctor left, but rolled his eyes in disgust when she was out of sight. Ian and Harry entered the boys' locker room, where the boys sat around looking worn out.
"Knock Knock!", he said", How you guys feelin?"
"Dead inside", mumbled Alvin. Ian sighed.
"Look, I just talked to the doctor and I just don't feel right about sending you guys out there", he said.
"So, does this mean the show is canceled?", Theodore asked, his voice filled with concern.
"What? No!", Ian responded with a chuckle, "That would mean I would have to give out refunds."
"We're talking about having you guys lip sync," Harry said, making jazz hands. The boys looked at him with question marks in their eyes.
"Isn't that cheating?", Simon asked.
"No, no," Ian said, waving his hand dismissively. "Cheating is wrong. What you're doing is more like helping. All the big stars do it. You just have to make sure your lips are in sync with the words you recorded, or people will know..." Ian couldn't think of a better word to use.
"That we're cheating", finished Simon. Ian was annoyed when Simon accused him of cheating. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before he snapped at the boy.
"No! Not Cheating! Helping!" Ian said in a stern tone, "Now tighten up, guys. It's showtime!"
"Remember, fellas", said Harry, "Mouth the words and no one will know." Harry winked and him and Ian left the room, closing the door behind. As Ian and Harry walked down the hallway with triumphant smirks, they heard a ruckus and checked it out. Suddenly, a man walked in front of them and Ian gasped.
"What are you doing here?", he said. Back inside the dressing room, The Boys' let out exhausted sighs. They hated working for Ian and Harry. The rough schedule, the constant training, no breaks, no fun. Theodore slumped down on the couch when he spotted something in the closet that caught his attention.
He got up and walked over to the closet, opened the door, and picked up something that almost made him shed a tear. It was Dave's old green sweater that Dave gave him to wear. He held it up and sighed as he remembered the good times he had with Dave. Then Theodore made a decision.
"Guys", said Theodore, " I want to go home."
"We will after the show, Theo," Simon reassured him.
"NO!" Theodore yelled, "I mean...OUR home. With Dave." The two brothers looked at each other, surprised by Theodore's sudden determination. They huddled up next to Theodore for comfort, sighing.
"I feel you," said Alvin, "I'm starting to think Ian doesn't care about us at all. We have to get out of here."
"But what can we do?", said Simon, "We have no authority over Ian and Harry, and we still don't know where Dave is." Suddenly, their moment was interrupted by the commotion going on outside the dressing room.
"What's going on out there?" asked Theodore.
"Sounds like a fight," replied Simon. Curious, they peeked out the door. Just then, Harry came flying by, going backwards. The boys followed his trajectory and saw that he had been in an altercation along side Ian with someone else that was being held back by some security guards. Harry tried to push the boys back into the room, but they ignored him and strained to see who Ian was fighting. The stranger broke free from the guards and a chorus of gasps followed.
"DAVE?!", said the Chipmunks in unison.
"My Boys!", said Dave as he grabbed his kids for a big bear hug.
"I thought I lost you guys forever.", said Dave with tears in his eyes. The Chipmunks were also crying tears of joy as they hugged Dave, tightly. Suddenly, their moment of bliss was rudely interrupted by security guards. The guards grabbed Dave and the boys and separated them. Ian straightened his clothes and stood in front of Dave, wearing a smug expression on his face.
"Ian, you let them go or so help me!" threatened Dave, his voice laced with desperation.
"Or so what!" snapped Ian, his eyes narrowing in anger. He began to chuckle as Dave started struggling again.
"Come on, Ian, look at them," Dave said, gesturing towards the boys, "It's clear they don't want to be here any longer! They need to live a real life, not this." Ian laughed even harder.
"Oh, Dave," he said, "Look at all I've given them: fame, fortune, fans. What can you offer?"
"I can offer to love them without any conditions!" Dave said, "I promise to never leave their side and even if I have nothing, I promise to give them a better life than you ever could!" Ian just stared blankly.
"...Yeah, whatever," Ian said, not caring in the least, "Well if you're done with all that, I have money to make so..." Ian snapped his fingers and the security guard dragged him away, with Dave struggling and yelling for him to be released.
"As for you three", said Ian, turning towards the chipmunks, "You'd better get to studying your French, because the world tour starts in Paris after tonight." The boys thrashed and struggled as the security guards dragged them down the hallway, with Ian leading the charge.
"You'll be fine," Ian said, "Try to look on the bright side. At least you'll get to see the Eiffel Tower." The boys were then thrown into three separate cages, just like the first time with the landlord. "No hard feelings, boys," said Ian. "But you guys are worth millions. I just can't lose you." The boys slumped down in their cage and groaned. They were trapped.
"I can't believe I'm experiencing the 'pleasure' of being in a cage for the second time," sighed Alvin.
"Knock off the sarcasm, Alvin," said Simon, "We have to find a way out of here and get back to Dave."
"And how do we do that, genius?", said Alvin. They were about to give up when Simon spotted something and had an idea.. Back outside the theatre, the security guards took Dave and threw him out with a thud. Dave got up quickly, but the door slammed shut in his face.
"Come on, let me in!" Dave said, pulling on the door, but it wouldn't budge.
"Say Dave, what are you doing?" Alvin asked.
"I'm trying to get back inside to save you guys," Dave said. Just then, Dave stopped pulling on the door and snapped his head back. He wasn't hearing and seeing things. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore were standing right there, smiling and waving at him. Without second guessing he hugged his boys tightly, with tears of joy flowing from everyone.
"My boys!", exclaimed Dave, "But... How?!"
"It's a long story," Alvin said.
"Believe it or not, this isn't the first time we were in a cage", said Simon.
"But we're out now, and we're going home with you.", smiled Theodore as he and his brothers hugged Dave again.
"Wait a minute," said Dave, "What about Ian?" The boys exchanged knowing looks but said nothing. Back inside the theater, Ian stood backstage, looking out at the crowd. He took a deep breath and then turned to the dolly with the boys on it.
"Alright," he said, "let's make you guys superstars." With a flourish, Ian strolled onto the stage with "the boys" on a dolly. He quickly fixed his clothes, grabbed a nearby microphone, and walked through the curtains. The crowd roared as he took his place at the front of the stage.
"Alright, Alright, "Settle down, everyone," Ian said into the microphone, "It's a very special night here at JETT Records. We pride ourselves on bringing you tomorrow's biggest stars, today. And guess what, I think I've done it again! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Alvin, Simon, and Theodore…the Chipmunks!" The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers. But, when curtains raised up the cheering, slowly stopped all together.
Ian looked confused and turned around. His heart sank as he dropped the microphone. Inside the cages were the boys' old sweaters with prototype dolls that were yet to be released. The crowd started booing and throwing things at Ian. Backstage, Harry could see the crowd turning on Ian and wanted no part of it.
"I-Is this a bad time to say I quit, Ian?" Harry called out. Ian stood there, stunned, as the crowd continued to boo him and throw food and merchandise at him. Harry slipped out the back door, not waiting for an answer.
"It's best to leave it to the imagination, Dave", said Simon. Dave shook his head and chuckled.
"Come on, guys", smiled Dave, "Let's go home."