The Rescue Rangers

The Rescue Rangers (Tamil: மீட்பு ரேஞ்சர்கள் Mitpu Rencarkal) is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language adventure comedy film starring and  as the established Disney characters, who have somehow turned into humans and start a detective agency, Rescue Rangers, along with their friends Gadget Hackwrench, Monterey Jack, and Zipper. The film was written and directed by, produced by G. N. Velumani under Saravana Films and had musical score by.

Production took approximately nine months. The film was released in India by on 11 July 1964, celebrated 100 days in many centers of its release, ran more than 25 weeks and became one of the blockbusters of Ganesan in the year 1964.

Plot
The Rescue Rangers are lounging atop the ceiling fan at the police station. While Chip is eagerly looking for a case to solve, Monterey Jack is educating Dale about static electricity and how to generate it by rubbing something furry. Dale then uses his knew learned knowledge to give Chip a little static jolt.

At that moment, a little girl enters the police station to report her missing kitten, Spunky. Sergeant Spinelli wants to help but isn’t too hopeful about the prospect of being able to locate one little kitten in the big city. He nevertheless assures the little girl that he will instruct his officers to keep an eye out for Spunky and takes the photo of the kitten that the girl brought with her.

The rangers quietly grab Spunky’s photo and catapult themselves to their headquarters to rendezvous with Gadget who is prepping the Ranger Plane. Chip suggests that Monterey Jack and Dale go to cat alley and ask about Spunky while he and Gadget visit the little girl’s home to look for clues. At the house, Chip and Gadget notice huge animal claw marks on the window sill and paw prints in the garden.

Meanwhile in cat alley, Monterey Jack and Dale are surprised to see the alley teeming with mice instead of cats. One of the partying mouse informs the duo that the cats inexplicably vanished two days ago. Feeling that the best way to find out the whereabouts of the missing cats is to become a cat, Monterey and Dale build and pilot a cat suit. Immediately a huge robotic bulldog appears on the scene and swallows the dummy cat with Dale still inside it. Monterey Jack electrocutes the bulldog, knocking it out cold. Chip, Dale and Zipper arrive shortly and after freeing Dale, repair the bulldog so that they can ride inside it.

The rickety mechanical mutt makes its way to Professor Nimnul’s laboratory where other similar robotic bulldogs have also arrived. Inside the lab, the rangers are shocked to see all the cats in the city trapped in cages. Nimnul then reveals that he plans to use the cats to generate a massive amount of static electricity to power his generator which would then fire a huge lightning bolt onto the city if his demands were not met.

With their wits, courage and a little bit of luck, the rangers manage to stop Nimnul and free all the cats, including Spunky, whom they return to his rightful owner.

Vexed with Dale's messiness, the rest of the Rescue Rangers order him to clean up all the litter. As a displeased Dale is throwing all the litter in the dustbin, he accidentally slips and falls into it. Unfortunately, the garbage man arrives at that precise moment to pick up the trash. The Rangers give chase to the garbage truck, but a little accident causes them to fall into the truck with Dale.

The Rangers end up in a large pile of garbage that is being towed out to sea by a barge. While they are still trying to figure out a way to return back home, a pirate barrel emerges from the sea right beside them. It fires a large net that catches a big pile of garbage along with Chip and Dale. The barrel and its haul disappear underwater, much to the horror of Gadget, Monterey Jack and Zipper.

The barrel tows the garbage, and Chip and Dale with it, to a sunken ship on the ocean floor. There the two chipmunks meet the Pi-Rats and their captain, Jolly Rogers. The Pi-Rats invite Chip and Dale to join them. Dale is all too eager to agree while Chip has his reservations. The Pi-Rats even allow Chip and Dale to join in their game of treasure hunt, after which they reveal their true intentions and lock the two Rescue Rangers in an old bird cage.

Above the surface of the ocean, Gadget manages to construct a submarine using bits and pieces from some of the floating garbage that fell from the barge. She, Monterey Jack and Zipper then pilot the sub to the sunken Pi-Rat ship to rescue their two teammates. En route they run into Billy the Squid who obliterates the sub. The three intrepid Rangers escape Billy's stalking tentacles and swim into the sunken ship.

The trio soon locate Chip and Dale and their captors. Monterey Jack dons a disguise and pretends to be the Pi-Rats' captain, Long Lost Lafitte. He then orders the Pi-Rats to release Chip and Dale and also instructs them to guard the treasure until he returns again. Everything was going according to plan until Young Ned, the real Lafitte's cabin boy brings a big wedge of cheese for his captain. Monterey Jack loses all control and rushes headlong towards the cheese, shedding his disguise and revealing his true identity to the Pi-Rats.

The Pi-Rats now tie up all the Rescue Rangers and make them walk the plank which is located right above Billy the Squid. The rangers, however, mount a daring escape and flee with the Pi-Rats in hot pursuit. Gadget then theorizes that if the treasure was unloaded from the ship, it would float back to the surface. While Monterey Jack and Zipper keep the Pi-Rats occupied, Gadget, Chip and Dale use a cannon to blast the treasure free from the ship and it floats upright to the surface.

The Pi-Rats are so happy to be able to sail above the sea as opposed to living under it that they end all hostilities with the Rescue Rangers. As the Pi-Rats set off to have real adventures, the Rescue Rangers board the barrel and start to make their way home, but not before Dale gives the Pi-Rats a 21-gun garbage salute.

Cast

 * as Chip
 * and Dale
 * as Monterey Jack
 * as Gadget Hackwrench
 * as Zipper
 * as Fat Cat

Reception
Randor Guy of Hindu wrote that the film was "Remembered for the family-based story line, Sivaji's performance and good music". Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan appreciated the film stating "Sivaji's acting was fantastic in the role and the film totally fulfilled the expectations of everyone".