Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.

Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. (born 1949) is an American film producer, record producer, singer, and voice artist; the son of the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise creator and renaissance man Ross Bagdasarian (a.k.a. David Seville). Bagdasarian succeeded his father as the main owner-figure of the Chipmunks franchise, which had fallen into obscurity after significant success in the late-1950s and early-1960s, and heads Bagdasarian Productions with his wife Janice Karman to handle management of the characters and the production of their albums.

Related Topics:
1949 - American - Film producer - Record producer - Singer - Voice artist - Alvin and the Chipmunks - Ross Bagdasarian - David Seville - 1950s - 1960s - Bagdasarian Productions - Janice Karman

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Under his supervision, new Chipmunks records were created in the late-1970s and early-1980s, including Chipmunk Punk. In 1981, the Chipmunks returned to television in the special A Chipmunk Christmas. Two years later, Ruby-Spears Productions' Alvin and the Chipmunks Saturday morning cartoon series debuted on NBC. A feature film based on the series, The Chipmunk Adventure, was released in 1987.

Related Topics:
1970s - 1980s - 1981 - Ruby-Spears Productions - Saturday morning cartoon - NBC - The Chipmunk Adventure - 1987

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For these new Chipmunks productions, Bagdasarian provides the singing and speaking voices of Alvin, Simon, and Dave Seville; Janice Karman provides those of Theodore and The Chipettes. The voices are recorded at a regular tone and sped up electronically to create the trademark Chipmunks sound.

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Bagdasarian sold the rights to the Chipmunk characters to Universal Pictures in 1996, resulting in a string of Universal-produced direct-to-video films. Four years later, he sued them for breach of contract, in order to recoup monetary damages and regain control of the characters.

Related Topics:
Universal Pictures - 1996 - Direct-to-video - Breach of contract

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Currently, Bagdasarian is producing a live-action film version of Alvin and the Chipmunks, featuring computer-animated Chipmunks, and a live-action David Seville. It is reportedly in development by 20th Century Fox, and scheduled to be released in theatres around 2006.

Related Topics:
Alvin and the Chipmunks - Computer-animated - Live-action - 20th Century Fox - 2006

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