Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel

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Director: Betty Thomas

Stars: Jason Lee, Zachary Levi, Drew Barrymore (more)

Synopsis: Alvin, Simon and Theodore must put aside music superstardom and return to school, where they look to win a $25,000 prize in a battle of the bands contest in order to save their school's music program. But the Chipmunks unexpectedly meet their match in three singing chipmunks known as The Chipettes -- Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette.

Why We're Excited: The original may not have been a hit with critics, but the first "Chipmunks" scored with families for a key reason: Alvin, Theodore, and Simon are undeniably adorable and, we have to admit, the story was pretty darn cute. Throw in three more adorable tiny CGI creatures, a little romance for the guys and more high-pitched versions of popular pop songs geared toward making your tail shake, and this certainly sounds like a nice Christmas Day treat.

Why We're Not: This view assumes that you have a soft spot for Alvin and the Chipmunks (and their pal Dave). If you don't, sitting through another feature-length tale of theirs probably has approximately the same appeal as having old dental fillings ground out of your head.

Trivia: Dave's house number is 1958. 1958 was the year Ross Bagdasarian Sr. created the Chipmunks and released "Witch Doctor" and the "Chipmunk Song."

See more anticipated holiday films from our editors' Top 10 list.