Fox has greenlit a threequel for Alvin and the Chipmunks, according to Variety.
The third feature film outing for the famous, high-voiced trio will be in 3D and will hit theaters on Dec. 16, 2011.
So far, the series has been a smash hit. The first Alvin and the Chipmunks, released in 2007, grossed $361 million worldwide. The second film, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, opened in December 2009 and is still in release. It has grossed more than $436 million worldwide.
The movies, based on the animated singing group created in 1958 by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., are a mix of CG animation and live action. The three singing chipmunks first appeared on the novelty song The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) in 1958. The success of the song lead to an animated series, The Alvin Show, in 1961-62
The characters were revived in the late 1970s and starred in a 1981 animated Christmas special, followed by Saturday morning series produced at first by Ruby-Spears and later by DIC Entertainment and ran from 1983 to 1990.
