MANILA, Philippines ? ?Alvin and the Chipmunks? was so popular with juvenile viewers that its ?squeakquel? has been trotted out, just in time for the new film year. This time around, Alvin and his best buddies take time off from their high-flying show biz career ? to go to school.

A good thing, too, because their hit career has gone to Alvin?s head, and he needs to be deflated and brought down to earth before his noggin completely explodes in a burst of helium fumes.

To teach him some necessary life lessons, some of his schoolmates give him and his mates a really tough time. To make things worse, the movie?s arch nemesis, a failed record producer, is out to ruin the Chipmunks? career by coming up with some serious competition ? a trio of female performing chipmunks, known as the Chipettes.

In time, of course, male and female ?munks join forces to foil the villain?s ?divide and conquer? scenario, and all?s well with the world again.

The kids at the screening of the film we caught responded to its situations and characters with eager involvement, indicating that the production was effectively speaking its target audience?s language.

That was all to the good, because the production not only provided some amusement but also showed kids how they should behave and relate to other young people, as well as their parents.

What about older viewers, does the movie offer something to them, as well? First off, adult moviegoers will have to get used to the particularly shrill and whiny decibel level of the dialogue soundtrack. It isn?t all that easy to decipher and get used to, but once that?s done, the production becomes easier to take.

In addition, older viewers will have to deal with the kiddie film?s overly simplistic view of life, with problems and conflicts made so basic that their solution is similarly too knee-jerk and facile to be truly engaging.

Of course, this is ?just? a movie for little children, so we shouldn?t expect excessive complexity and texture. At the same time, however, we recall that other kiddie flicks, like the prize-winning ?Up,? have been able to keep it real while still going the kiddie-fantasy route. It?s a tough balance to achieve, and we must note that the ?Alvin? ?squeakel? isn?t able to match the level of ?Up? in this regard.

It could be that ?Up? was aimed at older kids and the family audience, while the ?Alvin? movies are intended for really young children. Still, it would be better for viewers if kiddie movies were not overly simplistic, because even small children have hearts and minds that can be touched by movies they can relate to.

Aside from ?Up,? ?Wall-E? also strikes the right notes when it comes to enlightened and enlightening entertainment for children. The prize-winning movie about a lonely robot stranded in outer space touched hearts of all ages, because it showed that even robots have feelings. The thematic logic is, if machines can feel, humans should be even more sensitive to others? wants and needs.

Other enlightening examples are provided by the ?Shrek? movies, which show that even hideous ogres are capable of loving and being loved. What a bracing and liberating view of life to share with young viewers!