More like humans than chipmunks

Yes, in the reality in which the series is set, chipmunks are humanoid beings. Not uncommon in a cartoon.

What I found darkly off-putting is that they are still treated like animals, suggesting a sort of Chipmunk inequality. Dave originally found Alvin and his brothers living in woods like wild animals, and the Chipettes, despite attending a human school, live in a tree out in the wild.

There was also an episode where someone tries to feed Alvin and co. to a snake at the zoo, as though it's perfectly legal to treat them like any other rodent, despite their being equal in intelligence and communication to human beings. Really kind of strange.

Have you ever seen a mouse that looks like Mickey? Better yet, have you ever seen a cartoon?

Yep. I saw them more as deeply tanned human boys and girls than actual chipmunks, it made it even more beliveable when they were given eye colours

Those three are nothing like the originals which did have fur and looked like animals. I'm not even sure what is the point anymore. They're little boys, not rodents.

Here are the originals:

https://artist1.cdn107.com/7c4/7c4b21d15cd8ab8e5889754463e603ee_xl.jpg