 In shots where Lee interacted with the chipmunks, the actor rehearsed with small stuffed animals indicating where the chipmunks would be; the animals were then removed when it was time to shoot, and he used his memory of where the animals were.The chipmunks were animated by Rhythm and Hues Studios, a company that previously animated creatures for projects such as "Mouse Hunt" (1997); "" (2005); and "Babe" (1995), which garnered Rhythm & Hues an Academy Award.As with all of its past projects, Rhythm & Hues used its own software for animating "Alvin and the Chipmunks", such as Voodoo and Icy, which was used for placing the CGI into live-action shots; although Autodesk programs like Flame and Maya were used.