 Pip , a chipmunk who can talk in the 2D world of Andalasia , loses his ability to communicate through speech in the real world so he must rely heavily on facial and body gestures . This meant the animators had to display Pip 's emotions through performance as well as making him appear like a real chipmunk . The team at Tippett began the process of animating Pip by observing live chipmunks which were filmed in motion from " every conceivable angle " , after which they created a photorealistic chipmunk through the use of 3D computer graphics software , Maya and Furrocious . When visual effects supervisor Thomas Schelesny showed the first animation of Pip to director Kevin Lima , he was surprised that he was a looking at CG character and not reference footage . To enhance facial expressions , the modelers gave Pip eyebrows , which real chipmunks do not have . During the filming of scenes in which Pip appears , a number of ways were used to indicate the physical presence of Pip . On some occasions , a small stuffed chipmunk with a wire armature on the inside was placed in the scene . In other situations , a rod with a small marker on the end or a laser pointer would be used to show the actors and cinematographer where Pip is . 
