After starring alongside Theodore, Alvin and Simon in Alvin and the Chipmunks, Jason Lee was just too busy with other projects to be involved much in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. However, with the third film of the family-friendly/chipmunk-friendly franchise - Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked - Lee's back as Dave Seville, surrogate father to The Chipmunks - and now The Chipettes - and the main human star who exists in a world with talking and singing chipmunks.

As the title suggests, The Chipmunks, The Chipettes, and Dave head out for a vacation on a luxury cruise ship only to get "chipwrecked" (because things can't go right in a Chipmunks movie). Dave is forced into trying to find them while the poor little furry guys - and girls - have to survive on their own on a remote island.

Chipwrecked was actually filmed on a Carnival cruise ship for a week, which Lee says isn't necessarily his idea of a way to relax. "My idea of a getaway is not being on a cruise ship with thousands of people, personally," said Lee at the LA press day for the 20th Century Fox release. "You eat all day and all night, and you're out at sea. It’s quite surreal, the cruise thing. But, we were only there for about five or six days on the ship."

But while going on a cruise isn't Lee's idea of a relaxing time, agreeing to being back on the set of a Chipmunks film didn't take much convincing. Playing Dave opposite Alvin, Theodore and Simon makes him more of a hero to his kids.

"I always set out to just work as an actor and try to do as many different things as I possibly could, and not be too selective or not be too careful. I think just working is fun," said Lee. "I like that I did Earl. I like that I’ve done kids’ stuff. I like that I’ve done more dramatic stuff. I like that I did all the Kevin Smith stuff. I like that I’ve bounced around a lot. But certainly as a dad, it’s nice to have movies that my kids can watch because they certainly aren’t watching Chasing Amy.

And although his kids have seen The Incredibles in which Jason Lee voices 'Buddy Pine/Syndrome', the Chipmunks movies win the popularity contest at his home. "They love The Chipmunks because you can really see it and it’s cute, especially my 3-year-old daughter. She’s very much into saying, 'Awww!,' which is really cute. But they love The Incredibles, and that’s certainly a proud one for me. But The Chipmunks, it's such a classic thing and to have my kids be able to have that, and then have their kids have that, I think it’s really cool."

So what is it about these animated little guys that makes audiences of all ages go, "Awww!," and not just kids? "Oh man, that’s always hard to answer because I guess the easy answer is I guess they’re cute," replied Lee. "I don't know. I think kids like chaos, in an interesting way, and The Chipmunks certainly create a lot of chaos. I think kids like to push buttons in adults, right? They like to antagonize and cause trouble, and certainly Alvin does a great job at that. We see Dave getting driven crazy, and I think kids like to do that with adults, so I think they identify with that. But clearly, it’s the kid-like spirit that kids respond to. I think it also represents these guys get away with lots of things, and kids sort of feel like they represent childhood."

Being a dad, Lee can relate to the challenges faced by Dave as he struggles to be a good father figure to The Chipmunks. "I certainly know what it feels like to give lots of love and understanding. But I also know what it feels like to be antagonized or to have my buttons pushed, at midnight when the baby or my son or daughter just will not go to sleep. 'Dad, can I say one more thing?' 'Okay, one more thing and then when can go to bed because it's three hours past your bedtime.' It’s that thing with The Chipmunks too, where you’ve gotta just let them be what they are, ultimately, at the end of the day," offered Lee.

And, yes, Lee does think the relationship between Dave and The Chipmunks is...well...a little strange given that they're chipmunks. But like the audience, Lee sees the chipmunks more as little kids than furry creatures. "It is [a strange relationship], but they're so real. It's like they feel more like kids, I think, which says a lot about the performances of The Chipmunks and the animation. The whole thing is really surreal because he lives with talking chipmunks, and I don’t think that happens often," said Lee. "I think it's the heart of it. These guys are likable kids. It's very heartfelt and heartwarming. There's an accessibility to it. It’s cool that you see that these chipmunks are more like kids then animals. I think really it's just the furry little, chubby Theodore, who makes the whole thing cute."

Physically, just acting opposite the cute little Chipmunks is a challenge as bean bags substitute for the CG critters on the set. However, after three movies, Lee says that it's gotten easier for him to forget the bean bags and think 'Chipmunks'. "It’s always a bit surreal when you’re looking at pieces of tape and stuffed animals and tan bean bags. You’re like, 'Theodore, I miss you!,' and it’s a bean bag in your hand. It's kind of strange," said Lee, laughing.

That said, playing emotional scenes with bean bags is still a bit of a challenge. "You get over the embarrassment factor pretty quickly. You realize there’s a bunch of gruff crew dudes, standing around watching you emote to a bean bag, and you’ve gotta just go, 'What the hell? This is a part of the gig and I want to make it real.' You just pretend that it’s that thing, and you just go for it. It is a nice thing when you do see the movie and you go, 'Wow, it really looks like I’m talking to these [Chipmunks].' That’s a great challenge. That’s something I never thought I’d do as an actor. I get to check that off my list, so to speak."

And after being the human closest to The Chipmunks, which one would be if he were a Chipmunk? "They each represent something that we all have. We get the chaos from Alvin, the smarts from Simon, and the innocence from Theodore. Together, they make a nice combination of what we all have, so we can identify with each one of them," answered Lee. "I would say, for me, if I had to pick one...I’m a little bit of all of them."

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Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked opens in theaters on December 16, 2011.