The Rugrats Movie



The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated adventure-comedy film, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Klasky Csupo. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and first released in theaters in the United States on November 20, 1998. The film marks the first film made by Nickelodeon Movies to be based on a Nicktoon.

Based on the popular 1990s animated Nickelodeon series, Rugrats, this film introduced Tommy Pickles' baby brother Dil Pickles, who appeared on the original series the next year. The film features the voices of E.G. Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, Cheryl Chase, Cree Summer, Tara Strong and Charlie Adler, along with guest stars David Spade, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Cho, Busta Rhymes and Tim Curry.

Plot
The film starts with a parody of the 1981 Indiana Jones action film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Afterwards, the babies are chased out of the temple by a boulder, which is revealed to be Didi Pickles who is at the baby shower at the Pickles' house, where Didi is pregnant with a second child, which everyone believes will be a girl. Didi goes into labour and her friends rush her to the hospital. While this is happening, the kids crawl off. When the baby is finally born, it turns out to be a boy and they name Dylan, after Didi's cousin. Dil quickly becomes a very spoiled baby, crying non-stop for attention, keeping all of the babies' toys for himself and refusing to share with Tommy. Stu has a conversation with Tommy about being a big brother and the responsibility he now has and assures him that one day he'll be happy to have Dil as his little brother. He also gives Tommy a locket with a picture of Tommy and Dil taped together and a watch inside which he calls his "sponsativity", his term for responsibility.

When Dil pushes the other babies too far, they decide to take him back to the hospital despite Tommy's disapproval and end up driving recklessly through the streets in a Reptar Wagon Stu had built until they crash in the woods. As Dil had secretly pinched Angelica's Cynthia doll, Angelica and Spike embark on a mission to find the babies.

When the babies realise they are lost, they spot a ranger's cabin which they believe that a "lizard" (a mispronunciation of wizard) lives there, and decide to go there, believing that it can take them home. After an encounter with runaway circus monkeys, Dil is taken away by the monkeys. Tommy vows to find Dil by himself, because the other babies still agree they are better off without him. Tommy eventually finds Dil during a storm, and are forced to take shelter under a tree, but Dil's selfish acts push Tommy too far and snaps at Dil. Both the storm and Tommy's rage scare Dil, who turns over a new leaf.

After the storm, Tommy and the other babies reconcile, and after running into Angelica and Spike they make their way to the "lizard". While on a bridge, they are confronted first by the monkeys and later by a wolf that has been hunting them since the babies arrived in the woods (for some reason, the monkeys are scared of the wolf). The wolf rushes after them, but Spike intervenes. After a brief tussle, Spike, dangling over the bridge, drags the wolf and himself to their apparent deaths. Meanwhile, Stu, who has been looking for the babies via aircraft finds them, but crash land into the ranger's cabin. Believing he is the "lizard", the sadden babies wish for Spike back instead of going home. Stu falls through the bridge and finds Spike, who has survived the fall. The babies are then reunited with their families. In the final scene, the babies are having the same imaginary adventure they had when the movie began, but this time are successful with Dil's help, finally accepting him as one of them.

Main

 * E.G. Daily as Tommy Pickles
 * Christine Cavanaugh as Chuckie Finster
 * Kath Soucie as Phil and Lil DeVille
 * Cheryl Chase as Angelica Pickles
 * Tara Strong as Dil Pickles

Supporting

 * Jack Riley as Stu Pickles
 * Melanie Chartoff as Didi Pickles
 * Joe Alaskey as Grandpa Lou
 * Michael Bell as Drew Pickles
 * Tress MacNeille as Charlotte Pickles
 * Cree Summer as Susie Carmichael
 * Kath Soucie as Betty DeVille
 * Phil Proctor as Howard DeVille

Guest Stars

 * Busta Rhymes as Reptar Wagon
 * David Spade as Ranger Frank
 * Whoopi Goldberg as Ranger Margaret
 * Tim Curry as Rex Pester
 * Roger Clinton, Jr. as Air Crewman
 * Margaret Cho as Lt. Klavin
 * Edie McClurg as Nurse
 * Charlie Adler as United Express Driver
 * Gregg Berger as Circus TV Announcer
 * Tony Jay as Dr. Lipschitz
 * Frank Welker as Spike, Scar Snout, The Circus Monkeys and The Wolf

Baby Singers (Musical Number- "This World Is Something New To Me")

 * Lenny Kravitz
 * Lou Rawls
 * Iggy Pop
 * Lisa Loeb
 * Gordon Gano
 * B-Real
 * Fred Schneider
 * Patti Smith
 * Kate Pierson
 * Jakob Dylan
 * Phife Dawg
 * Beck
 * Dawn Robinson
 * Laurie Anderson
 * Cindy Wilson

Production
Two songs were cut from the film during production. The first sequence revolved around Stu and Didi in a nightmare sequencen where Dr. Lipschitz berates their parenting through song. The other sequence occurs as the Rugrats are pushing the Reptar Wagon through the woods, debating what to do about Dil in army chant style. These two scenes were cut from the theatrical version and the VHS and DVD releases. However, they were already animated at the time, and the scenes are shown on CBS and Nickelodeon TV airings of the film as the uncut version is only available on TV. These scenes were present in the print novelisation.

The film was released in theaters with a CatDog short titled "Fetch", in which Cat wins a radio contest and attempts to answer the phone as Dog chases down his tennis ball. This short was later broadcast in CatDog episode 21. However, the video release contains a different CatDog short, "Winslow's Home Videos".

Home Video
The Rugrats Movie was released on VHS and DVD March 30, 1999.

Soundtrack
The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture was released on November 3, 1998. The enhanced soundtrack contains 13 tracks, bonus CD-ROM demos and commercials. Amazon.com's Richard Gehr praised the CD for "demographics as nimbly as the show itself" and for songs "fans of all ages will love". Entertainment Weekly's David Browne rated the Music From the Motion Picture with a C. Browne noted that, while the soundtrack is enjoyable for children and does "make concessions" for parents, adults may dislike the amount of rap. Allmusic's William Ruhlmann reviewed the soundtrack positively, saying "the result" of the singers and songs "is a romp in keeping with the tone of the show and the film". Music From the Motion Picture spent 26 weeks on Billboard 200, peaking at number 19.
 * 1) "Take Me There"- Blackstreet & Mya featuring Mase & Blinky Blink
 * 2) "I Throw My Toys Around"- No Doubt featuring Elvis Costello
 * 3) "This World Is Something New To Me"- Dawn Robinson, Lisa Loeb, B Real, Patti Smith, Lou Rawls, Laurie Anderson, Gordon Gano, Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Phife Dawg, Lenny Kravitz, Beck, Jakob Dylan and Iggy Pop
 * 4) "All Day"- Lisa Loeb
 * 5) "Dil-A-Bye"- E.G. Daily
 * 6) "A Baby Is A Gift From Bob"- Cree Summer & Cheryl Chase
 * 7) "One Way or Another"- Chase
 * 8) "Wild Ride"- Kevi featuring Lisa Stone
 * 9) "On Your Marks, Get Set, Ready, Go!"- Busta Rhymes
 * 10) "Witch Doctor"- Devo
 * 11) "Take The Train"- Rakim and Danny Saber
 * 12) "Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Yum"- E.G. Daily, Christine Cavanaugh & Kath Soucie
 * 13) "Take Me There (Want U Back Mix)"- Blackstreet & Mya featuring Mase & Blinky Blink

Video Games
Video Games were released for Game Boy and Game Boy Color titled The Rugrats Movie and Rugrats: The Movie respectively, with the former being released on June 19, 1998 and the latter on March 12, 1999. Both games were developed by Software Creations and released by THQ. They were side-scrolling video games and featured 8 levels, with the plot revolving around finding a replacement for Dil after he disappears. IGN's Peer Schneider graded the Game Boy Color game with an overall score of 5 out of 10 Schneider stated that the game doesn't have much "to hold the attention of older game", but that "kids will love the easy gameplay, recognisable characters and memorable Rugrats tunes". He closes with saying that "unless you're looking for something to entertain and challenge at the same time, parents can't go wrong in buying the game for their kids." Writing for GameSpot, Cameron Davis gave the Rugrats: The Movie a mixed review, stating that it wasn't "groundbreaking or innovative", but that the game "does what it sets out to do well". Davis noted that the game was aimed at children and praised the "difficulty level" as being "set just right", so that "younger players can explore the levels in comfort thanks to the good collision detection and responsive controls, while those with a bit more Game Boy experience can use the generous time limits to ferret out hidden objects". The game overall was given a 6.2 by the critic. On aggregator site GameRankings, The Rugrats Movie is rated as a 55% while Rugrats: The Movie earned a 61.75%.

A computer game inspired by the film entitled The Rugrats Movie: Activity Challenge was developed and published by Broderbund and released on September 14, 1998. It features six games and a bonus level that can be attained if a certain item is obtained in a game.

Books
Several books were released by Simon & Schuster's Simon Spotlight branch and Nickelodeon inspired by The Rugrats Movie. Tommy's New Playmate and The Rugrats Versus the Monkeys were also released on October 1, 1998, authored by Luke David and illustrated by John Kurtz and Sandrina Kurtz. The Rugrats Movie Storybook, released on the same date and using the same illustrators and publishers, was written by Sarah Wilson. The same date saw the release of The Rugrats Movie: Hang On To Your Diapers, Babies, We're Going In!: Trivia from the Hit Movie!, a trivia book written by Kitty Richards.

A novelisation of the film written by Cathy East Dubowski was published on October 1, 1998, by Tandem Library. The following month, a 144-page guidebook, The Making of The Rugrats Movie: Behind the Scenes at Klasky Csupo, was released on November 1, 1998, by MSG. In May 1999, Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation released a book titled The Rugrats Movie.

Box Office
The Rugrats Movie was released on November 20, 1998, and made US $27,321,470 and its opening weekend, from 2,782 theaters, averaging about $9,821 per venue and ranking as the #1 movie that weekend. In total, The Rugrats Movie made US $140,894,675, $100,494,675 from the domestic market and $40,400,000 from its foreign release. It also debuted #1 at the UK box office.

Critical Reception
As of March 23, 2014, The Rugrats Movie held a 59% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with 29 "Fresh" reviews and 20 "Rotten" reviews, certifying it as "Rotten". Roger Ebert have the film 2 stars out of 4. Ebert noted that the film's target audience was more for younger children, and that, while he as an adult disliked it, he "might have" liked it if he were younger and would recommend it for children. The New Uork Times' Anita Gates reviewed The Rugrats Movie positively, calling it a "delight". Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly graded the film with a B. Schwarzbaum praised the movie for its appeal to both adult and child audiences, "juxtaposing the blithely self-absorbed parallel universes of small, diapered children and their large, Dockered parents". However, other Entertainment Weekly reviewer Ty Burr gave The Rugrats Movie a B-, criticising that the film's issues sprung from it being "bigger" than the original series, thus it having more cultural references, out-of-place CGI scenes, and "into scary territory". Despite these faults, Burr did praise the "escapred circus monkeys" for being "scary in a good way", as well as a joke that was accessible to younger audiences.

Sequels
Two sequels have been released: Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, which was released November 17, 2000, and Rugrats Go Wild, which was released June 13, 2003.