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The Rugrats Movie

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This article is about the movie. For the video game, see The Rugrats Movie (video game).

The Rugrats Movie
File:TheRugratsMovieposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Screenplay by
Starring
Edited by
  • John Bryant
  • Kimberly Rettberg
Music byMark Mothersbaugh[1]
Distributed by
Release date
  • November 20, 1998 (1998-11-20)
Running time
80 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$24 million
Box office$140.9 million

The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series Rugrats. It was directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien and written by David N. Weiss & J. David Stem.[3] The 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, Tara Strong, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, Cheryl Chase, Cree Summer, and Charlie Adler, along with guest stars David Spade, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Cho, Busta Rhymes, and Tim Curry. The events of the film take place before the sixth season of Rugrats.

The film was the first animated film from Nickelodeon Movies, as well as the first to be based on a Nicktoon. It was originally released in the United States on November 20, 1998.[4] The film grossed $141 million worldwide, making it the first non-Disney animated film to gross over $100 million in the United States, and also making it the highest-grossing animated film based on a television program until the premiere of The Simpsons Movie in 2007.

Plot

Nine months after the events of The Family Tree, Didi Pickles is pregnant with her second baby, which she believes will be a girl while everyone else believes it will be a boy. Didi goes into labor during her baby shower and her friends rush her to the hospital. While this is happening, the kids crawl off and explore a nursery area before being found by the other parents. When the baby is finally born after a montage of past lives, it is turns out to a boy and they name him Dil.

Dil quickly becomes a very bratty baby, crying non-stop for attention, keeping all of the toys for himself, and refusing to share with Tommy. After a nasty fight between Tommy and Dil over Tommy's teddy bear, their father, Stu has a conversation with him about being a big brother and the responsibility he now has, assuring him that one day he will 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 "sponsitility" (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 which Stu had built for a contest. Along the way, Dil secretly steals Angelica's Cynthia doll, which prompts her to take the family dog, Spike and they embark on a quest to find the babies and retrieve Cynthia.

The babies eventually crash in the woods, where they realize that they are lost. They spot a ranger's cabin where they believe a "lizard" (a mispronunciation of "wizard") lives, and decide to go there, believing that it can take them home. After an encounter with a gang of runaway circus monkeys, Dil is taken away by them. Tommy vows to find Dil by himself, after Chuckie, Phil and Lil agree they are better off without him.

Meanwhile, the parents find out that the babies are missing and try to find them. However, it becomes a media sensation with numerous news reporters constantly asking the adults questions and intentionally enrages Stu's brother Drew into attacking Stu by telling him he lost Angelica.

Tommy eventually finds Dil during a storm, and are forced to take shelter under a tree. But as Tommy tries to take care of him, Dil selfishly drinks all of the milk and keeps the large blanket for himself, which leads to the blanket tearing in half and Tommy falling into a puddle of mud. Tommy finally snaps and nearly pours banana baby food on Dil for the monkeys to take him away, but Tommy's rage and the storm's lightning and thunder scare Dil so much that he sees the error of his ways. They reconcile and sleep peacefully.

After the storm, the other babies find Tommy and Dil, and after running into Angelica and Spike they make their way to the "lizard". While on a bridge, they are confronted by the monkeys, but are then scared off by a wolf who's been hunting down the babies since they arrived in the woods. Spike intervenes and fights the wolf until they both fall from the bridge. Meanwhile, Stu, who has been looking for the babies via a pterodactyl-like aircraft he made, finally finds them, but crash lands into the ranger's cabin. Believing he is the "lizard," the babies wish for Spike back instead of going home. Stu falls through the bridge and finds Spike, who actually survived the fall by landing on a strut of the bridge. The babies are then reunited with their families, and the monkeys with their circus owners. The monkeys attack Rex Pester, the most obnoxious of all the news reporters, much to Betty and Charlotte's amusement. The families return home and the babies accept Dil as one of the group after he assists them in getting an ice cream sundae from the top shelf of the refrigerator.

Cast

Main article: List of Rugrats characters

Main

Supporting

Guest

Baby singers

Production

The talks about having Rugrats making it onto the big screen existed since the beginning of the series. The first attempt was in 1993, when Nickelodeon made a two-year contract deal with 20th Century Fox to make films based on their properties, one of those films that mentioned was Rugrats, alongside that the others were Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show,[5] but the contract expired in 1995, with no movies produced (although Doug eventually got a theatrical film from Disney in March 1999). However, after Viacom acquired Paramount Pictures in 1994, the movie was once again under development a year later.

Two months before the release of the movie, an episode prequel titled "The Family Tree" was aired as the final episode of the fifth season. Both the film's beginning and ending parody Paramount and Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones film series. This later inspired the second segment of the episode "A Tale of Two Puppies / Okey-Dokey Jones and the Ring of the Sunbeams", that aired during the show's eighth season on June 1, 2002.

Two songs were cut from the film during production. The first revolves around Stu and Didi in a nightmare sequence where Dr. Lipschitz criticizes their parenting through a song. The second depicts the Rugrats pushing the Reptar Wagon through the woods, debating what to do about Dil in an army chant style. These two scenes were cut from the theatrical, VHS, DVD, and Laserdisc releases. However, these scenes are shown on CBS and Nickelodeon television airings of the film.[6] These scenes were also present in the print novelization.

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 VHS, DVD and Laserdisc release contains a different CatDog short titled "Winslow's Home Videos", in which Winslow shows moments of CatDog's daily lives.

Media

Home video

The Rugrats Movie was released on VHS and DVD on March 30, 1999 by Paramount Home Video, which was reprinted many times. Paramount also released the film on Laserdisc. In 2011, the film was re-released in a three-disc trilogy set alongside its sequels, in honor of Rugrats' 20th anniversary. In addition, it was re-released in some movie sets by Paramount, in 2016 with all the non-sequel Nickelodeon-animated movies up to Barnyard, as well as a separate 2-disc set with Hey Arnold!: The Movie. [7][8] The movie has yet to be released on Blu-ray.

Soundtrack

The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
ReleasedNovember 3, 1998
Recorded1998
GenreR&B, hip hop, pop
Length41:51
LabelInterscope, Nickelodeon
Rugrats soundtrack chronology
The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture
(1998) 		Rugrats in Paris: Music From the Motion Picture
(2000)
Singles from The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture
  1. "Take Me There"
    Released: February 2, 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Entertainment WeeklyC link

The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture was released on November 3, 1998.[9] The enhanced soundtrack contained thirteen tracks, bonus CD-ROM demos and commercials.[9] Amazon.com's Richard Gehr praised the CD for "[bridging] demographics as nimbly as the [original] show itself [did]" and for songs "fans of all ages will love".[9]

Entertainment Weekly's David Browne rated the Music From the Motion Picture with a C.[10]

Browne noted that, while the soundtrack is enjoyable for children and does "[make] concessions" for parents, adults may dislike the amount of rap.[10] 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".[11]

Music From the Motion Picture spent twenty six weeks on Billboard 200, peaking at #19.[12]

In honor of its twentieth anniversary, the film's soundtrack is getting a limited edition vinyl release slated for a November 30, 2018 release date.[13]

Track listing

No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Take Me There"Blackstreet & Mýa featuring Mase & Blinky Blink4:04
2."I Throw My Toys Around"No Doubt featuring Elvis Costello3:02
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 Pop1:59
4."All Day"Lisa Loeb3:30
5."Dil-A-Bye"E.G. Daily3:43
6."A Baby Is a Gift from Bob"Cree Summer & Cheryl Chase1:57
7."One Way or Another"Chase3:17
8."Wild Ride"Kevi featuring Lisa Stone2:43
9."On Your Marks, Get Set, Ready, Go!"Busta Rhymes3:41
10."Witch Doctor"Devo3:33
11."Take the Train"Rakim and Danny Saber4:05
12."Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Yum"E.G. Daily, Christine Cavanaugh & Kath Soucie2:18
13."Take Me There (Want U Back Mix)"Blackstreet & Mýa featuring Mase & Blinky Blink3:59
Total length:41:51

[14]

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[15] and the latter on March 12, 1999.[16] Both games were developed by Software Creations (US) and released by THQ.[16][17] They were side-scrolling video games and featured 8 levels, with the plot revolving around finding a replacement for Dil after he disappears.[18] IGN's Peer Schneider graded the Game Boy Color game with an overall score of 5 out of 10.[19]

Schneider states that the game doesn't have much "to hold the attention of older gamers", but that "kids will love the easy gameplay, recognizable 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."[19] 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".[20]

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.[20] On aggregator site GameRankings, The Rugrats Movie is rated as a 55%[17] while Rugrats: The Movie earned a 61.75%.[21]

A computer game inspired by the film entitled The Rugrats Movie: Activity Challenge was developed and published by Brøderbund 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.[22]

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.[23][24]

The Rugrats Movie Storybook, released on the same date and using the same illustrators and publishers, was written by Sarah Wilson.[25] The same date saw the release of The Rugrats Movie: Hang On To Your Diapies, Babies, We're Going In!: Trivia from the Hit Movie!, a trivia book written by Kitty Richards.[26]

A novelization of the film written by Cathy East Dubowski was published on October 1, 1998, by Tandem Library.[27] 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.[28] In May 1999, Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation released a book titled The Rugrats Movie.[29]

Reception

Box office

The film was released on November 20, 1998, and made US$27,321,470 in its opening weekend,[30] from 2,782 theaters, averaging about $9,821 per venue and ranking as the #1 movie that weekend, beating out Enemy of the State.[31] 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.[30]

The film was released in the United Kingdom on March 26, 1999, and topped the country's box office for the next three weekends, before being dethroned by The Faculty.[32][33][34] [35]

Critical reception

The Rugrats Movie holds a 60% rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 50 reviews (30 positive and 20 negative), with an average rating of 5.8/10. The consensus is: "Charming characters; loads of fun for kids and adults."[8]

Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars out of 4.[36] Ebert wrote that the film's target audience was primarily 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.[36] The New York Times's Anita Gates reviewed The Rugrats Movie positively, calling it a "delight".[37]

Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly graded the film with a B.[38] 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".[38] However, other Entertainment Weekly reviewer Ty Burr gave The Rugrats Movie a B−, criticizing 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 "[going] into scary territory".[39] Despite these faults, Burr did praise the "escaped circus monkeys" for being "scary in a good way", as well as a joke that was accessible to younger audiences.[39]

Sequels

Two sequels have been released: Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, which was released on November 17, 2000,[40] and Rugrats Go Wild, which was released on June 13, 2003.[41]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Detail view of Movies Page". afi.com. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  2. ^ "The Rugrats Movie (U)". British Board of Film Classification. December 16, 1998. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  3. ^ "The Rugrats Movie". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  4. ^ "The Rugrats Movie". rottentomatoes.com. November 20, 1998. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  5. ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19930607&id=gldPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VAMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2074,1837600&hl=en
  6. ^ christhegeek517 (March 17, 2019). "The Rugrats Movie: DVD Vs. CBS Television Broadcast". Bootleg Comparisons. Retrieved April 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Goldstein, Seth (January 23, 1999). Paramount Preps For 'Rugrats' Vid. p. 6. Retrieved April 9, 2014. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  8. ^ a b "The Rugrats Movie (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  9. ^ a b c "The Rugrats Movie: Music From The Motion Picture [Enhanced CD] [ENHANCED] [SOUNDTRACK]". Amazon.com. Retrieved December 25, 2009.
  10. ^ a b Browne, David (January 8, 1999). "The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture (1998)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 25, 2009.
  11. ^ "Rugrats: The Movie Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  12. ^ "Rugrats: The Movie – Original..." Billboard.com. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  13. ^ "'The Rugrats Movie' Soundtrack is Getting a 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Vinyl Release". Complex. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  14. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ "The Rubrats Movie". IGN. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  16. ^ a b "Rugrats: The Movie". IGN. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  17. ^ a b "The Rugrats Movie". GameRankings. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  18. ^ "The Rugrats Movie". MobyGames. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  19. ^ a b Schneider, Peer. "Rugrats: The Movie". IGN. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  20. ^ a b Davis, Cameron. "Rugrats: The Movie Review". GameSpot. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  21. ^ "Rugrats: The Movie". GameRankings. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  22. ^ "The Rugrats Movie: Activity Challenge". MobyGames. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  23. ^ "The Rugrats Movie Tommys New Playmate (The Rugrats Movie 8 X 8) (Paperback)". Amazon.com. ISBN 0689821417. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  24. ^ "The Rugrats Movie: The Rugrats Versus the Monkeys (The Rugrats Movie 8 X 8) (Paperback)". Amazon.com. ISBN 0689821425. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  25. ^ "The Rugrats Movie Storybook (Paperback)". Amazon.com. ISBN 068982128X. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  26. ^ "Rugrats Movie, The: Hang On To Your Diapies, Babies, We're Going In!: Trivia from the Hit Movie! (Paperback)". Amazon.com. ISBN 0689822766. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  27. ^ "Rugrats Movie (Hardcover)". Amazon.com. ISBN 0613872681. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  28. ^ "The making of the Rugrats movie : behind the scenes at Klasky Csupo". worldcat.org. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  29. ^ "The Rugrats Movie (Paperback)". Amazon.com. ISBN 0634005146. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  30. ^ a b "THE RUGRATS MOVIE". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  31. ^ FABRIKANT, Geraldine (December 28, 1998). "'Prince of Egypt' Is No King at the Box-Office". The New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  32. ^ "Weekend box office 26th March 1999 - 28th March 1999". www.25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  33. ^ "Weekend box office 2nd April 1999 - 4th April 1999". www.25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  34. ^ "Weekend box office 9th April 1999 - 11th April 1999". www.25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  35. ^ Welkos, Robert W. (November 24, 1998). "Weekend Box Office : 'Rugrats' Has Kid Power". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  36. ^ a b Ebert, Roger. "The Rugrats Movie (G)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  37. ^ Gates, Anita (November 20, 1998). "FILM REVIEW; A Sibling Takes a New Rival for a Ride". The New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  38. ^ a b Schwarzbaum, Lisa (November 27, 1998). "The Rugrats Movie (1998)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  39. ^ a b Burr, Ty (April 2, 1999). "The Rugrats Movie (1999)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  40. ^ "Rugrats in Paris - The Movie". rottentomatoes.com. November 17, 2000. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  41. ^ "Rugrats Go Wild". rottentomatoes.com. June 13, 2003. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
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