The Rugrats Movie
Encyclopedia
The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated film
, produced by Klasky Csupo
and Nickelodeon Movies
. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures
and first released in theaters in the United States on November 20, 1998.
Based on the popular 1990s animated Nickelodeon
series, Rugrats
, this film introduced Tommy's baby brother Dil Pickles
, who was named after Didi Pickles' cousin, and appeared on the original series the next year. The film was released in theatres 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 during a CatDog marathon and was also occasionally shown between programs on Nicktoons TV
in the 2002-03 season.) However, the video release contained a different CatDog short, "Winslow's Home Videos". The film marks the first film made by Nickelodeon Movies to be based on a Nicktoon. This was also the last Nickelodeon film to be released in the 1990s, and to be credited as Nickelodeon on the film's Nickelodeon Movies logo. Many longtime Rugrats fans believe this movie to be the point in which Rugrats jumped the shark
. Slap T. Pooch from Nickelodeon's animation showcase Oh Yeah! Cartoons
appeared in the Nickelodeon Movies logo sequence to this film. Also, this counts as the only Nickelodeon product airing on CBS
, next to the later started Nick on CBS.
The film features the voices of Elizabeth Daily
, Christine Cavanaugh
, Kath Soucie
, Cheryl Chase
, Cree Summer
, Tara Strong
, and Charlie Adler, along with guest stars David Spade
, Whoopi Goldberg
, Margaret Cho
, and Dave Mustaine
.
action film Raiders of the Lost Ark
. Afterwards, the babies are chased out of the temple by a boulder
but the boulder and the imagination was Didi Pickles who is at the baby shower at the Pickles' house, where Didi is pregnant with her and Stu's second child, which everyone believes will be a girl. Tommy is at first enthusiastic about having a younger sibling, although Angelica warns him that once the sibling is born, Stu and Didi will forget him. Eventually, the baby is born, and it is a boy, who they name Dil, after Didi's cousin. Unfortunately, Angelica's words appear to be true when Dil quickly becomes a very selfish baby, crying non-stop for attention, keeping all of the babies' toys for himself, and refusing to share with Tommy. He also takes the attention of Didi and Stu, leading Tommy to feel ignored.
When Dil pushes the babies too far, they decide to take him back to the "Hopstical" and end up driving recklessly through the streets in a Reptar Wagon (voiced by Dave Mustaine
) 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 - but Angelica only wants to get back her Cynthia doll. Around the same time, a circus train suffers an accident in the same woods and a group of wild monkeys escape from the wreckage, while the monkeys' owners, the Banana Brothers, attempt to search for them. The parents soon discover their children's absence, and call the police and rangers for help, and the news leaks out and reporters come to interview them.
As the babies attempt to find their way back home, the Reptar Wagon goes into the river and enters its water mode, and for a time, Tommy and the Babies pretend to be pirates sailing the open seas. Since Dil is not very well liked, Chuckie, Phil and Lil disguise a smaller monkey as Dil, but Tommy sees through their farce and gets angry, vowing to find his brother himself. Eventually Tommy finds Dil and they find shelter underneath a tree. Tommy tries to look after Dil, but when Dil selfishly drinks all of their milk and refuses to share the big blanket with Tommy in the cold weather, Tommy finally reaches his breaking point, snaps at Dil and decides to abandon him for the monkeys to take him away, but a bad storm combined with Tommy's furious face finally frightens Dil. Tommy realizes what he is doing and stops. Feeling guilty, Tommy apologizes to his brother and takes him back under the tree. Dil, who turns over a new leaf, willingly shares the torn blanket with Tommy. After the thunderstorm is over, Phil, Lil and Chuckie catch up with Tommy and Dil and save them from the monkeys, and are eventually reunited with Angelica and Spike.
As the babies make it to a bridge over by the ranger station, they are confronted by a wolf that has been stalking them all day. Just as the wolf is about to attack them, Spike comes to their rescue and pounces on top of the wolf stopping it from harming the babies. The two animals fight as the babies cheer Spike on. However, the wolf almost knocks Spike over the bridge, but Angelica calls it to the wolf distracting it from finishing Spike off. The wolf tries to attack Angelica, but Spike bites its tail, dragging them both off the bridge to their apparent deaths.
Luckily, Stu finally finds the babies and crash lands through the ranger station. Emerging from the wreckage stuck under his Dactar glide, the babies mistake him for the "Lizard" and wish for Spike's life instead of returning home. Stu falls through the bridge, finding Spike alive and unharmed. Simutaneously, the parents arrive and are reunited with the children.
In the final scene, the babies have another imaginary adventure, along with Dil, finally accepting him as one of them.
In the post credit scene, Boris' goat pushes the reptar wagon where Grandpa Lou is sleeping and the goat follows it into the horizon.
Supporting
Minor
Baby singers
and Nickelodeon
TV airings of the film. These scenes were present in the print novelization.
released the film on VHS
and DVD
on March 30, 1999 and was on sale from then until 2008. The film had been out of print until 2011 when The Rugrats Movie and its sequels were re-released on a 3-disc trilogy collection, to coincide with Rugrats 20th anniversary. A Blu-ray
version of the films has yet to be announced.
'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". 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.
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 game
s 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 states that the game doesn't have much "to hold the attention of older game", 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." 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 Brøderbund Software, Inc.
and released on September 14, 1998. It featured six games and a bonus level that could be attained if a certain item was obtained in a game.
'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 Diapies, Babies, We're Going In!: Trivia from the Hit Movie!, a trivia book written by Kitty Richards.
A novelization 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.
s in its opening weekend, averaging about $9,821 per venue. In total, The Rugrats Movie made 140,894,675 USD, 100,494,675 from the domestic market and 40,400,000 from its foreign release. It also debuted #1 at the UK box office.
The Rugrats Movie was met with mixed reactions from critics. It received a 59% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes
, with 29 "Fresh" reviews and 20 "Rotten" reviews, certifying it as "Rotten". Among the site's top critics, the film was certified as "Fresh", with 60% of the 10 reviews being positive. Rotten Tomatoes' overall consensus on The Rugrats Movie was "charming characters; loads of fun for kids and adults." Roger Ebert
gave 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 York Times
s 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-, 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". 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.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, produced by Klasky Csupo
Klasky Csupo
Klasky Csupo, Inc. is a multimedia entertainment production company located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, founded by artist/producer, Arlene Klasky and animator, Gábor Csupó.- History :...
and Nickelodeon Movies
Nickelodeon Movies
Nickelodeon Movies is the motion picture production arm of children's cable channel Nickelodeon, originally launched in 1995. Its first film was Harriet the Spy. It has produced films based on Nickelodeon programs, as well as other adaptations and original projects...
. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and first released in theaters in the United States on November 20, 1998.
Based on the popular 1990s animated Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
series, Rugrats
Rugrats
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....
, this film introduced Tommy's baby brother Dil Pickles
Dil Pickles
Dylan Prescott "Dil" Pickles is a fictional character. He is the younger brother of Tommy Pickles, younger son of Stu and Didi Pickles, and younger cousin of Angelica Pickles in the Nickelodeon film The Rugrats Movie, who later appeared in the show Rugrats, on which the film is based, and its...
, who was named after Didi Pickles' cousin, and appeared on the original series the next year. The film was released in theatres with a CatDog
CatDog
CatDog is an American animated television series which premiered on April 4, 1998, and ended with an unaired episode on September 22, 2004. The series was created for Nickelodeon by Peter Hannan. It was also shown as a sneak peek in theaters with The Rugrats Movie...
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 during a CatDog marathon and was also occasionally shown between programs on Nicktoons TV
NickToons Network
Nicktoons is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Viacom. It is a sister service of the Nickelodeon cable channel...
in the 2002-03 season.) However, the video release contained a different CatDog short, "Winslow's Home Videos". The film marks the first film made by Nickelodeon Movies to be based on a Nicktoon. This was also the last Nickelodeon film to be released in the 1990s, and to be credited as Nickelodeon on the film's Nickelodeon Movies logo. Many longtime Rugrats fans believe this movie to be the point in which Rugrats jumped the shark
Jumping the shark
Jumping the shark is an idiom used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality that is beyond recovery....
. Slap T. Pooch from Nickelodeon's animation showcase Oh Yeah! Cartoons
Oh Yeah! Cartoons
Oh Yeah! Cartoons is an American animation showcase that appeared on the Nickelodeon cable channel. Oh Yeah! was an animation project guided by Fred Seibert, former Creative Director of MTV Networks and President of Hanna-Barbera...
appeared in the Nickelodeon Movies logo sequence to this film. Also, this counts as the only Nickelodeon product airing on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, next to the later started Nick on CBS.
The film features the voices of Elizabeth Daily
Elizabeth Daily
Elizabeth Ann Guttman , better known by her stage names of Elizabeth Daily and E.G. Daily, is an American voice actress, actress, singer-songwriter, and musician...
, Christine Cavanaugh
Christine Cavanaugh
Christine Cavanaugh is an American former voice actress who had a distinctive speaking style and had provided the voice for a large range of cartoon characters. She is best known as the voice of Babe in the hit film, Babe, Chuckie Finster on Rugrats, and Dexter for the original Dexter's Laboratory...
, Kath Soucie
Kath Soucie
Katherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie, Katherine Soucie, Kath Souci, Kath E...
, Cheryl Chase
Cheryl Chase
Cheryl Chase is an American voice actress best known as the voice of Angelica Pickles on Rugrats, All Grown Up! and Angelica and Susie's Pre-School Daze...
, Cree Summer
Cree Summer
Cree Summer Francks , best known as Cree Summer, is a Canadian actress, musician and voice actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as college student Winifred "Freddie" Brooks on the NBC sitcom A Different World...
, Tara Strong
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...
, and Charlie Adler, along with guest stars David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
, Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...
, and Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
.
Plot
The film starts with a parody of the 1981 Indiana JonesIndiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
action film Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
. Afterwards, the babies are chased out of the temple by a boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
but the boulder and the imagination was Didi Pickles who is at the baby shower at the Pickles' house, where Didi is pregnant with her and Stu's second child, which everyone believes will be a girl. Tommy is at first enthusiastic about having a younger sibling, although Angelica warns him that once the sibling is born, Stu and Didi will forget him. Eventually, the baby is born, and it is a boy, who they name Dil, after Didi's cousin. Unfortunately, Angelica's words appear to be true when Dil quickly becomes a very selfish baby, crying non-stop for attention, keeping all of the babies' toys for himself, and refusing to share with Tommy. He also takes the attention of Didi and Stu, leading Tommy to feel ignored.
When Dil pushes the babies too far, they decide to take him back to the "Hopstical" and end up driving recklessly through the streets in a Reptar Wagon (voiced by Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
) 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 - but Angelica only wants to get back her Cynthia doll. Around the same time, a circus train suffers an accident in the same woods and a group of wild monkeys escape from the wreckage, while the monkeys' owners, the Banana Brothers, attempt to search for them. The parents soon discover their children's absence, and call the police and rangers for help, and the news leaks out and reporters come to interview them.
As the babies attempt to find their way back home, the Reptar Wagon goes into the river and enters its water mode, and for a time, Tommy and the Babies pretend to be pirates sailing the open seas. Since Dil is not very well liked, Chuckie, Phil and Lil disguise a smaller monkey as Dil, but Tommy sees through their farce and gets angry, vowing to find his brother himself. Eventually Tommy finds Dil and they find shelter underneath a tree. Tommy tries to look after Dil, but when Dil selfishly drinks all of their milk and refuses to share the big blanket with Tommy in the cold weather, Tommy finally reaches his breaking point, snaps at Dil and decides to abandon him for the monkeys to take him away, but a bad storm combined with Tommy's furious face finally frightens Dil. Tommy realizes what he is doing and stops. Feeling guilty, Tommy apologizes to his brother and takes him back under the tree. Dil, who turns over a new leaf, willingly shares the torn blanket with Tommy. After the thunderstorm is over, Phil, Lil and Chuckie catch up with Tommy and Dil and save them from the monkeys, and are eventually reunited with Angelica and Spike.
As the babies make it to a bridge over by the ranger station, they are confronted by a wolf that has been stalking them all day. Just as the wolf is about to attack them, Spike comes to their rescue and pounces on top of the wolf stopping it from harming the babies. The two animals fight as the babies cheer Spike on. However, the wolf almost knocks Spike over the bridge, but Angelica calls it to the wolf distracting it from finishing Spike off. The wolf tries to attack Angelica, but Spike bites its tail, dragging them both off the bridge to their apparent deaths.
Luckily, Stu finally finds the babies and crash lands through the ranger station. Emerging from the wreckage stuck under his Dactar glide, the babies mistake him for the "Lizard" and wish for Spike's life instead of returning home. Stu falls through the bridge, finding Spike alive and unharmed. Simutaneously, the parents arrive and are reunited with the children.
In the final scene, the babies have another imaginary adventure, along with Dil, finally accepting him as one of them.
In the post credit scene, Boris' goat pushes the reptar wagon where Grandpa Lou is sleeping and the goat follows it into the horizon.
Cast
Main- E.G. DailyElizabeth DailyElizabeth Ann Guttman , better known by her stage names of Elizabeth Daily and E.G. Daily, is an American voice actress, actress, singer-songwriter, and musician...
as Tommy PicklesTommy PicklesThomas Malcolm "Tommy" Pickles is the main protagonist of the Nickelodeon animated television series' Rugrats and its spin-off All Grown Up!. He is clad in only a T-shirt and a diaper and is bald with big, blank eyes. He translates everything adult into baby gibberish... - Tara StrongTara StrongTara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...
as Dil PicklesDil PicklesDylan Prescott "Dil" Pickles is a fictional character. He is the younger brother of Tommy Pickles, younger son of Stu and Didi Pickles, and younger cousin of Angelica Pickles in the Nickelodeon film The Rugrats Movie, who later appeared in the show Rugrats, on which the film is based, and its... - Christine CavanaughChristine CavanaughChristine Cavanaugh is an American former voice actress who had a distinctive speaking style and had provided the voice for a large range of cartoon characters. She is best known as the voice of Babe in the hit film, Babe, Chuckie Finster on Rugrats, and Dexter for the original Dexter's Laboratory...
as Chuckie FinsterChuckie FinsterCharles "Chuckie" Crandall Finster is a fictional character from the Nickelodeon animated television series' Rugrats and All Grown Up!. He is Tommy Pickles' best friend and tritagonist . The character is voiced by Christine Cavanaugh... - Kath SoucieKath SoucieKatherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie, Katherine Soucie, Kath Souci, Kath E...
as Phil and Lil DeVillePhil and Lil DeVillePhillip Richard Bill "Phil" and Lillian Marie Jill "Lil" DeVille, or simply Phil and Lil, are the twins from the Nickelodeon shows Rugrats and All Grown Up!, and are among the series' original characters....
Supporting
- Cheryl ChaseCheryl ChaseCheryl Chase is an American voice actress best known as the voice of Angelica Pickles on Rugrats, All Grown Up! and Angelica and Susie's Pre-School Daze...
as Angelica PicklesAngelica PicklesAngelica Charlotte Pickles is a character voiced by Cheryl Chase in the Nickelodeon shows Rugrats and All Grown Up! and is among the series' original characters. She is a spoiled brat and the cousin of Tommy and Dil Pickles, serves as the main antagonist or the tritagonist of the series... - Jack Riley as Stu Pickles
- Melanie ChartoffMelanie ChartoffMelanie Chartoff is an American actress. Among her most prominent roles are her voice role in Rugrats, her comedic work on the ABC series Fridays from 1980–1982, and on the early 1990s Fox sitcom Parker Lewis Can't Lose....
as Didi Pickles - Busta RhymesBusta RhymesTrevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
as Reptar Wagon - Joe AlaskeyJoe AlaskeyJoseph "Joe" Alaskey is an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, credited as one of the successors of Mel Blanc in impersonating the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other characters from Warner Bros. cartoons. He was born in Watervliet, New York.-Other work:Alaskey has also done voices...
as Grandpa Lou - Michael Bell as Drew Pickles / Chas Finster
- Kath Soucie as Betty DeVille
- Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
as Charlotte Pickles
Minor
- Cree SummerCree SummerCree Summer Francks , best known as Cree Summer, is a Canadian actress, musician and voice actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as college student Winifred "Freddie" Brooks on the NBC sitcom A Different World...
as Susie CarmichaelSusie CarmichaelSusanna "Susie" Yvonne Carmichael is a supporting character from the Nickelodeon show Rugrats and a main character in its spin-off All Grown Up!... - Michael Bell as Grandpa Boris
- Melanie Chartoff as Grandma Minka
- Phil ProctorPhilip ProctorPhilip Proctor is an American actor, voice actor and a member of The Firesign Theatre. He plays Rocky Rococo and Nancy in the Nick Danger series. He is from Goshen, Indiana...
as Howard DeVille
Guest stars
- David SpadeDavid SpadeDavid Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
as Ranger Frank - Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
as Ranger Margaret - Tim CurryTim CurryTimothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
as Rex Pester - Roger Clinton, Jr.Roger Clinton, Jr.Roger Cassidy Clinton is an American actor and musician and the half-brother of former President Bill Clinton.Roger Clinton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas , the son of Virginia Clinton Kelley and Roger M...
as Air Crewman - Margaret ChoMargaret ChoMargaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...
as Lt. Klavin - Edie McClurgEdie McClurgEdie McClurg is an American character actress. She is known for her perky North Central dialect , common to persons from Middle America.-Career:...
as Nurse - Charlie Adler as United Express driver
- Gregg BergerGregg BergerGreggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise...
as Circus TV announcer - Tony JayTony JayTony Jay was an English actor, voice actor and singer. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in animation, film and computer games. Jay's distinctive baritone voice often landed him villainous roles...
as Dr. Lipschitz - Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
(uncredited) as The Wolf and The Circus Monkeys
Baby singers
- Lenny KravitzLenny KravitzLeonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
- Lou RawlsLou RawlsLouis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
- Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
- Lisa LoebLisa LoebLisa Anne Loeb is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She launched her career in 1994 with the song, "Stay ". She was the first artist to have a number one single in the United States while not signed to a recording contract.Loeb's efforts now include music, film, television, voice-over...
- Gordon GanoGordon GanoGordon James Gano is an American musician. He is best known for being the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American alternative rock band Violent Femmes.-Early life:...
- B-RealB-RealLouis Freese, better known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper of Cuban and Mexican heritage, and a film and TV actor...
- Fred SchneiderFred SchneiderFrederick William "Fred" Schneider III is an American rock singer, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well-known for his sprechgesang which he developed from reciting poetry over guitars.-Early life:Schneider was born in Newark,...
- Patti SmithPatti SmithPatricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
- Kate PiersonKate PiersonCatherine Elizabeth "Kate" Pierson is an American vocalist and one of the lead singers and founding members of The B-52's. One of the multi-instrumentalists in the band, Pierson played guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments...
- Jakob DylanJakob DylanJakob Luke Dylan is the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band The Wallflowers and is a son of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and Sara Dylan. He has also recorded two solo albums.-Personal life:...
- PhifePhife DawgMalik Isaac Taylor , better known by his stage name Phife Dawg, is an American rapper of Trinidadian descent, and a member of the acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest with high school classmates Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad...
- BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
- Dawn RobinsonDawn RobinsonDawn Robinson is an American R&B/soul/Dance-pop singer best known for her work as a member of hit Urban/Dance-pop group, En Vogue....
- Laurie Anderson
- Cindy WilsonCindy WilsonCynthia Leigh Wilson is a vocalist and a founding member of new wave rock band The B-52s.- Career :...
Production
Two songs were cut from the film during production in order to bring the film to 85 minutes. The first sequence revolved around Stu and Didi in a nightmare sequence 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 CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
TV airings of the film. These scenes were present in the print novelization.
Home Media
ParamountParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
released the film on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on March 30, 1999 and was on sale from then until 2008. The film had been out of print until 2011 when The Rugrats Movie and its sequels were re-released on a 3-disc trilogy collection, to coincide with Rugrats 20th anniversary. A Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
version of the films has yet to be announced.
Soundtrack
The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture was released on November 3, 1998. The enhanced soundtrack contained 12 tracks, bonus CD-ROM demos and commercials. Amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
'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". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
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
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, peaking at number 19.
Video Games
Video games were released for Game BoyGame Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
and Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
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
Software Creations (US)
Software Creations was a division of Linton Enterprises located in Clinton, Massachusetts, and run by Dan Linton. It was not connected with Software Creations , the British software development company specializing in computer games located in Manchester, England.-Software Creations BBS:Software...
and released by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
. They were side-scrolling video game
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
s and featured 8 levels, with the plot revolving around finding a replacement for Dil after he disappears. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Peer Schneider graded the Game Boy Color game with an overall score of 5 out of 10. Schneider states that the game doesn't have much "to hold the attention of older game", 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." Writing for Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, 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
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
inspired by the film entitled The Rugrats Movie: Activity Challenge was developed and published by Brøderbund Software, Inc.
Brøderbund
Brøderbund Software, Inc. was an American maker of computer games, educational software and The Print Shop productivity tools. It was best known as the original creator and publisher of the popular Carmen Sandiego games. The company was founded in Eugene, Oregon, but moved to San Rafael,...
and released on September 14, 1998. It featured six games and a bonus level that could be attained if a certain item was obtained in a game.
Books
Several books were released by Simon & SchusterSimon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
'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
Sarah Wilson
Sarah Wilson was an English impostor who took a role of nonexistent sister of Queen Charlotte. How much of the tale is true is unclear.Sarah Wilson was born in Staffordshire and at the age of 16 moved to London...
. 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.
A novelization 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
MSG
MSG or msg may refer to:* Monosodium glutamate, a common food additive** See also glutamic acid for MSG's use in food flavoring and health concerns* A common abbreviation for message* Madison Square Garden, a sports arena in New York City...
. In May, 1999, Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation released a book titled The Rugrats Movie.
Reception
The Rugrats Movie was released on November 20, 1998, where it opened on 2,782 screens, and made 27,321,470 United States DollarUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
s in its opening weekend, averaging about $9,821 per venue. In total, The Rugrats Movie made 140,894,675 USD, 100,494,675 from the domestic market and 40,400,000 from its foreign release. It also debuted #1 at the UK box office.
The Rugrats Movie was met with mixed reactions from critics. It received a 59% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, with 29 "Fresh" reviews and 20 "Rotten" reviews, certifying it as "Rotten". Among the site's top critics, the film was certified as "Fresh", with 60% of the 10 reviews being positive. Rotten Tomatoes' overall consensus on The Rugrats Movie was "charming characters; loads of fun for kids and adults." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave 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 York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
s Anita Gates reviewed The Rugrats Movie positively, calling it a "delight". Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
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-, 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". 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.