The Rugrats Movie

Taking place immediately after the "Rugrats" episode "The Family Tree" where Didi finds out she's pregnant. "The Rugrats Movie" is when Tommy's new sibling is finally born. The Rugrats are very excited about Tommy's new sister, but when the baby is finally born, it's a boy. Baby Dil practically does nothing, but cry, scream, and poop. Tommy thinks he can take him back to the hospital in exchange for a new baby brother, but soon they all get lost in the woods. This is their first time in actual danger, not just their imaginations.

This is certainly not the best story for a movie, but it is okay. Baby Dil, however is very annoying. More-so in the later episodes of the show than this movie, because he constantly interrupts their adventures and makes every episode about baby-sitting Dil.

While "The Rugrats Movie" is a decent film, it has flaws.

• It's starts the downfall of a once great cartoon show.

• Like in "Pokémon: The First Movie" this film tries a little bit too hard to be darker and more dramatic than the TV show it's based on.

• There are WAY too many jokes about poop, pee and other such gross things. I'm fine with crude humor when it's in small doses (like on "Rocko's Modern Life"), or when it's actually made funny (like on "The Ren & Stimpy Show"). But this movie (and the later episodes of the show) just over-do it.

There are good things too though.

• I loved the opening sequence of the film.

• The animation is great, and perfect for the big screen.

• The voice acting is top-notch.

• Some parts were really funny. Like when they spoofed "Indiana Jones".

Overall this is a decent and mildly entertaining film. But it's certainly not one of the greatest animated movies ever. There are better movies of animated TV shows ("The Simpsons Movie"; "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"; "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm"), but there are also worse ones ("Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Colon Film for Theaters"; "Pokémon: The First Movie"). Funny, nicely animated, good voice acting, but a little bit too much potty jokes, and it added a horrible character to a great TV show.

Rating: 6/10 "Decent"

Tommy and his friends are excited and looking forward to the arrival of his new baby sister. However when young Dil arrives he turns out to be a boy as well as not being as much fun as had been expected. With Dill taking all his parent's attention away from Tommy, the other babies find themselves all marginalised by this screaming and pooping creature. Trying to return Dil to the hospital turns into a much bigger adventure than they planned when they wind out lost deep in the woods.

Some cartoons are aimed at kids but have plenty for adults to enjoy; some cartoons are so completely for kids that adults struggle to get anything from them. The Rugrats Movie falls somewhere in the middle, being engaging enough for adults without really having that much specifically for them. Of course for kids the simple plot will provide enough adventure to hold the attention while the baby jokes come fast enough to amuse. Adults will not be turned off by the film because it is professional enough to distract, but the adult references are few and far between and certainly not as clever as the Pixar films that adults will be used to.

The voice cast deliver the characters from the TV show well enough and will please fans by delivering more of the same but just over a longer running time. Guest turns from Curry, Goldberg, Spade, Clinton, Cho and Rhymes don't add a great deal but in their defence I suppose it was easy work for money. Overall then a professional and enjoyable film for child fans of the series which fills the running time well. However there isn't much for adults other than the promise that at least it won't grate the way some kids films do.

RUGRATS RULE! I love this movie. It's like one of my favorite cartoon movies ever. If you don't like Rugrats you are crazy. Everything about it is cool. The plot was good. The music is very cool. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves rugrats and likes cartoon movies.

This movie was ok. I liked the series also. The toddlers have a bit of an accident and end up in the forest, where a big bad wolf is. So...their parents go to rescue the tots. It's ok for a kids movie but the plot is really weak. Still, it's an entertaining movie to watch but I wouldn't go and rent it. And despite going for just 79 minutes it's an animated movie so maybe thats an excuse for it and movies like it in the genre.

70%

Why do filmmakers find it necessary to try to turn cartoons into musicals? I found the many star-studded music numbers irritating, and a poor attempt to appear "cool" to the adult viewers. The entire plot element of the train-wrecked monkeys added nothing to the film, and seemed senseless. My 7 year old son enjoyed it except for the singing. The TV show is better.