Rugrats - Der Film

This animated film feature of the RUGRATS is a thrill of an adventurous joyride for its fans, and has a cutest sense of humor more unique than some in this type (like the "poopie" jokes). The familiar artwork is breathtaking and fares far better than the recent DOUG in movie form. Angelica gets to steal the show like she always does, and sings a sample of Blondie's "One Way Or Another". Simply put, a great way for kids to escape the horrors of network television. As all that can be best explained, you know exactly what to predict here. The songs are nice, but they're nothing to brag about except for when the end credits scroll by.

This is a loud movie which was fun for about 40 minutes but then it just gets to be too much, too abrasive with the yelling. Do they think kids are hard-of-hearing? Are they trying to make kids deaf?

Whatever. . I guess this is geared a lot more for young kids who are used to the TV blasting away at them. For me, that loudness is okay for awhile, but it gets tiresome. In fact, the simple storyline in here goes on for too long, too. This is an 81- minute film, which is not long, but would have been far better at no m ore than 70 minutes. An hour would have been just right.

Still, on the plus side, there are plenty of interesting scenes, the colors are bright and visually attractive, the sound is very good and there are some decent subtleties as well as slapstick humor. There are things in here adults would enjoy.

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.

The Rugrats Movie was enjoyable, not quite as good as Rugrats In Paris, but it is solid and colourful. Of course the film isn't without its flaws. The second half was rather loud for my liking, and while the story is simple, which is fine by me, there are bits where the film drags and it doesn't quite have the sense of fun that makes the show so enjoyable. That said though, the film is very, VERY cute and means well. While it is by all means a kids movie, there are a handful of laughs and references to other films for adults. I particularly loved Phil's "I didn't know she could fly"(in reference to Angelica) and Lil replies "I think it's because she's a witch." The animation is colourful and true to that of the show, and the soundtrack is great. The voice cast is especially strong, with Tara Strong, EG Daily and Christine Cavanaugh as standouts. Though as much as it pains me to say this, great actors like Whoopi Goldberg and Tim Curry have very little to do, and did disappoint. Overall, it's a decent movie, it is colourful cute and fun, but does have a tendency to drag and a bit loud in places. 7/10 Bethany Cox

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.