The Rugrats Movie

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rugrats: A name I had never even heard until my daughter started watching it. My son soon followed and joined sis on the couch when the familiar theme song kicked in. They are 6 and 4 now and were thrilled when they announced the movie version of their favorite show. Mom and I promised to take them. As we arrived in the theatre, there were families all over just like ours. Once the film started, however, I was 6 years old again, watching my favorite cartoons. Rugrats movie is a joy for parents and kids alike. There is adult humor (referring to the sex of the new pickles baby, one parent says "if born under venus, look for a" ...before being cut off. There is kid humor too, multiple diaper jokes, and just plain FUN! Parents, and non-parents alike owe it to themselves to see this fun movie. If you have kids, it is a joy to see their faces light up when the theme song kicks in, and Tommy squirts the screen with his bottle (just as the SDDS sound kicks in, and the title breaks on-screen)

This is a great way to spend 85 minutes, and while my 4 year old got a little restless during the forest scenes (about 1/3 of the movie), my 6-year old sat through it with nary a word. A great time for kids of all ages, and a good way for parents and kids to spend some time together.