Film Snail

6.2

The Rugrats Movie

G·1998·80m

Family

Animation

Comedy

Adventure

Family

Animation

Comedy

Adventure

Summary

Based on the popular Nickelodeon TV series Rugrats, this is the first full-length feature animated movie to star the little tots. It's the story of diaper-clad kids, told from a baby's point- of-view, and they were one of the hottest-selling toy franchises of the late '90s.

Cast

Whoopi Goldberg

Ranger Margaret (voice)

David Spade

Ranger Frank (voice)

E. G. Daily

Tommy Pickles (voice)

Tara Strong

Dilan "Dil" Pickles (voice)

Christine Cavanaugh

Chuckie Finster (voice)

Kath Soucie

Phil / Lil / Betty DeVille (voices)

Cheryl Chase

Angelica Pickles (voice)

Tim Curry

Rex Pester (voice)

Jack Riley

Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)

Busta Rhymes

Reptar Wagon (voice)

Michael Bell

Charles 'Chaz' Finster Sr. / Grandpa Boris Kropotkin / Drew Pickles (voice)

Joe Alaskey

Grandpa Lou Pickles (voice)

Phil Proctor

Howard DeVille / Igor (voice)

Cree Summer

Susie Carmichael (voice)

Tress MacNeille

Charlotte Pickles (voice)

Melanie Chartoff

Didi Pickles / Minka Kropotkin (voice)

Hattie Winston

Lucy Carmichael (voice)

Andrea Martin

Aunt Miriam (voice)

Tony Jay

Dr. Lipschitz (voice)

Abraham Benrubi

Serge (voice)

Gregg Berger

TV Announcer (voice)

Charlie Adler

United Express Driver (voice)

Mary Gross

Female Guest (voice)

Edie McClurg

Nurse (voice)

Roger Clinton, Jr.

Air Crewman (voice)

Margaret Cho

Lt. Klavin (voice)

Iggy Pop

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Louis Fresse

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Lisa Loeb

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Lenny Kravitz

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Dawn Robinson

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Lou Rawls

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Kate Pierson

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Cindy Wilson

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Gordon Gano

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Laurie Anderson

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Malik Isaac Taylor

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Fred Schneider

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Jakob Dylan

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Patti Smith

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Beck

Newborn Baby (singing voice)

Steve Zirnkilton

Reporter (voice)

Frank Welker

Spike / Monkeys / Scar Snout (voice) (uncredited)

Phife Dawg

Newborn Baby (Singing Voice)

Crew

Director

Norton Virgien

Director

Igor Kovalyov

Writer

J. David Stem

Writer

David N. Weiss

Reviews

Kamurai

August 26, 2020

Weak watch, won't watch again, and can't recommend except for HUGE Rugrats fans.

As the origin story for Dill Pickles, it very clearly is going to deal with "Where do babies come from?", but I think this is the closest the Rugrats franchise has come to addressing death with its audience.

I don't think the nostalgia I had for Rugrats was strong enough. I'm seeing all these characters I loved, and just feeling nothing. I'm hearing these (fantastic, voice-acting) ladies doing baby voice, and I've seen other movies where ladies do baby voice and they're just not nearly as long as this one.

I might have been able to get into the movie as it actually has a decent story (thought it focuses on the parents more than I'm used to), but they decided to play with rules that involve how babies talk. They clearly present new-born babies that not only talk, but talk eloquently about "Missing their old womb" (sounds like a baby saying "room"). Dill, barely talks. in fact, he talks to the babies like the babies would talk to the adults, and they refer to him as a baby.

While they should be toddlers and speaking a lot more than they should, part of the premise is that they're babies that talk to each other, but not adults. It almost paints the picture that Dill was born retarded, but refuses to address it, even if it applies it directly.

It really broke the movie for me, as it's the chief mechanic behind the babies' A story line that is the basis for the parents' B story line.