I have never seen an episode of the Nickelodeon kid-craze TV show “The Rugrats.” The reason behind this is rather simple – at the time of the show’s inception, I had grown out of the Nick phase, much in sync with the departure of Mark Summers from “Double Dare” and the cancellation of the awkwardly appealing “You Can’t Do That On Television!” A generation of Nick had already gone by, and the one to follow brought with it programs like “Rocco’s Modern World,” “Sponge Bob,” and “The Rugrats.” These zany shows are ideal kid fodder and are just waiting to be adapted to the big screen.
To The Rugrats, though, the movie industry is familiar territory. Much like the film I’m reviewing, Rugrats In Paris: The Movie, I’ll keep my critique short, sweet and to-the-point. If this sequel to the 1998 film is any indication of the of the television series itself, I may tune in yet. My words will most likely fall upon deaf ears, though, since it seems reasonable that college students would not go see this movie or watch the show. Even so, the film is chockfull of humor that can be appreciated by all ages, and has a running time short enough to avoid rattling any parent’s nerves.
This time the Rugrats gang is in The City of Love, Paris, where Tommy’s dad has been dispatched to fix a robot he created for an amusement park called ReptarLand. The park is managed by the maniacal Coco LaBouche (voiced by Susan Sarandon), who finds out that she must get married on the double if she wants to ascend the corporate ladder in this dog-eat-dog world. The unwilling sap that succumbs to her devious plot is Chazz Finster, daddy to bespeckled rugrat Chucky, a loveable tot still not over the death of his recently departed mommy. He and the other kiddies can see through Coco’s phony facade, and vow to stop the misguided Chazz before he ties the knot.
The film shows incredible heart, especially in regards to the deceased mother storyline, but at the same time doesn’t get caught up in its own cheesiness. Moments like the one when Chucky sees his mother’s silhouette in the clouds outside his plane window while en route to France are straightforward enough to be simple and bittersweet at the same time.
While the film focuses mostly on Chucky and his search for a new mommy, the other characters offer the comic relief that keeps the movie charming and fluffy. Take for instance when baby Dil wets himself and says “Wee wee!” only for Tommy to respond “He’s speaking French already!” Cutesy puns and double-entendres like this are what keep the movie funny and fast-paced, never taking itself too seriously. Additionally, the anti-Disney animation style is a pleasure on the eyes; the characters here are much rounder and brighter than most other animated features of late, and really hearkens back to what cartoons should, ideally, look like.
Take the kids, take the grandparents, take the family pet, Rugrats In Paris: The Movie is a delightful and fun family film that can be enjoyed by all.
