# Rugrats Movie, The (1998)

### reviewed by
Mr. Brundage

    The Rugrats Movie

Directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien

Written by David Weiss and J. David Stem

Featuring the voices of: Elizabeth Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Katie Soucie, Cheryl Chase

    As reviewed by James Brundage

So I'm a little late in writing this review. I really don't care. Neither do Tommy or Dill or Angelica or Chucky, who have pretty much been chased out of their playpen box-office by the funny but unintelligent A Bug's Life. But this movie succeeds where both A Bug's Life and its competitor Antz failed: in creating a kids-love/adults-love movie. Kids love A Bug's Life, Adults love Antz. Both of them love Rugrats.

The most intelligent cartoon since "The Simpsons" (which the same animation team behind Rugrats worked on) has come to the big screen. It's a look at the babies of the new all-American parents: both at work, both armed with cell phones and faxes. They're raised by their sleeping grandfather and are intelligent beyond their single year.

In this adventure of theirs, the ultimate kid's toy (NOT THE FURBIE), a Reptar, takes Tommy, Tommy's new brother, Dill Pickles, Chucky, and a pair of smart-mouthed twins into the forest for a great adventure. Having accidentally taken Angelica's doll Cynthia, the junior sultan of sarcasm tags along for the ride.

The movie, with all of its slapstick comedy, will be riotously funny for little kids, while at the same time letting "olders" like us sit back and get the parodies of Indiana Jones and The Fugitive. It let's us get malapropisms like "custardy" for "custody" while our youngers get singing babies simultaneously peeing.

The artwork is crude but, in my opinion, a representation of what a kid would draw like (another intelligent touch). The lines, as said, are intelligent, the storyline sensible. The only thing that I couldn't stand were the musical numbers, which are paled by the ones in an average Disney musical.

But, that withstanding, it's a great film. Go see it. Go enjoy it. Don't forget the kids.

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