Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

Movie (1998)

Go Wild! (2003)

I used to watch Rugrats because it was on and I’d rather watch anything instead of doing homework. It was one of the first shows I remember seeing as a kid that made me think “Ew” because of the artwork. A lot of the shows at the time were pretty crisp artistically. Sure there were stylistic choices like The Simpsons and The Critic but they stayed on model most of the time. Rugrats had grotesquely drawn characters that were not at all aesthetically pleasing and would often drastically change shape from one scene to the next. Of course I appreciate it now. Rugrats was breaking the mold of what a cartoon was expected to be or look like and I applaud their bravery. It seems mold breaking has become the norm amongst cartoonists. It’s a good thing.

Plus the writing was good. But that was another thing difficult to appreciate as a kid because I didn’t really get all the jokes. Now I do and they’re hilarious.

I had no interest in the Rugrats movie when it was in theatres. Now that I’ve seen it, it wasn’t bad. There were some times that it kind of dragged on when the adults were talking. It was necessary plot development but there was little happening to keep children engaged. Once it got past these points though, the pace picked up and the jokes were plentiful.

It was not all fun and games though, Tommy Pickles had some dark moments with his new baby brother and some powerful revelations. I was actually impressed with the acting coming out of this bald cartoon baby stranded in the forest. It was a gripping moment.

All in all, a good message, entertainingly executed.

 Then we come to “Rugrats Go Wild!” This was a crossover film with The Wild Thornberrys, another show I was never really into. I was excited to learn it was Tim Curry who did the voice of Nigel Thornberry. Anything with Tim Curry can’t be all bad. Actually this was great! Better than the first Rugrats movie even. The dynamics between the respective characters were well met. The snotty self-centered Angelica from Rugrats pairs up perfectly with the entitled Debbie Thornberry. The feral child, Donnie Thornberry is similar in stature to Chucky Finster but also polar opposite in manners and constitution. It all comes together for a very interesting adventure when the two groups inadvertently find themselves on the same remote island.

I really enjoyed the drama amongst the adults in this one. It conveyed the plot and was pretty hilarious at the same time. Not sure how much the little kids were into it but my older kids chuckled from time to time.

In the Rugrats movie, Angelica and Susie’s song was just the worst. Cree Summers does the voice of Susie Carmichael (Bravo for using a black actress to do the voice of a black character.) Cheryl Chase is the voice of Angelica. Talented actresses both but their “Babies Are a Gift” song goes on for a minute and 11 seconds too long and is annoying as hell. I think that’s what they were going for and they succeeded. I’m annoyed. Here, now you can too:

Go Wild! On the other hand had an awesome musical album, I would play in the car any day. No big deal.

If you love it when groups of infants get lost in treacherous places and have to fend for themselves until they’re rescued by their rather negligent and oblivious parents, these are your kind of films. Also, I might recommend Baby’s Day Out (1994).

Optional Tangent: I once accidentally stole a Rugrats jacket. I thought it belonged to my niece who had left a carnival several minutes earlier. So convinced was I that she had forgotten her coat, when my friend’s wife came looking for their own daughter’s coat, I was genuinely oblivious. It’s likely still a mystery to them as to where the coat had gone. Problem is, it was years before I could reveal the coat to my niece who then informed me it was not hers. Hers was a Barbie coat, not Rugrats. I never would have stolen my friend’s daughter’s coat. Even so long after, I was still able to piece together what had happened. Now I was too embarrassed to inform them of my mistake. Their daughter had obtained several other coats since. She probably wasn’t even into Rugrats anymore. This has been confessions from Professor Popinjay.