Cartoon kids raise heck
The Rugrats Movie A Film Review By Michael Redman Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
** (Out of ****)
I've always enjoyed the few minutes that I've caught The Rugrats on television. It wasn't absorbing enough to watch the entire program, but a short time with Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil and Angelica was fun.
Unlike animated youngsters of yore, these aren't little angels. They talk about boogers and laugh at bathroom humor. They stand a good chance of growing up to become Beavis and Butthead.
In their feature length film debut, the kids get lost in a forest. They meet up with a vicious wolf, mischievous monkeys and look for a magical "lizard" who can grant them the wish to go home. Tommy is in charge of taking care of his newborn baby brother and agonizes over his "sponsibility".
There are some funny bits. Their misunderstanding of adult words makes for an occasional humorous pun. The phenomenon experienced by every parent of a baby boy while changing diapers will have the audience laughing despite itself as a rainbow forms in the misty air of the nursery.
Although their shorts on television are enjoyable, the film feels too long. Considering the attention span of the target audience, I'm unsure that they won't be squirming in their seats. When I saw the movie, one young boy had more fun running to the back of the theater and rolling down the aisle and then doing it again, and again.
Maybe that's all they want - big cartoon kids on the screen while the kids in the audience have their own party. It's probably no coincidence that this opens during Christmas shopping season: built-in mall babysitters.
(Michael Redman has written this column for over 23 years and doesn't plan on starting his Christmas shopping for, oh, about four weeks. Email electronic gifts to Redman@indepen.com)
[This appeared in the 12/03/98 "Bloomington Independent", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at Redman@indepen.com]
-- mailto:redman@indepen.com This week's film review at http://www.indepen.com/ Film reviews archive at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Michael%20Redman
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