The Rugrats Movie (1999, VHS)

I first saw The Rugrats Movie when my then boyfriend bought it for his younger sister. I was enthralled with this movie. I love children's television, and may actually be one of the few parents who can watch the same show over and over and over with their child- without losing my sanity. I loved watching the Rugrats on Nickelodeon. The show is cute, but doesn't teach morals and values really well. The movie does.

The movie revolves around the Pickles family and their friends. The two main characters are Tommy and Dill Pickles- brothers. Their friends are Phil and Lil- Tommy's neighbors, and twin brother and sister, Chuckie- Tommy's best friend, and Angelica- Tommy's older cousin. The movie begins with a baby shower for DeeDee, Tommy's mom. During the shower, she goes into labor, and soon baby Dill is born.

Baby Dill causes problems from the beginning. He has colic, and cries constantly. Tommy starts to feel left out, and isn't too happy with his new brother. Lil decides that they should take Dill back to the 'baby store,' to get Tommy's money back. On the way, the babies get lost in the woods. Through their adventure lost in the great outdoors, they learn what is really important- family.

The movie is animated, and I have to say that I love the colors. They are bright, and pastel at the same time. They seem a little surreal- especially the scene where we first see Tommy's room. The room is split half and half, blue and pink, because they think that Dill is supposed to be a girl. The room practically glows on the screen. Perhaps the best scene for animation, is Dill's trip down the birth canal. There's a light at the end of tunnel, and along the way he's passing things like monkeys, and the sphinx and Stone Henge. It's very beautiful, and covers the birth quite aptly for a children's movie.

There are numerous new songs in the film, some are cute, some are sad, and some are touching. The first song sung, is by Susie and Angelica, and basically they sing about babies being a gift from 'a Bob.' The song shows just how Angelica feels about babies, as well as Susie's point of view. Susie sings about all the sweet things that babies do, while Angelica sings about all the hard stuff, like poopy diapers and that they get all the toys (in a three year old's eye- that is a bad thing). There is a song in the nursery at the hospital that is rather cute- newborn babies are singing about their new world. While I'm rather iffy on some of the lyrics and animation with it (Do we really need to hear a baby fart? Or see them all pee a rainbow in the room?), it is a fun song to listen to and sing with your child. A touching and sad song, is the lullaby that DeeDee and Stu sing to Dill, trying to get him to go to sleep. It's touching, because you can see the love that they have for Dill, and it is sad because Tommy finishes the song- thinking that they don't love him anymore, and that he's been forgotten about. The music fits the movie, because it is fun, and sad and touching- all things that the movie is. The movie just wouldn't stand without the music, like the television show does.

As for morals and values- the movie teaches children that the most important things in life is family. Tommy is upset that baby Dill is 'stealing' his mom and dad from him. In the process of trying to find their way home, Tommy discovers that 'sponsitility' (rugrat speak for responsibility) is more than a watch. He discovers that responsibility is taking care of his little brother, and loving him no matter what. We can watch Tommy's change as they continue through the woods- he changes his brother's diaper, he feeds him when Tommy would much rather be playing, he goes off in search of Dill when the monkeys take him, and he shares his blanket with him when he's cold. He discovers just what fun little brothers can be.

What I didn't like about the movie, was the way that it tried to draw adults in. Young children are not going to understand what word was missing when Angelica's mom said 'You know what they say- born under Venus, look for a...' While I do have a son, I do not want to have to answer that question from one of my son's friends. I think that a children's movie should be just that- a children's movie. Parents are going to have to take their children to see it, and they are going to have to pay the ticket price, but I would much rather watch a movie knowing that I'm not going to have to explain uncomfortable topics to my son, or any of his friends, rather than knowing that there's going to be something that interests me.

What about the humor? The movie is funny. The babies don't always know the right words, so they say what they think they heard. 'Sponsitility' and 'Butthound' come to mind. There is an awful lot of elimination jokes made- both visual and audio. There is the scene in the hospital nursery, where the newborn babies pee so that a rainbow is made. There's the diaper changing scene where Dill grunts and groan, and finally says 'Poopy!' and then a large splattering noise is heard. There's the scene where Phil and Tommy are calling each other names- 'Chocolate Pants' and 'Poopy Monster.' While I don't mind the noises and the visuals of watching children pee, there is just something not right about teaching my child to call people 'Poopy Monster.' But I suppose that it's better than some other things that he could pick up from other movies.

The Rugrats Movie is good quality family fun. The songs are fun to sing, and to dance to, as well as to listen to. The animation and art work is amazing- so much cleared than the television show. The humor is just the right mix of humor, with a small touch of bodily functions that the children seem to love. This is a high quality movie for your child.

Note: I am listing this as a movie good for children up to age eight, but it is suitable for children of any age.