Rugrats Go Wild! Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)June 11th, 2003
"Rugrats Go Wild"
The Nichelodeon entertainment empire has dominated much of children's television for years and has proven itself a notable force in kid-oriented feature length animations. The TV show "The Rugrats" is tremendously popular and translated to hefty profits in theaters with the animated features "The Rugrats Movie" and "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie." Nearly as successful, "The Thornberrys" TV show made the transition to the big screen with the wonderfully entertaining and satisfying "The Wild Thornberrys Movie." So, what would happen if you jammed these two popular shows together into a feature length animated adventure? The answer is: "Rugrats Go Wild."
My first exposure to either of these successful kids' TV programs and their theatrical spawn was with the terrifically entertaining and educational "Thornberrys" movie. I was impressed by the intelligence and sophistication of the story and humor (which is, also, often slapstick). Besides, it is the first film to be endorsed by the World Wildlife Foundation for its able handling of environmental issues in a way that kids will readily understand. My experience with the "Rugrats" is nearly non-existent but I figured, what the heck, I like "The Wild Thornberrys Movie" so much, I'll take a look at what the Nick folks do to bring these two forces together.
"Rugrats Go Wild" starts out with a fantasy adventure as diaper-clad Chuckie (voice of Nancy Cartwright) imagines himself to be his hero, wildlife authority and TV star Nigel Thornberry (voice of Tim Curry), in another exciting hunt to capture elusive wildlife on video tape for the world to see. Chuckie's reverie is interrupted and we learn that all the Rugrat families are assembling to go on a South Pacific cruise together. Everyone is shocked when they find out that they aren't booked on a huge luxury liner but onto the tiny boat hired by the group's inventor Stu Pickles (Jack Riley). The little boat makes the S.S. Minnow of "Gilligan's Island" look sumptuousness in comparison.
It wouldn't be an adventure film if something didn't go wrong and in "Rugrats Go Wild" thing go very badly indeed. Stormy seas and natural disaster strike and the boat sinks to Davy Jones's locker, stranding the families on a raft until they land on a deserted tropical island. But, the island is not all that deserted when we learn that the globetrotting Thornberry family is there, too, in search of the elusive clouded leopard. The opposite-ends-of-the-spectrum families are thrust together to brave the deserted island's dangers, including the hungry leopard Siri who would love to sink her teeth into a tasty child. The Rugrats families and the Thornberrys must join forces and put their strength, ingenuity and intellect to the task of saving them all (and maybe getting another exciting show for the Thornberrys).
The Nickelodeon folk have created a hybrid film that tries to combine the best of their two popular worlds but, instead, come up with a mishmash that will entertain its diminutive target audience but lacks the smarts of "The Wild Thornberry Movie." It won't not garner the adult audience interest needed to sustain it at the theaters, despite the fact that there are many film references that the kids won't get but the parents should. "Titanic," "Gilligan's Island," "Jaws," "The Poseidon Adventure," "The Swiss Family Robinson" and other flicks are referenced but it is really a meager attempt to draw us elders in. The kids will like it but leave this one to home video. I give it a C+.
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