Rugrats was my absolute favorite cartoon as a kid hands down. It was very innovative and groundbreaking for its time. It was also a cartoon that now as an adult I can go back and enjoy with some adult humor thrown in. Thankfully Paramount Plus has released a new Rugrats with 5 episodes so far. But, will it stand up to the original?
First off, let's start with the babies themselves. The babies are all voiced by the original voices as in 1991 with the exception of Chuckie who is voiced by Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson) which was his voice post "Rugrats in Paris" as Christine Cavannaugh passed away in 2015. Tommy is still brave, Susie is still smart and compassionate, Chuckie is still scared, Phil and little are still Phil and little, and Angelica is still a bossy brat. They still go on adventures and other fun stuff like the original. Angelica does now have a kiddie car that she rides around in all the time while carrying her Cynthia doll. Tommy's screwdriver is now battery powered and moves and talks with a push of a button.
The adults are the biggest major change. Didi is now a homemade craft maker that sells her goods online and works on her projects in a "she shed". Stu is still a absent minded inventor but now is a hardcore video gamer on the side , Betty owns a coffee shop (like in All Grown Up) but is now a single mom and has been confirmed that she is a lesbian in this series which was a kinda running theory in the original 90's run. Susie's parents Lucy and Randy are a doctor and scientist respectfully. It is confirmed that Randy is a comic book geek and has a big collection. Charlotte is a city councilwoman who still had Johnathan for her assistant. However she is a lot more dominant and ballbusting towards Drew than the original. Drew clearly does not always agree with Charlotte but goes along with her to make her happy. The new Charlotte in my opinion is the least likeable adult in the series due to the fact she's such a snobbish fake asshole. The most likable character in the new series in my opinion is Grandpa Lou. In this version he is an aging hippie with a ponytail and a kinda disdain for new technology which is shown in the first episode when Stu added a dating app for him on a smartphone. He also bakes cookies in his spare time, but the love for his grandkids still runs deep. Chaz is still pretty much the same as the original run which is why I didn't mention him.
The new episodes deal with new adventures such as Chuckie getting a robotic pet that gets pretty possessive of Chuckie (And poops jellybeans), Grandpa throwing his back out and having to miss a March for Peace rally, a decluttering lady who is really a scam artist looking for valuables to sell, And a boy band getting back together that the adults liked. In one episode there is a scary dream sequence where Chuckie gets turned into a worm and Angelica is a scary crow that can be frightening for some kids. The fact that it's done in CGI makes it look more realistic and vivid. There are still a lot of POV and in mouth shots when the babies are eating or crying like in the original. Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh of DEVO still do the original music of the series, so there still is some of that original Rugrats charm.
I give the new Rugrats 3 and a half stars out of 5. It's a good modernization of a classic cartoon that did keep the original voices of the babies and they sound like they haven't missed a beat. The adventures are new and fit the current times we live in. The adults can be rather relatable to us millennials in modern society. The biggest drawback I have of this new adaptation is the new Charlotte Pickles. The original Charlotte was female empowered and bossy but was still a likeable character. This new Charlotte is a lot more bitchy and trying to be more evasive of the other adults and it shows that she really doesn't pay attention to Angelica very much. Overall she's the only reason I don't rate the series much higher. The series is definitely worth a watch for parents and original fans of the OG Rugrats.
Most Helpful Opinions