Day 329 of the challenge! Rugrats Go Wild was on the other night, so why not! Thanks Nicksplat!
The EPIC conclusion to the Rugrats film trilogy and cartoon series! The one Rugrats film (TV or theatrical) I missed out on as a kid! The one where the Rugrats meet The Wild Thornberrys?!? WHAAAT!?! This was the Nicktoons crossover event of 2003, and it only took me 15 years to finally get to it. Worth the wait? Eh, kind of…
Obviously I’m way past the target age group at this point, so my feelings about it now are going to be slightly skewed by the 15 extra years of jadedness and loss of innocence. I did happen to also catch Rugrats in Paris, which still holds up pretty darn well, but I admit that might just be my nostalgia for that particular movie.
Whatever the case, beyond a few neat fan service moments (thanks to the crossover aspect) and some jokes aimed at adults, Rugrats Go Wild is pretty basic. It’s nowhere near as creative or charming as the previous Rugrats films (or series for that matter) and just feels like a missed opportunity for something special involving the two franchises. But again, I’m a 26 year old watching a movie meant for 8 year olds from 2003, so who knows! I enjoyed it well enough, so I probably would have loved back in the day.
Side note: Bruce Willis voicing Spike in this is pretty bonkers! That’s probably the only aspect of film I can appreciate more now than I would have as a kid. Also, I had no idea Danielle Harris voiced Debbie in The Wild Thornberrys, so that kinda blew my mind. I’m gonna have to go back and re-watch that series at some point to see what else I missed.