| Rugrats Go Wild | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by | Kate Boutilier[1] |
| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Mark Mothersbaugh[1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures (underNickelodeon Movies)[2][3] |
Release date |
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Running time | 81 minutes[5] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million[6] |
| Box office | $55.4 million[6] |
Rugrats Go Wild is a 2003 American animatedmusicalcomedycrossoveradventure film based on theNickelodeon animated television seriesRugrats andThe Wild Thornberrys.[7] It is the final installment of both theRugrats andThe Wild Thornberrys film series and serves as the sequel to bothRugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) andThe Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002). The film was the first to featureNancy Cartwright as the voice ofChuckie Finster following original voice actressChristine Cavanaugh's retirement in 2001.[8][9] The film follows the Rugrats and their families as they prepare for their planned vacation, but eventually get stranded on an uncharted island in the Pacific, where they meet the Thornberry family.
The film was produced byKlasky Csupo and released in theaters on June 13, 2003.Rugrats Go Wild grossed $55.4 million worldwide[6] and unlike its predecessors, it received unfavorable reviews from critics. The film used "Odorama", which allowed the audience to smell aromas from the film usingscratch and sniff cards.
The Rugrats go on an imaginary safari: Tommy impersonates Nigel Thornberry, who is his role model, and spoofs his nature show. The babies and their families are about to go on vacation on a tropicalcruise ship, courtesy of Tommy's father, Stu. Upon arriving at the pier to depart, they discover that he has instead rented a ramshackle boat as their real vacation. The families are angered that Stu did not consult them on his plans, and during their journey, the boat is flipped over by arogue wave during a tropical storm. Everyone is forced to abandon the ship and board a life raft as the ship sinks, and the group blames Stu.
The next morning, they arrive on a small, seemingly uninhabitedisland in theSouth China Sea. On the opposite side of the island is the famous globe-trotting family, the Thornberrys, out to film aclouded leopard. The kids, except for Angelica, set off to find Nigel to get his help to get them home, as they suspect he is somewhere on the island. Along the way, Chuckie gets lost and runs into Donnie Thornberry, who steals his clothes, forcing Chuckie to wear Donnie's shorts.
Meanwhile, Eliza Thornberry is exploring thejungle with Darwin, herchimpanzee companion, and runs into Spike, the Pickles' dog. Since Eliza can talk to animals, Spike is heard speaking; he informs her that his babies are lost somewhere on the island. Under the impression that Spike means he is looking for puppies, Eliza and a reluctant Darwin agree to help him find them. Following a close encounter with Siri, an angry clouded leopard, they learn that he meant human babies.
Simultaneously, Nigel finds the lost babies. He heads in their direction but ends up tumbling down a hill and suffersamnesia after a coconut falls on his head, which reverts him to his three-year-old self. They encounter Siri, but Donnie fends her off; Chuckie finds him and they swap back their clothes. After escaping from Siri on a high-speed pram, the gang lands in a crater. Angelica runs into Debbie Thornberry, and takes off with Debbie in the Thornberry's all-purpose mobile communication vehicle (commvee). To get back more quickly, Angelica steals the Thornberry's bathysphere and accidentally sinks the commvee in her attempt to pilot it. She manages to find and retrieve the babies and Nigel.
Meanwhile, Stu has managed to create a working coconut radio. He and the other parents run into Donnie. After chasing him down the beach, they run into Marianne Thornberry. Stu's coconut radio picks up the babies, as Angelica accidentally turned on the bathysphere's radio. Angelica and Susie, while fighting for control, crash the bathysphere at the bottom of the ocean. Nigel hits his head in the crash and reverts to his normal self. Stu comes up with a plan to raise the commvee, and Marianne then uses the automatic-retrieval system to rescue Nigel and the babies just as the air runs out.
The babies and Nigel are reunited with their respective families, with Stu being thanked and forgiven, and everyone gets on board the cruise they had wanted originally. The Thornberrys join them, too, deciding that they should take a vacation, much to Debbie's delight, and Spike vows never to lose his babies again.
During its initial theatrical run,Rugrats Go Wild was presented in "Smell-O-Vision". During certain scenes in the movie, an icon would pop up on screen with an item inside of it (example: a smelly shoe). When this happened, audience members would smell a scratch-and-sniff card (which were handed out at the box office) with the corresponding image.
Among the biggest promotion the film received wasBruce Willis voicing Spike, and the use of "Odorama" cards to enhance the viewing experience,Burger King andBlockbuster released a scratch and sniff piece of cardboard that was to be scratched and sniffed during the run of the movie. The cards would later be released with the DVD release of the movie.
There were some complaints with the Odorama cards, including the claim that the cards only smelled like cardboard. The Odorama card was considered an homage toJohn Waters' 1981 filmPolyester. Waters felt he was ripped off and realized thatNew Line Cinema, the studio that releasedPolyester, did not renew the copyright for Odorama. He later said that "a cheque would have been an homage".[10]
Rugrats Go Wild was released onVHS andDVD on December 16, 2003, byParamount Home Entertainment. Most VHS copies included a "Smell-O-Vision" scratch-and-sniff card, as did most initial run DVDs. Later copies of the DVD did not include additional cards, but did retain the option to view the film with the scratch-and-sniff icons on.
On March 15, 2011, along withThe Rugrats Movie andRugrats in Paris: The Movie, the film was re-released in a three-disc movie trilogy collection DVD set, in honor ofRugrats' 20th anniversary.[11] On August 29, 2017,Rugrats Go Wild was re-released on DVD. On March 8, 2022, along withThe Rugrats Movie andRugrats in Paris: The Movie, the film was released onBlu-ray as part of the trilogy movie collection.[12][13]
A video game based on the film of the same name was released on May 28, 2003 forMicrosoft Windows andGame Boy Advance and was published byTHQ and developed byImaginEngine for both platforms.[14]
The film grossed $39 million in the United States and $16 million internationally for a worldwide total of $55 million against a production budget of $25 million. The film opened at #4 behindFinding Nemo,2 Fast 2 Furious, andBruce Almighty.[15][6]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 40% of 88 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5/10. The website's consensus reads: "TheRugrats franchise has gone from fresh to formulaic."[4]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 38 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[16] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[17]
Neil Smith at theBBC gave the film 2 out of 5.[18]Film4 stated the film was not as bad as other reviews suggested but "it just doesn't hold a candle to 2002's charming and superiorThe Wild Thornberrys Movie".[19]
| Rugrats Go Wild: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | ||||
| Released | June 10, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002–2003 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:36 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Rugrats soundtrack chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [20] |
An original soundtrack was released on June 10, 2003, fromHollywood Records.[21]
The following is a list of songs that appear on theRugrats Go Wild soundtrack.[21]
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Message in a Bottle (cover ofThe Police)" | American Hi-Fi | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Big Bad Cat" | Bruce Willis andChrissie Hynde | 3:15 |
| 3. | "She's on Fire" | Train | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Island Princess" | Cheryl Chase andCree Summer | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Lizard Love" | Aerosmith | 4:35 |
| 6. | "Ready to Roll" | Flashlight Brown | 2:51 |
| 7. | "The Morning After (cover ofMaureen McGovern)" | Chase and Summer | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Atomic Dog" | George Clinton | 4:45 |
| 9. | "Dresses and Shoes" | Chase and Summer | 3:28 |
| 10. | "It's a Jungle Out Here" | Summer,Nancy Cartwright,Elizabeth Daily,Tara Strong,Kath Soucie andDionne Quan | 3:11 |
| 11. | "Lust For Life (cover ofIggy Pop only seen in ending credits)" | Willis | 3:43 |
| 12. | "Phil's Diapey's Hanging Low" | Tim Curry, Cartwright, Daily, Strong, Soucie and Quan | 3:01 |
| 13. | "Should I Stay or Should I Go" | The Clash | 3:09 |
| 14. | "Changing Faces" | Daily | 3:42 |
| Total length: | 53:25 | ||
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