Great Reptar’s scales! What year is it? Hold onto your diapers and let your imagination run wild because a live-action hybrid of the classic Nickelodeon cartoon Rugrats is waddling our way from Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore. It’s the ’90s all over again, and we’re all about it!
Created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain, the Nickelodeon series premiered in 1991 as the second of three series in the Nicktoons lineup alongside Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show. Rugrats follows a group of toddlers comprised of Tommy Pickles, his best friends Chuckie, the twins Phil and Lil, Susie, and his spoiled 3-year-old cousin Angelica. Using their cunning and the power of imagination, the group often wanders away from their caregivers to engage in grand adventures that offer a poignant life lesson.
The original Rugrats series was essential for ’90s kids, with shows like Rocko’s Modern Life, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, and Hey Arnold! also a part of the mix. Rugrats got rebooted in 1996 after three seasons and lasted through the 2000s. The series inspired three animated movies, including The Rugrats Movie, Rugrats in Paris, and Rugrats Go Wild, which found Tommy and the gang embarking on a grand adventure with the Wild Thornberrys.
Jason Moore directed the musical comedy Pitch Perfect, starring Anna Kendrick as a reluctant member of the all-girls singing group The Bellas. Moore directed the dynamic comedy duo of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey in 2015’s Sisters, which is about two sisters who decide to throw one last house party before their parents sell their family home. Moore’s latest directorial effort is for the 2022 comedy Shotgun Wedding, starring Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel. In Shotgun Wedding, Darcy and Tom gather their families for the ultimate destination wedding, but when the wedding party is taken hostage, the bride and groom must save their loved ones.
I don’t know, friends. Can a live-action hybrid of Rugrats work? Will Stu and Didi Pickles be live-action while the kids are CGI? Who’s going to play Grandpa Pickles? What about Tommy’s furry friend Spike? Will Reptar make an appearance? He would have to, right? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.