RUGRATS IN PARIS –

THE MOVIE

Directed by Paul Demeyer and Stig Bergqvist. Featuring the voices of EG Daly, Cheryl Chase, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, Casey Kesem, Debbie Reynolds, Susan Sarandon and John Lithgow

The second big-screen outing for the massively successful animated anklebiters, Rugrats in Paris is certainly as entertaining as the original movie, with enough double-coded humour and movie references (particularly a recurring homage to The Godfather) to keep reluctantly-dragged-along adults amused as well.

Two-year-old Chuckie Finster misses his dear departed mommy and wishes he could get a new one. When wacky inventor Stu Pickles (the father of Chuckie’s best friend Tommy) is summoned to the bizarre Paris-based Japanese theme park Euro-Reptarland, a miscommunication ensures that the entire regular cast go along too.

Soon all manner of misadventures transpire, and it appears Chuckie might be about to get his wish. The only problem: his new would-be mommy(Sarandon) is in fact a ruthless career woman for whom marriage would secure professional advancement, and sees Chuckie’s spineless dad as perfect for the cause.

What ensues is an anarchic and satirical movie punctuated with much in the way of potty humour (literally), and enhanced considerably by the gleeful voice-overs of Sarandon and her evil henchman (Lithgow). The threat of extreme mujahedin-style vengeance from a pincer movement of two enraged toddlers dissuade us from looking for any bad points, and in

all fairness, Rugrats is certainly a

more intelligent and skilful blend of heartwarming sentiment and scatological humour than American Pie (which wasn’t even aimed at pre-schoolers).