Arlene Klasky Movies
Graphic designer Arlene Klasky is one half of the cartoon enterprise responsible for some of the most popular animated programs of the '90s. After studying in California, she met Hungarian animator Gabor Csupo in Stockholm, Sweden. Together, they founded Klasky Csupo, Inc. in L.A. While taking care of her 11-month-old baby, she thought it would be fun to do a show from a baby's point of view. With just a few scant notes, she pitched the show to Nickelodeon and they loved it. In 1991, The Rugrats become one of the network's most highly rated programs and was quickly followed by Duckman, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Santo Bugito, and The Wild Thornberrys, as well as the subsequent feature films for both The Rugrats Movie and The Wild Thornberrys Movie. Other cartoon series developments include Rocket Power and As Told By Ginger, both on Nickelodeon. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Two of the most popular animated series on the children's cable network Nickelodeon get wrapped up in one big-screen package in this comedy-adventure, featuring the characters from Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. Drew and Didi Pickles (voices of Michael Bell and Melanie Chartoff) decide to take a special vacation with their children, Tommy (voice of Elizabeth Daily) and Angelica (voice of Cheryl Chase), with their friends (both grown-ups and toddlers) coming along for the ride. However, the ship Drew has chartered isn't especially seaworthy, and their party ends up stranded on an uncharted island in the Pacific. The kids figure the day is saved when they discover that famous explorer and television personality Sir Nigel Tornberry (voice of Tim Curry) is also on the island with his family, but after he gets a world-class knock on the head from a coconut, Nigel's upper intellectual register gets knocked out of commission. The Rugrats are then forced to turn to Nigel's daughter, Eliza (voice of Lacey Chabert), who not only knows the wilds, but can talk to animals, which comes as quite a surprise to Spike (voice of Bruce Willis), the Pickles' family pooch. Rugrats Go Wild also features the voice talents of LL Cool J, Cree Summer, Nancy Cartwright, Jack Riley, and Flea. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Chrissie Hynde, (more)
- 2003
A spin-off of a July 2001 special in which the infant and toddler characters of the classic cartoon series Rugrats were given a chance to peer ten years into their future, All Grown Up further developed the premise by depicting the title characters as "tween-agers." Though bigger and more loquacious, they were the same old Rugrats: imperious Angelica continued to lord it over her friends and follow trends, Tommy Pickles was still a natural-born leader, Chuckie was a worry wart, and twins Lil and Phil struggled to establish their own separate identities. New wrinkles to the old format included the burgeoning singing career of the kids' African-American friend Susie, the precocious interference of Tommy's brother Dil and Chuckie's adopted sister Kimi, and the antics of a new character, the kids' nerdish classmate Harold. First offered as a "sneak preview" by the Nickelodeon cable service on April 12, 2003, All Grown Up graduated to weekly status the following fall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
It's tricks and treats for toddlers in this special double-length episode of the hit Nickelodeon animated series Rugrats. The babies head out for Halloween, but get separated from their folks and end up in a spooky haunted house. Angelica (voice of Cheryl Chase) doesn't help matters when she tells Tommy (voice of Elizabeth Daily) and Chuckie (voice of Christine Cavanaugh) that she can turn them into animals if they don't give her all the candy they've been given! The Rugrats: Halloween video also includes two shorter bonus stories, "Sleep Trouble" and "Ghost Story". ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The Nickelodeon cartoon series The Wild Thornberrys gets its first feature-length animated film, directed by show creator Cathy Malkasian with a screenplay by Kate Boutilier (writer of Nickelodeon's Rugrats in Paris). The main character is 12-year-old Eliza Thornberry (voice of Lacey Chabert), a braces-and-glasses-wearing eccentric girl in an adventurous family of travelers. Due to an interaction with a shaman, she has been granted the special power of communication with animals, as long as she promises not to tell anyone about it. Her powers are challenged when her parents, Nigel (voice of Tim Curry) and Marianne (voice of Jodi Carlisle), decide to take the family on an African safari to make a nature documentary. Also along for the trip is snobby sister Debbie (voice of Danielle Harris), feral youngster Donnie (voice of Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers), and pet chimpanzee Darwin (voice of Tom Kane). After her new Cheetah cub friend is stolen by poachers, Eliza is determined to get involved. However, the stuffy Thornberry grandparents get in the way by sending her to boarding school. It's up to Eliza and Darwin to defeat the poachers and save the cub. Also featuring the voice talents of Brenda Blethyn and Lynn Redgrave. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lacey Chabert, Tom Kane, (more)
The biggest babies in the entertainment business take their act to Europe in this sequel to the surprise-hit animated feature The Rugrats Movie. Chuckie (voice of Christine Cavanaugh) has been fretting over his father Chas (voice of Michael Bell) and his status as a single father, as he wants to have a mommy like all of his friends. Chas and his father Stu (voice of Jack Riley) were hired to create a bevy of electronic critters for the newly opened Euro-Reptarland theme park, but the robots are acting up, and park manager Coco La Bouche (Susan Sarandon) is hopping mad. So Stu and Chas are flown to Paris to do some repairs, with Chas bringing Chuckie and all his friends along. Their visit to the City of Lights proves to be one adventure after another, as Chuckie tries to find a suitable mother (with Coco leading the pack) and Tommy (voice of Elizabeth Dailey) somehow gets behind the wheel of the giant Reptar robot. Rugrats in Paris: The Movie features original songs from T-Boz from TLC, The Baha Men, and Mylene Farmer, while John Lithgow, Debbie Reynolds, and Mako contribute to the voice cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, (more)
Based on the popular Nickelodeon TV series Rugrats, this is the first full-length feature animated movie to star the little tots. It's the story of diaper-clad kids, told from a baby's point- of-view, and they were one of the hottest-selling toy franchises of the late '90s. The film features a hilarious musical number in the hospital nursery, where newborns have the voices of major rock stars that include Jakob Dylan (Bob Dylan's son), Iggy Pop, Lou Rawls, Lisa Loeb, and Patti Smith, to name a few. The story escalates when self-proclaimed leader Tommy Pickles is thrust into an impossible situation with the birth of his new brother, Dil Pickles. This new kid is grabbing all the attention and won't stop crying. With the help of other toddlers Lil and Phil, Tommy decides that the baby should be returned to the hospital for fixing. They all hop on their little wagon and take a high-speed ride straight into the deep woods where they realize they're lost. Chased around by animals (or so they think), the Rugrats clan must get home in one piece. Other celebrity voices include Whoopi Goldberg and The Rocky Horror Picture Show's Tim Curry, as well as Saturday Night Live's Andrea Martin and David Spade. ~ Chris Gore, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, (more)
- 1998
This Nickelodeon series follows an eccentric family throughout the rainforests and wilds of the world as Nigel, the patriarch, films his travels for a future nature documentary. Unbeknownst to him, Nigel's 12-year-old daughter Eliza (voiced by former Party of Five star Lacey Chabert) is the one with the inside scoop on the wild kingdom at hand -- she can quite literally talk with any animal that crosses her path, most notably Darwin, her pet chimpanzee. Eliza's travels inevitably lead her into trouble; in each episode she is faced with saving her family and a host of wild animals from various terrible fates. Complicating the matter is Eliza's pact not to tell anyone of her mysterious gift, lest she lose her abilities. The series includes some interesting voices -- besides Chabert, Tim Curry, Flea, Marisa Tomei, and Lynn Redgrave have lent their vocal chords to the long-running Nick toon. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lacey Chabert, Jodi Carlisle, (more)
