The new Rugrats series is now available on Paramount+. Fans can join Tommy, Chucky, and their friends as they go on all new adventures. From learning to be brave to defending their toys from an evil clutter genius, the babies are back in action looking to have fun, eat mud, and discover the world around them.
I received the chance to review the first two episodes and here is what I thought. FYI: All opinions are 100% my own.
As a fan of the original series, I started watching the remake with high hopes. It was exciting knowing that some actors were returning to voice a few main characters, such as Tommy voiced by Elizabeth Daily and Angelica voiced by Cheryl Chase. This was going to be a blast from the past with all the feelings of nostalgia.. The word WAS’ is definitely a foreshadow in this case.
I expected different art, different voices, different stories, and a few new technologies that we have come to enjoy in our daily lives. Let’s face it, the original Rugrats was released 30 years ago. Cell phones and other advancements were not used like they are now. I am ok with all of that. Things change and changes can be good. However, when you take a character that served in the military, was proud of his service, and was a strong minded individual and then completely turn him upside-down to become something the character originally did not approve of, I cringe.
Grandpa Lou Pickles is one of my favorite characters from the original Rugrats show. His war time stories, hilarious shenanigans’, and insanely deep sleep naps were what made Grandpa, Grandpa. He didn’t approve of hippies, struggled to understand his boys career choices, and obviously had opinions that differed from those around him. Many of his conversations were with Tommy since his boys often found him outdated and old. Tommy, however, adored him. He had stories of working at Area 51, stories of the trenches, and stories of love. His character was the most developed and well rounded in the entire series.
This new series takes Grandpa Pickles and switches off his charm, his character, and his knowledge. He is now a yoga loving, healthy cooking, grandpa babysitter. And while those attributes are not at all wrong to have, they just don’t go with Grandpa Pickles. I am not sure if the creators were trying to be ironic when they made him a hippie, but it didn’t work. I can only ask, What Happened to Grandpa Lou Pickles?
If we take Grandpa Lou Pickles out of the equation, I still didn’t enjoy much of the show. The faces were often emotionless, the comedy was lacking, and the stories were a little boring. Yes, the show featured blasts from the past like Doctor Who and Jurassic Park, but without those, it lacks the luster of the original. Sadly, I am unable to give this the SKGaleana’s seal of approval.
Maybe they will fix future episodes to fit more with what Rugrats fans are looking for. If they do, I will certainly add an edit to this review.
For those looking for the original, Nickelodeon has released the entire series on a 26 DVD disc set. We get the original Grandpa Lou Pickles, Tommy, and all his friends as they explore the world using their imaginations. Grab a copy from Amazon.com (affiliate link) to re-watch the journey of our lovable baby friends.
