Rugrats - Go Wild
(2003)

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RUGRATS meet THE WILD THORNBERRYS in this adventure that features characters from both of the wildly popular animated series. The Pickles family of RUGRATS decides to take a jungle cruise vacation that ends up in disaster. Shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island, the babies are separated from their parents and must fend for themselves under the leadership of Tommy Pickles (the voice of E.G. Daily). Unbeknownst to Tommy, his idol--naturalist and television explorer Sir Nigel Thornberry (Tim Curry)--is also on the island with his family to film a documentary on the rarely seen white leopard, Siri (The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde). Lost in the jungle, the young RUGRATS kids meet the Thornberry daughters, Debbie (Danielle Harris) and Eliza (Lacey Chabert), whose magical ability to talk to animals makes it possible to converse with Spike (Bruce Willis), the Pickles family dog. But Spike has lost his sense of smell, thanks to jungle allergies, and isn't much help in finding their way--he bumbles along, cracking crude jokes. Hysterical but witless, Spike is no match for the leopard Siri, and soon everyone is in danger of becoming her next meal as they race around the jungle in search of their parents. Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh composed the film's original score, which includes the duet "Big Bad Cat," sung by Hynde and Willis.
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Nickelodeon's decision to combine Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys on screen probably looked like financial genius on paper. After all, both franchises have enjoyed success in feature-length form, and the similarities between their larger-than-life characters will also be blatantly obvious to regular viewers. To some extent, the pairing proves a justified success — the cartoon romp is a fast-moving carnival of primary colours, in which the vacationing Rugrats are stranded on an apparently deserted island, unaware that the Thornberry clan are shooting a nature documentary there. Such an exotic setting initially works well, as the babies toddle through richly created rainforests teeming with beautifully animated wildlife. Unfortunately, the absence of a strong plot weakens the visual confection, exposing the film's lame humour and nauseating songs. Even guest voice talent Bruce Willis and Chrissie Hynde lack the necessary panache, while the interactive odorama gimmick becomes exhausted almost immediately.
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