The news that everyone's favorite adventuring babies would return to screens practically broke the Internet on Monday evening when the Rugrats TV revival and live-action movie were announced. Can't you just imagine Tommy Pickles exclaiming, "We broked the Internet," on a future episode of the rebooted show? "Row," is what Phil and Lil might say, while Chuckie breaks down in tears. So when will Rugrats return? All of the fan fiction in the world can't compete with actually seeing everyone's favorite '90s babies — literal babies — back on TV for 26 episodes and on the big screen.
While the TV show's release date hasn't yet been announced, you can start your countdown for the live-action movie which is set for release on Nov. 13, 2020. While that countdown date is in the future, it kind of feels like it's going back in the past because of how Rugrats helped shape so many people's childhoods. The Nickelodeon show ran for nine seasons spread across over 13 years, starting in 1990, so it makes sense that it had a lasting impact on most '90s kids' lives. That might mean that the upcoming movie is a little bit jarring for everyone though, because Entertainment Weekly announced that the live-action movie will include CGI characters, presumably playing the babies.
For so many people who grew up watching the babies, Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, Phil and Lil DeVille, and Angelica Pickles, those live-action CGI characters might take some getting used to. But that probably won't get in the way of everyone who watched the original show getting in line to catch up with the mischievous babies. Still, fans took to Twitter to react to the CGI-made-character news.
As much as Twitter users might resist the live-action Rugrats movie set for 2020, it's undeniably exciting that the Pickles family and co. will return to TV. Considering that Nickelodeon brought back the cast of Hey Arnold for a TV-movie in 2017, a Modern Life reboot special is planned for 2018, and an Are You Afraid of the Dark movie has been announced, it was only a matter of time before Nickelodeon brought the Rugrats back. They basically had to, when you think about it.
Sarah Levy, the Interim President at Nickelodeon told EW, “Rugrats is hands-down one of the most celebrated cartoons in TV history, and we are thrilled for a whole new audience to meet these iconic characters in brand-new adventures." Wait, do they actually think that the rebooted TV show and upcoming movie are for new audiences? This is when every '90s kid becomes Angelica Pickles and exclaims, "Dumb babies, this movie is for us!" Okay, but maybe the children of 2020 can also enjoy the Rugrats both on TV and on the big screen — as long as they let the '90s kids get their tickets to see it first.
As Levy told EW, Rugrats can entertain any generation, whether they're Millennials or members of Generation Z. "What was true in 1991 when the original show premiered is still true today: kids are fascinated with the world of babies. We can’t wait for today’s kids to meet Tommy, Chuckie and pals," Levy said.
Almost all '90s kids can probably confirm that today's kids are in for a treat, but, it's exciting that the "adults" will get to re-live some of their childhoods as well. As for everyone's trepidations about the Rugrats' return, you probably don't have to worry about too much of the original show being changed. According to EW, the show’s original creators (Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain) will be executive producers on the new Nickelodeon show. The live-action movie will be written by David Goodman, who has previously written for popular shows including Family Guy and Futurama.
It sounds like the babies of Rugrats are in good hands, but you can probably bet that they'll still find themselves in trouble on the upcoming shows and movies. And don't worry, EW confirmed that even Reptar will return, and that's cause for celebration.
