Rugrats in Paris – The 2000 animated film

December 6 2023

The animated film The Rugrats in Paris – The movie (Rugrats in Paris: The Movie), directed by Stig Bergqvist and Paul Demeyer, was released in 2000 and is the second film based on the popular Nickelodeon animated television series Rugrats, as well as the sequel to 1998's The Rugrats Movie. This feature film also marks the appearance of the new characters, Kimi Watanabe and her mother Kira, and the series' first significant antagonists, preschool principal Coco LaBouche and her accomplice Jean-Claude.

The film is set before the seventh season of the series and narrates the adventure of the family of protagonists on the occasion of the wedding of Lou Pickles and his new wife Lulu. During the ceremony, Chuckie Finster feels sad and alone, longing for a mother figure in his life. Meanwhile, Tommy Pickles' dad, Stu, is called to Paris to fix a fault in the Reptar robot he designed for a Japanese amusement park called EuroReptarland.

The Pickles family and the Finsters then travel to Paris, where much of the film takes place, to witness the repair of the robot. However, they discover that the park is run by the cold and bitter Coco LaBouche, intent on sabotaging Lou and Lulu's wedding to get a job promotion. Some lies regarding Chas Finster set in motion a series of events that also involve the children, bringing Coco and Jean-Claude's true plans to light.

The film was well received by audiences and grossed over $103 million worldwide, surpassing its predecessor. However, it was also the last film to feature Christine Cavanaugh as the voice of Chuckie, as she the actress retired as a full-time voice actress in 2001 and sadly passed away in 2014.

The feature film The Rugrats in Paris – The movie (Rugrats in Paris: The Movie) left an indelible mark in the memories of many viewers, continuing the success of the original animated series and introducing new characters and compelling plots. Following the success of this film, a sequel and crossover featuring characters from The Magic Glasses was made titled Rugrats Go Wild and released in 2003.

The film is also praised for its soundtrack, which includes new songs by Jessica Simpson, Baha Men, TLC's Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Amanda and Aaron Carter. As with the previous film, the soundtrack also contains a bonus song: the film's theme song “Jazzy Rugrat Love” by Teena Marie.Source: wikipedia.com

The story of The Rugrats in Paris – The movie (Rugrats in Paris: The Movie)

In a festive room, where laughter and music intertwine, the wedding of Lou Pickles and Lulu is celebrated. Among the guests, little Chuckie Finster, with big eyes and a heavy heart, remembers with melancholy his mother, who passed away shortly after her birth. This moment of sadness does not escape his father, Chas, who begins to reflect on the idea of a new marriage, to fill the void left in their life.

Meanwhile, Stu Pickles, Tommy's father, is called to EuroReptarland, a Japanese amusement park in Paris, to repair a broken Reptar robot, which he designed for a show at the park. Thus, the Pickles, Finster and DeVille families set off on a Parisian adventure.

EuroReptarland is a kingdom of wonders, but beneath the glittering surface hides Coco LaBouche, the park's director, cold-hearted and child-averse. Eager to become president of the Reptar corporation, Coco deceives her boss, Mr. Yamaguchi, by pretending to be engaged to a man with a child.

Angelica Pickles, eavesdropping, discovers Coco's plan and, to save herself, reveals Chas' existence to Coco. Coco, seeing in Chas a means to achieve her goal, begins to court him with the help of her assistant, the kind Kira Watanabe. Kira tells the children the story of Reptar, a once feared monster who later turned kind thanks to a princess. Chuckie, inspired, decides that he wants the park's animatronic princess as a mother and sets out to find her along with the other children and Kimi, Kira's daughter.

Meanwhile, Spike, the Pickles' dog, gets lost on the streets of Paris chasing a poodle named Fifi. While Coco wins over Chas, Chuckie has a deep distrust of her. During the premiere of the Reptar show, Coco dresses up as a princess to lure Chuckie onto the stage, but the child is terrified to see her true identity.

On the day of the wedding, Coco tasks her accomplice Jean-Claude with preventing the children and Angelica from intervening. Kira discovers Coco's plan and, while she tries to warn Chas, she is chased away and rushes on her bicycle to the ceremony.

Jean-Claude locks the children in a warehouse, but Chuckie, knowing the truth thanks to Angelica, who repents and apologizes for her role in Coco's plan, urges them to stop the wedding. The children race towards Notre Dame aboard the Reptar robot, picking up Kimi along the way. Jean-Claude chases them with Reptar's enemy, Robosnail, but is defeated and ends up in the Seine River.

Arriving at the church, Chuckie interrupts the wedding by shouting his first word, “No.” Jean-Claude, following them, unintentionally reveals Coco's true nature. Chas calls off the wedding in disgust. Mr. Yamaguchi, present at the ceremony, fires Coco after Angelica informs him of her plan. Coco, humiliated, flees the chapel, chased by Spike.

In the chaos, Chas apologizes to Chuckie for what happened, while Kira regrets not speaking up sooner. A feeling is born between them, and upon returning home, they get married, uniting the Finster and Watanabe families (who also adopt Fifi), thus creating a new, happy family.

In this story, set between the streets of Paris and the lights of EuroReptarland, Chuckie and his gang of friends live an adventure that goes beyond simple gaming: it's a search for love, family and belonging, in a world where even smaller ones have a big voice.

Film Technical Sheet: “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie”

Original title: Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Country of Production: United States of America
Year: 2000
Duration: 78 minutes
Gender: Animation, Musical, Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
Directed by: Stig Bergqvist, Paul Demeyer
Film script: J. David Stem, David N. Weiss, Jill Gorey, Barbara Herndon, Kate Boutilier
Producer: Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó
Production House: Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Klasky Csupo
Distribution in Italian: United International Pictures
Mounting: John Bryant
Music: Mark Mothersbaugh
Animators: Nickelodeon Movies, Klasky-Csupo