With studios rebooting and remaking popular content from the past left and right to cash in on nostalgia and built-in audiences, Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures have jumped on board the bandwagon and announced a two-part relaunch of the classic 90s cartoon, Rugrats.
First, there will be a 26-episode revival of the animated series on Nickelodeon, while the second project will be a live-action movie handled by Paramount Players, the new film division launched specifically to handle content based on Viacom channels. The classic characters are all set to return on the both the big and small screens, while each project will introduce new characters too.
Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain – the original creators of the show – are returning as executive producers, and production is reportedly already underway. As for the movie, David Goodman (Family Guy) is penning the script and the targeted release date has already been announced: November 13, 2020.
Sarah Levy, COO of Viacom Media Networks and interim president of Nickelodeon, said in a statement:
“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. 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”.
Rugrats has always been a bit of a goldmine for Nickelodeon with critical acclaim and big merchandise numbers. When the original show ended the first time, they originally developed a one-off spinoff chronicling the babies’ lives as teenagers; it proved so popular that they turned it into a full series of its own, All Grown Up.
The rebooted show will likely remain fairly similar to its original incarnation, but it will be interesting to see how the live-action movie develops. While it’s probably in response to Disney’s major success of developing their classic tales as live-action movies, some characters are meant to exist in 2D animation, and the Rugrats might be the same.
We’ll wait for more information to arrive, which might be soon, as Nickelodeon has a big presence at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, so a surprise Rugrats panel isn’t out of the question.
#Peace.Love.Rugrats
