After years of silence, the Rugrats franchise is returning in a big way. The announcement has been made that Viacom’s Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures will not only be relaunching the animated series with a whopping new 26 episodes, but they intend to produce a new theatrical film as well. While we’ve already had three different movies under the Rugrats banner, this one will be different for one very big reason – it’s going to be produced in live-action with CGI characters!
The news comes from Deadline, who have also revealed original franchise creators Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain will return as executive producers. Production is already underway in Burbank, California.
“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,” said Sarah Levy, COO, Viacom Media Networks; and Interim President, Nickelodeon. “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.”
Brian Robbins, President of Paramount Players, continues her statement.
“Now feels like the ideal time to reintroduce this iconic cast of characters to a whole new generation of young fans. Kids who grew up with Tommy Pickles and the Rugrats crew will now be able to share that experience with their own children.”
While it’s unknown when the series’ new episodes will premiere, the movie is set for a November 13, 2020 release date. It’s being written by David A. Goodman.
It’ll be interesting to see how this new enthusiasm for the franchise will turn out. While Nickelodeon is revisiting several of its own properties from the past like Hey Arnold!, Rocko’s Modern Life, and Invader Zim, none of those included an entire set of new episodes or a theatrical live-action film production. Nickelodeon seems to have a lot of faith in their Rugrats brand so hopefully they do something honorable and truly great with it.