Paramount+ sets out to entice kids and parents alike once more with another animated series rooted in the childhood of millennials. This time it’s the revival of Rugrats, premiering its first season on May 27 before airing on Nickelodeon at a later date.
Aside from the cosmetic changes to the series, which is now sporting new CG animation, the characters and setting have been modernized as well. But despite the use of apps and Facetime, the core of the story remain intact: the friendship between the babies and the everlasting rivalry between Angelica and everyone she meets.
Stars Nancy Cartwright, Cree Summer, and Kath Soucie spoke to Screen Rant about revisiting their favorite dynamics and returning to the stories of Chuckie, Susie, Phil and Lil.
You are slipping back into eternal youth with this Rugrats revival. What is it like to return to Chuckie’s shoes, Nancy?
Nancy Cartwright: Oh, it’s great. It’s lovely. Because, to me, this is kind of my mantra with this show: I love doing it, and I think everybody does based on these interviews that we’ve done today.
But the heart of the show is these babies, and you get the viewpoint through these little baby’s eyes. Life is bigger, the adventures are bigger, but it’s put in modern day. You’ve got cell phones, you’ve got iPads, you’ve got dating with Grandpa Lou and all that. But the main thing is you’ve got the integrity of the writing, which is everything on any show, whether it’s animated or live action. You’ve got to have the heart of what the creator’s put there from the beginning, and I think the writers have maintained that. I love it. It’s delightful.
Speaking of integrity, I feel like Susie out of the kindness of her heart just wants what’s best for the babies, even if she doesn’t always know what is best. Can you talk a little bit about her dynamic with them as opposed to Angelica?
Cree Summer: I also want to say that they’ve done a really cool thing with this reboot, and they’ve made Susie a peer. Susie used to be the same age as Angelica, but now she’s the same age as the babies. So, that puts her at the heart of a lot of more adventures.
What I love about Susie is exactly what you said: her big, fat, compassionate, mighty heart. And like you said, she stands up to Angelica, which cracks me up every time. I love Angelica with a bass crack, I live for it. And I just love that she is willing to go the extra mile for her friends; that is one of the things I love about all the babies. Because friendship is so important. I always say all you need is one good friend to make life better, and they’ve got a bunch of good friends.
Kath, you are two of those good friends. Not only do you know your characters like the back of your hand, but you also get to play off yourself. What is that like?
Kath Soucie: Well, it’s weird. It’s like they both live in different places in my voice box. Phil is kind of here [low and scratchy], and then Lil is up here [high and clear]. And they have different vocal idiosyncrasies, and they’re both really separate characters.
I love getting a chance to talk to you, because you were one of the kids that watched Rugrats, right? And it’s great that you love the new CGI, which has been so exciting for me. Because I feel like these little kids – Phil and Lil and Chucky and Susie and everybody – I feel like they come in everybody’s houses; they’re their little friends that visit them every day. And the fact that they’re this new CGI, big, yummy, squishy, cozy new guys with these vibrant news stories – I think it’s so lovely to know that we’re gonna be going in and being everybody’s friend again.
I love the new technology element that all the kids get to have fun with or fear. What has been like for the babies to interact with these new things, Cree?
Cree Summer: It makes it realistic. I mean, I’ve got two little ones, and I’ll tell you what – I’m Amish compared to them. They’re so tech savvy. But these babies are little, so what the technology gives you is so many opportunities for comedy. As you know, in the first episode, Angelica wreaks havoc on poor Grandpa. I won’t spoil it, but it’s very funny.
Rugrats premieres on Paramount+ May 27.
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