A revival of Rugrats — on the big and small screen — is coming to a sandbox near you.
Viacom announced that it has greenlighted a revival of the beloved children’s program for a 26-episode run on Nickelodeon, in addition to a new live-action feature film featuring CGI characters.
The 2.0 version of Rugrats will feature new adventures with everyone’s favourite pipsqueak characters from the ’90s: Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Susie and Angelica (and, let’s hope, Reptar) — but a new world of characters also will get some playtime.
The children’s cartoon, which revolved around a group of toddlers, originally ran from 1991 to 2004 and was a touchstone for a generation of kids reared on Nickelodeon. Its success led to three feature films, starting with 1998’s The Rugrats Movie — which grossed a combined $215 million domestically.
“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,” Viacom Media Networks Chief Operating Officer and Nickelodeon interim President Sarah Levy said in a statement. “We can’t wait for today’s kids to meet Tommy, Chuckie and pals.”
The show’s original creators —Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo and Paul Germain — will return as executive producers.
Production on the TV series already has begun. An airdate and casting will be announced at a later date. The movie will be written by David Goodman (The Orville, Family Guy) and is slated to be released on Nov. 13, 2020, by Paramount Players, a division of Paramount Pictures.
“Now feels like the ideal time to reintroduce this iconic cast of characters to a whole new generation of young fans,” Paramount Players president Brian Robbins said in a statement.
“Kids who grew up with Tommy Pickles and the Rugrats crew will now be able to share that experience with their own children.”
This is just the latest revival at Nickelodeon, which in recent years has also brought back Hey Arnold, Legends of the Hidden Temple — both as TV movies — as well as Double Dare and Invader Zim. The network is also working on a Blue’s Clues reboot.
