'Go Wild' someplace else

While some may wonder why "Rugrats Go Wild" was made, one must look at the roots. The movie is a combination of both "Rugrats" and "The Wild Thornberry's," which have each had their own movies prior. "Rugrats" actually has two, which have made money. "The Wild Thornberry's" movie was even nominated for a Best Song Oscar.\nThe Rugrats characters (17 in all) decide to vacation aboard a cruise, but Stu Pickles (Tommy's dad) rents a smaller boat instead, forcing the rest of the gang to miss their fare. When the weather takes a sour turn, the tiny boat is sunk and they are marooned on a deserted island. But it's not quite as barren as it seems -- the Thornberry's are on the other side in the midst of a nature documentary shoot. The characters get separated and interact with one another, most significantly, Eliza Thornberry, who can talk to animals, and the Pickles' dog, Spike (voiced by a slumming Bruce Willis).\nSince these cartoons are two well-established Nickelodeon products, all the characters have to be represented in the movie. This causes the flick to suffer from having far too many characters and not enough plot to go around. Also, TV cartoon characters tend to be one-dimensional, which works on TV, but the lack of screentime makes some of the characters too gimmicky. \nWhile "Rugrats Go Wild" is littered with homages to classic movies, such as "Jaws," there is nothing laughable. The kids in the audience who chuckled at the jokes are easily grouped into the "babies take off their diapers, we see their butts" category. There was not enough movie to satisfy the characters since they all got a plot line. While the movie ended happily, the beginning and end seem miles apart -- a distance not so easily traveled in just 84 minutes.