Description
Twenty years ago, The Rugrats Movie brought the beloved animated show to the big screen for the first time. The star-studded spectacular, featuring Tommy Pickles and his baby gang in an adventure of blockbuster-sized proportions, was an instant sensation and grossed $141 million, making it the first non-Disney animated film to gross over $100 in the U.S., and the highest-grossing animated film based on a TV series. Driving the action-packed movie was an inspired soundtrack comprised of new, original songs and covers by an eclectic mix ranging from the hip-hop of Blackstreet, Mya, Mase, Busta Rhymes to the rock and pop of No Doubt, Elvis Costello, Lisa Loeb, Devo. On the ambitious “This World Is Something New To Me,” the two minute song crams in a dizzying array of artists including Beck, Jakob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Phife Dawg, Lenny Kravitz, Laurie Anderson, Patti Smith, B-Real, Lou Rawls, Gordan Gano of the Violent Femmes and The B-52s who all lend their voices to their Rugrats personas.
Legends, fleeting hit makers, and revered songwriters alike were all involved in couching the film in colorful sonics that bolstered the movie’s impact. Even Blondie’s monster single “One Way Or Another” got a facelift for a punchy cover by Cheryl Chase, the voice of Angelica. What speaks to the movie’s overarching impact is the eclectic nature of the artists and the tracks themselves, ranging from hip-hop, to R&B, to pop, and rock as well.
The great Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo fame) produced the soundtrack with signature touches that added connective fabric to the entire release. In fact, Mothersbaugh wrote the TV show’s opening theme as well as it catchy lead single, “Take Me There,” which went Platinum in the US and charted at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Unique and wide-ranging—and much more than a simple soundtrack— there is much here for multiple generations to grasp onto and to enjoy, testament to why it remains such an endearing soundtrack to this day.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film and soundtrack, The Rugrats Movie: Music from The Motion Picture is now available on vinyl for the first time ever, allowing those who grew up with the series and new fans to enjoy these hugely successful and celebrated songs.