Let's talk about All Grown Up!

[Zanneck]

I remember being surprised when I first found out that the 10th Anniversary Special for Rugrats was getting its own spin-off series and I also recall seeing some very intense debates surrounding it during the timeframe it was airing new episodes; it was a few years ago when I stumbled upon some episodes again and decided to give them another go.

I found it to be an OK or average series, I feel there were other shows that executed its premise better but I also didn't find it as bad as I remember seeing some saying it was during those intense debates and felt some were overly harsh about it (fair enough if something isn't one's cup of tea but I also believe it is possible for one to express disagreement without being belligerent or antagonistic about it).

While I found some episodes forgettable there were some episodes that I found solid and stood out to me in a notable way (episodes about Tommy & Dil's brotherly relationship being an example off the top of my head). I also agree with the sentiments that Dil & Kimi got a better showing in All Grown Up compared to the seasons of Rugrats that featured them; they were some of my favorite characters in All Grown Up and I also found Estes Pangborn to be a favorite of mine.

While I would consider the initial run of seasons for Rugrats (before it was revived) to be my favorite era, I still found myself preferring All Grown Up to the Dil Seasons and Kimi Seasons of Rugrats.

I thought that the series was okay. I don't think it was anything to write home about, but it never got me that upset either. I thought it was usually pretty decent and I kind of liked seeing the Rugrats characters older. They had long since exhausted what they could do with the characters as babies, so while I don't think a spin-off series was necessary, it was the only direction I could have seen the series going by a certain point. Dil was definitely an improvement since he had a personality instead of being used for toilet humor. I also liked how the kids could actually talk to their parents since that offered some different dynamics and conflicts.

I do wish that they could have shown an older version of the Wild Thornberry characters in a special or something though. Rugrats Go Wild was easily the weakest of the Rugrat movies, but since it confirmed that the two series exist within the same universe, getting to see what happened to Eliza and Debbie ten years later would have been pretty cool.

I can agree with this much with both you - whatever they did in AGU with Kimi and Dil (ESPECIALLY Dil!) was simply better than their time in Rugrats, where Dil especially dragged down what was already a show that more than lost its edge after S4 ended. Kimi could have made a fine addition to the main characters in earlier seasons, but by the time she came in to spice things up, the damage Dil had done to the original show was all too much to bear / tolerate as it carried on, unfortunately.

 

[90'sKid]

I can agree with this much with both you - whatever they did in AGU with Kimi and Dil (ESPECIALLY Dil!) was simply better than their time in Rugrats, where Dil especially dragged down what was already a show that more than lost its edge after S4 ended. Kimi could have made a fine addition to the main characters in earlier seasons, but by the time she came in to spice things up, the damage Dil had done to the original show was all too much to bear / tolerate as it carried on, unfortunately.

Has adding a baby/younger sib to a show EVER been a good idea?

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[Dr.Pepper]

I thought that the series was okay. I don't think it was anything to write home about, but it never got me that upset either. I thought it was usually pretty decent and I kind of liked seeing the Rugrats characters older. They had long since exhausted what they could do with the characters as babies, so while I don't think a spin-off series was necessary, it was the only direction I could have seen the series going by a certain point. Dil was definitely an improvement since he had a personality instead of being used for toilet humor. I also liked how the kids could actually talk to their parents since that offered some different dynamics and conflicts.

I totally agree with Dil. At least he had a character here, instead of just being a source of gross out humor.

 

[toonmaster17]

Speaking of All Grown Up! It’s 17 years old today!

 

[Rhaynebow]

I had a lot of Rugrats toys and I would always play with them pretending they were pre-teens, so to see the show have that kind of plot blew my mind.

In any case, I watched AGU, but not thoroughly, only really remembering a few episodes like when Phil and Lil split up, Tommy being afraid of water, Dil’s inventions being used to make money and Kimi getting in touch with her Japanese heritage. I will say, it was nice to see how the Rugrats grew up in ways that sort of made sense looking at their younger counterparts. Tommy being a brave, adventurous baby made him a tween that wants to capture adventures on film. He can’t break out of a daycare center or attempt to free Las Vegas tigers anymore, but he could shoot a film doing that. Dil being the weird, creative kid is so ironic because as a baby, he was the “normal” one that couldn’t talk or walk.

It was also nice that characters wore different outfits, although as the show progressed, they really made sure these guys wore every color under the sun and gave everything a greenish-yellow tint.

All that being said, I probably still prefer Rugrats. As nice as it was to see how Tommy and the gang would be if they could talk to adults, go to school and deal with tweenage stuff, I’d much rather watch these guys avoid dust bunnies by climbing on boxes or looking for malted milk balls in a film noire style.


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[AdrenalineRush1996]

I quite liked the show. It may not as great as its predecessor but I like it.

 

[Oh My Rocko]

I've only watched 3-4 episodes of the show...it isn't bad,but Rugrats is way better.
Rugrats is a legend.

 

[Mr.O]

As a late, late 90s early 2000s kid, I came up during Rugrats waning years. For me, I saw AGU as "those slightly more boring Rugrats episode where everyone is a teenager". To that end Rugrats was one of my all time favorite cartoons and AGU piggybacked on that. I never hated it, but I did prefer the original show( or the "baby episodes"), quite a bit more. It wasn't until I was a teen in around the 2010 area, that I got to actually evaluate All Grown Up for what it was alone.

For me it was as most people are saying, Okay. Not bad by any means, but without the context of the original show coming to an end, AGU simply didn't stand out. It was very much a generic, paint by the numbers, middle school cartoon for elementary aged kids. I did think the writing held up well enough, but the overall premise and execution really hurt it. I did think weird Dill was more interesting than baby Dill, even when I was a little kid. And, after re-watching it as a teen, it felt like the punk/ hipster Kimi themed episodes delved the farthest into drama of young teenagedom, and finding one's self.

Looking back, I think a personal problem with this show, and many other pre/young teen cartoons is that while 10-13 year olds are no longer toddlers, they are still kids. Kids chocked with imagination and childhood youthful perspectives. In my personal opinion, they felt more like 16+ years old, what with their focus on school work, hobbies, career prospects and (juice) bar socializing. I think that shows like Recess, Kids Next Door, and some times, Hey Arnold better captured the pre-teen mindset (as exaggerated as that may be). Arthur would be included, but I'm sure they were 7 to 8 years old, which is the same issue only pushed down the age ladder.

 

[TheMisterManGuy]

Looking back, I think a personal problem with this show, and many other pre/young teen cartoons is that while 10-13 year olds are no longer toddlers, they are still kids. Kids chocked with imagination and childhood youthful perspectives. In my personal opinion, they felt more like 16+ years old, what with their focus on school work, hobbies, career prospects and (juice) bar socializing. I think that shows like Recess, Kids Next Door, and some times, Hey Arnold better captured the pre-teen mindset (as exaggerated as that may be). Arthur would be included, but I'm sure they were 7 to 8 years old, which is the same issue only pushed down the age latter.

That's the thing I never got with All Grown Up, Tommy and his friends are only around 11-12, yet they act like they're Sophomores in High School. I agree that this was a show meant to give Nickelodeon's core demo (2-11) an idealized version of what Junior High will be like. But yeah, 11-14 year-olds in middle school are a weird bunch. They have all the angst and mentality of a Teenager, yet still have the limitations and worldview of a Child. They may no longer be innocent grade schoolers, but it's not like they're just a few steps away from adulthood like High School Students are. Personally, I think shows like PEN15, Ned's Declassified, or Everybody Hates Chris do a much better job at capturing the mentality of middle school, since they don't have to make sure they're appropriate for the toy-ilse set. Shows like All Grown Up!, Pepper Ann, The Weekenders, are all shows that are made for 6 year olds who want to look up to middle schoolers, same as how the core audience for Primetime High School Dramas on The CW/Netflix/MTV are 12 year old Girls who want a glammed-out, more exciting vision of High School.

 

[Mr.O]

That's the thing I never got with All Grown Up, Tommy and his friends are only around 11-12, yet they act like they're Sophomores in High School. I agree that this was a show meant to give Nickelodeon's core demo (2-11) an idealized version of what Junior High will be like. But yeah, 11-14 year-olds in middle school are a weird bunch. They have all the angst and mentality of a Teenager, yet still have the limitations and worldview of a Child. They may no longer be innocent grade schoolers, but it's not like they're just a few steps away from adulthood like High School Students are. Personally, I think shows like PEN15, Ned's Declassified, or Everybody Hates Chris do a much better job at capturing the mentality of middle school, since they don't have to make sure they're appropriate for the toy-ilse set. Shows like All Grown Up!, Pepper Ann, The Weekenders, are all shows that are made for 6 year olds who want to look up to middle schoolers, same as how the core audience for Primetime High School Dramas on The CW/Netflix/MTV are 12 year old Girls who want a glammed-out, more exciting vision of High School.

Yeah. If We're including live action, Ned's Declassified and Chris are great examples of trying to capture the middle school mindset a bit better. I'd also include some of the earliest Malcom in the Middle episodes, IIRC.