All Grown Up!

I think you guys who are giving bad reviews are being unfair. All Grown Up is a great show, I'm not denying that Rugrats will always be better with it's (in my opinion) unique style of humor that both kids and adults can enjoy. I find it enjoyable to see how the 'rats have grown and changed. If your looking for more misunderstanding between kids and adults type humor that was so common in The Rugrats, then go elsewhere. If your more interested in seeing the kids growing and how relationships between some of them have changed, as well as another 'growing-pains' "tweenage" show. Then watch this, you won't beat it.

I'd give it a 3+1/5 out of 5

This is a show about teenager-wannabees that are 10 years old. The first few episodes of this were all right and they were doing well with Nickelodeon and I enjoyed them, but the new ones have easily-solved plots and spastic drama from (guess who) Angelica and Susie. My little sister watches this and I can see her sometimes getting ticked off because of the stupid lines of the characters. I'm trying to make this show bad and I'm also trying to make a persuasive argument. I could relate this to Fairly Oddparents, which also has easy-to-solve plots and sappy lines. Nickelodeon is going down the tubes and if 3-year-olds are watching it daily, don't be surprised if they start blurting out phrases like, "Whatever!" and, "So yesterday, galfriend!" I admit that I'm exaggerating this show, but with the previous sappy shows of Nickelodeon backing me up, my point is pretty clear.

I'll admit, I didn't like the idea of All Grown Up when it was first introduced in 2001. Nick aired an hour-long special where the Rugrats go 10 years into the future (in commemoration of the show's 10th anniversary), and I hated it. This was during the time when all the buzz was about Rugrats; for goodness' sake, they even got a freakin' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Judging by the condition of the show then, none of the praise was deserved.

Anyway, Nick later announced the All Grown Up series. I was more than reluctant to accept the series. Before officially dismissing the show as junk, I decided to give it a try. Incidentally, Klasky-Csupo has failed to produce a decent show for more than 5 years. When I saw All Grown Up, I wasn't as upset about it as I was before. It turned out that this spin-off even has several advantages over the preceding series.

For one thing, the babies finally get to talk to the adults, something some of us Rugrats fans had long anticipated. The characters are also establishing new personalities. No longer do they get in trouble out of curiosity, but mainly because they're in the earliest steps of establishing their identities. Best of all, DIL FINALLY HAS A REASON TO EXIST! In the old Rugrats, the addition of Dil was THE factor that officially began the show's downward spiral, that of which was beyond repair. But when the babies became pre-teens, sure enough, Dil was given a true personality, in where he not only serves as one of the better characters on the show, but it earned us fans a BIG sigh of relief.

All Grown Up is a fairly decent show. While not as good as My Life as a Teenage Robot, it is certainly a step ahead of that filthy As Told by Ginger show. Seriously, such shows as Ginger are merely just showcases of embarrassing adolescent stereotypes; amazing why ANYONE would enjoy such crap. But with the two cartoons Nick has released in the past several month, it seems like they ARE taking steps forward.

It seems now that All Grown Up has "replaced" the old Rugrats show. Nick rarely makes formal cancellation announcements, but it seems like the old show is officially done...thank God. Although All Grown Up isn't a masterpiece, it'll still enjoy a good run.

This is far from being "Rugrats: The Next Generation." Instead, you can see palpable changes in the characters of the show from the baby-oriented original series to this one.

The plot lines have some refreshing changes in them. Coming along for the ride is a new Vice-Principal who was an ex-professional wrestler. He takes a keen interest in Dil, who is the breakout star of this show. In one episode, he counsels Dil (Wisely!) when the other kids use his genius for their profit.

Dil is the weird one who does weird things, but inside that brain is a true genius. Also amazing is the transformation of Tommy from fearless leader-baby to more a member of the group, complete with insecurities. Angelica is different too. She's softer and less bossy, but still a schemer. Her lispy friend Harold is a nice foil for her antics.

This is completely kid-safe. It's also fun for adults, too. Perhaps it's not in the same league as Spongebob, but it is great fun!

So on my 1-10 scale, I give it an 8.

J

I found watching this show would've loved for me to see Nickelodeon have these kids grow up and find themselves, but watching this later showed me they rushed the development into their preteen/teen years of confusion amongst them in a PG format and the stresses of parents as their kids get older. If you watched Rugrats as a kid you'll understand.

But what I wish was this show lasted longer because it made me feel as if they were growing up with me fictionally inside a cartoon universe. But I do understand good things come to an end, and this is how I loved the way they wrapped up Rugrats.