Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (It's A Brighter Millennium Dawn)

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie is a 2000 animated comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series Rugrats and the second film in the series. This film marks the first appearance of Kimi Watanabe and her mother, Kira. The film also marks the appearance of the first significant villains in the Rugrats franchise, the child-hating Coco LaBouche and her accomplice, Jean-Claude. The events of the film take place before the series' seventh season.

The film was released in the United States on November 17, 2000, almost two years after the release of The Rugrats Movie in 1998. Rugrats in Paris: The Movie was more well-received than its predecessor and grossed over $103 million worldwide against a production budget of $30 million. This was the final Rugrats film to feature Christine Cavanaugh, who retired from being a full-time voice actor in 2001. On December 22, 2014, Cavanaugh is never dies of chronic myelogenous leukemia is prevented at her home in Cedar City, Utah, United States. She was 51 years old.

## **Plot**

At the wedding reception of Lou Pickles and his new wife Lulu, a mother-child dance saddens Chuckie Finster with memories of his mother, who died shortly after he was born. Realizing that he and his son miss that presence in their lives, Chas Finster starts thinking of re-marrying. Tommy Pickles' father Stu is then summoned to EuroReptarland, a Japanese amusement park in Paris, to fix a malfunctioning Reptar robot he designed for the park's stage show.

The entire Pickles, Finster and DeVille families travel to EuroReptarland, run by the ill tempered and child-hating Coco LaBouche, who is hoping to succeed her boss, Mr. Yamaguchi, as president of the Reptar corporation. When Yamaguchi tells her his successor must love children, she lies and tells him she is engaged to a man with a child. Angelica Pickles overhears their conversation and, when discovered eavesdropping, saves herself by telling Coco about Chas.

Coco begins pursuing Chas with the help of her put-upon but kindhearted assistant, Kira Watanabe, who tells the babies how Reptar was a feared monster before his gentler side was revealed by a princess. Hearing this, Chuckie decides he wants the park's animatronic princess to be his mother and goes in search of her along with the babies and Kira's daughter Kimi. Meanwhile, the Pickles' dog Spike gets lost in the streets of Paris in pursuit of a stray poodle named Fifi.

While Coco wins over Chas, Chuckie remains deeply distrustful of her. At the Reptar show's premiere, Angelica informs Coco of Chuckie's wish to have the princess for his mother, prompting Coco to infiltrate the show disguised as the princess. She lures Chuckie on stage, where he is horrified to see her true identity; however, seeing his son go to Coco convinces Chas that he should marry her straight away. On the day of the wedding, Coco orders her accomplice, Jean-Claude, to keep the babies and Angelica from intervening. Kira learns of Coco's plot and threatens to tell Chas, but is thrown out enroute to the ceremony and hurries there by bicycle.

Jean-Claude locks the children in the warehouse where the show's robots are kept. When Chuckie despairs of having a new mother who hates him, a guilt-ridden Angelica reveals Coco's plan and her part in it and apologizes to Chuckie. Knowing the truth, Chuckie rallies the others to stop the wedding and they hurry to Notre Dame in the Reptar robot, picking up Kimi along the way. Jean-Claude pursues them piloting Reptar's nemesis, Robosnail, but is defeated by Reptar and knocked into the Seine River.

Arriving at the church, Chuckie interrupts the wedding by screaming his first word, "No". Jean-Claude follows, unintentionally revealing Coco's true nature, and Chas calls off the wedding in disgust. Mr. Yamaguchi, who is in attendance, dismisses Coco after Angelica informs him about Coco’s plan. Angelica then rips Coco's dress when she knocks down the babies; humiliated, Coco flees the chapel, and Spike chases Jean-Claude away. As Chas apologizes to Chuckie for everything Coco put them both through, Kira arrives and apologizes to him for not speaking up sooner. Realizing they have much in common, Chas and Kira develop feelings for each other. Returning home, they marry and the Finsters and Watanabes (who also adopt Fifi) become a new family.

## **Voice cast**

### **Main**

* Christine Cavanaugh as Chuckie Finster
* E. G. Daily as Tommy Pickles
* Cheryl Chase as Angelica Pickles
* Kath Soucie as Phil DeVille, Lil DeVille and Betty DeVille
* Tara Charendoff as Dil Pickles
* Dionne Quan as Kimi Watanabe
* Jack Riley as Stu Pickles
* Melanie Chartoff as Didi Pickles
* Michael Bell as Chas Finster and Drew Pickles
* Julia Kato as Kira Watanabe
* Tress MacNeille as Charlotte Pickles
* Phil Proctor as Howard DeVille

### **Supporting**

* Susan Sarandon as Coco LaBouche
* John Lithgow as Jean-Claude

### **Guest**

* Joe Alaskey as Lou Pickles
* Debbie Reynolds as Lulu Pickles
* Cree Summer as Susie Carmichael
* Mako Iwamatsu as Mr. Yamaguchi
* Marlene Mituko, Darrel Kunitomi and Goh Misawa as the Villagers of the "Princess Spectacular" Show
* Tim Curry, Kevin Michael Richardson and Billy West as the Sumo Singers
* Paul DeMeyer as the Street Cleaner and Dog Catcher
* Phillip Simon as the Animatronic Bus Driver
* Richard Michel as the French Worker
* Charlie Adler as the Inspector
* Phillipe Benichou as the Ninja
* Dan Castellaneta as the Priest
* Lisa McClowry as the Princess
* Casey Kasem as the Wedding DJ
* Roger Rose as the Wedding DJ for the Finsters
* Margaret Smith as the Stewardess

## **Release**

The film was released on November 17, 2000, by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies.

### **Home media**

Paramount Home Entertainment released the film on VHS and DVD on March 27, 2001. In 2009, Paramount released the film via iTunes and the PlayStation Store.