Changes: At the Movies

Revision as of 08:49, 12 December 2015

Season 1 Episode 3a

At the Movies
Original Airdate	August 25, 1991
VHS release	Return of Reptar
DVD release	Season 1
Previous Episode	Waiter, There's a Baby in My Soup
Next Episode	Slumber Party

At the Movies is the first segment of the third episode of Season 1, and the third Rugrats segment overall.

Characters Present

Synopsis

Tommy wants to see the Reptar movie, but his parents take him and the other Rugrats to the Westside Octoplex to see The Land Without Smiles (starring the Dummi Bears) instead. The Rugrats leave the Dummi Bears to go look for Reptar (showing at the same theater), leaving a path of destruction behind them.

- Description from Klasky Csupo.

Plot

Tommy wants to sees a movie about Reptar, but instead his parents take him to see The Dummi Bears in: The Land Without Smiles at the Westside Octoplex. They decide it'd be perfect as Tommy's first movie, and also invite Betty, Howard, and Chaz to bring their kids so they can all see the movie together.

At the movie theater, Tommy tells Chuckie, Phil and Lil about Reptar. This causes them to want to see the movie about Reptar instead. As the film starts, they walk out of the Dummi Bears movie (which Grandpa Lou derisively refers to as "The Land Without Brains") and try to find Reptar. Chas wants to drink orange soda.

While searching they walk into a theatre featuring a romantic film. As they watch a couple kissing on the big screen, their silhouettes block some of the screen, as a man shouts at them down and front. An usher comes in as the babies hide around the seats to avoid being caught, inadvertently interrupting a couple having a date in the process. They leave with Lil stating that she didn't like kissing movies, because "Nothing ever happens."

They then wander to the concessions stand. There the babies find popcorn, orange and grape sodas, lids, napkins, cups, candy bars, ketchup, mustard and straws (the two teenage employees in charge, Larry and Steve, don't notice the babies because they're arguing over comic books). Tommy checks the popcorn both for Reptar, while Phil and Lil take interest in the soda dispensers, pushing the buttons and spilling the soft drinks on the counters and floors until eventually they get stuck continuously pouring soda. Meanwhile, Chuckie, after sampling some candy, notices some stairs leading up while Phil and Lil start playing with the ketchup and mustard dispensers by the hot dog sections. Phil & Lil plays with straws and spill all the straws. After Chuckie points out the stairs, Tommy concludes they'll find Reptar upstairs. As soon as the babies leave, the two teenagers notice the massive mess and scream.

They climb up into the projection booths, perceiving the film projectors as "spaghetti merry-go-rounds". They check each movie until they find the right one, and are awed by the movie. Lou wants to have a tub of popcorn with butter. As Phil tries to get a look because the others are crowding the window, Phil falls onto one of the film projectors and starts riding it around. Soon the rest of the babies start riding them. Then they grab the film and run around with them, tangling them up together as the films begin to unravel and break.

Seeing the damage they've done, the babies quickly rush back downstairs as the projectionist notices the incredible mess and tries to save the film unsuccessfully. Grandpa Lou finds them after getting some snacks from the concession stand (he comments on the mess the babies caused, telling Larry and Steve how in his time they knew how to keep a work place clean). Grandpa Lou takes them back with him to the Dummi Bears movie, which catches in the projector and melts The Land Without Smiles at the climax, and now the audiences has groaned because it's bad money. Lou wondered if I took the popcorn away. Lou is taking the candy home

Stu is angry at the fact they only saw part of the movie, and is especially mad that it went out at the climax. The other theater patrons leave equally furious because they did not receive a refund even though they didn't see their movies end. They don't have enough money to go to the movies, because they ran out of money, their money is broken like a ghost. The picture just goes black and the money is scary and it's a bad money. The Land Without Smiles is ran out of money and say goodbye to the money, because their money is bad luck. They also complain about the poor quality of the food from the concessions stand due to Tommy, Phil, and Lil wrecking the place. Because they didn't see the ending, Didi and Stu decide to go out to see their movie again next week, but at a different theatre. Grandpa eats the candy bar without a movie. Tommy takes notice of a flashing Reptar billboard as they drive by.

Movies Playing at the Octoplex

Reptar - A parody of the Godzilla movies, the babies were interested in seeing this.
The Dummi Bears in the Land Without Smiles - A parody of Care Bears and the Land Without Feelings, it was Intended to be Tommy's first movie; Grandpa Lou hated the film and even Tommy hated it.
My Dad, the Kid - Unseen; possible comedy.
In Love - The "kissing movie" that was a parody on Ghost the babies walked in on.
Total Mayhem - A Total Recall parody; possibly seen by the babies in the projection room.
The Adventures of Idaho Ike - A parody of the Indiana Jones series of movies; seen by the babies in the projection room. This parody also has elements of the 1976 film Taxi Driver.
Unnamed Action Movie - A Die Hard parody; possible seen by the babies in the projection room.

Trivia

This episode marks the first appearance of the Dummi Bears and Reptar.
Betty, Howard, and Chaz appear in this episode, but don't have any lines
In this episode, the characters do not know much about Reptar, but in further episodes, they claim that Reptar is their favorite fictional character, and seem more familiar with the franchise.
This episode marks the second time Angelica does not appear.
MGR: Minor Guidance Recommended is a parody of the real life rating PG: Parental Guidance Suggested.
This episode appears on the Return of Reptar VHS tape.
In the later episode, A Step At A Time, Tommy is seen with a Reptar doll right before taking his first steps. This could suggest he knew about, and loved, Reptar before this episode.
Tommy looks for the popcorn booth
Phil pushes orange soda and mustard dispensers
Lil pushes grape soda and ketchup dispensers

Goofs

When Reptar grabs hold of the large flying monster, its wings look like arms. However, this may have been done intentionally to let the viewer at home see that it is an actor in a poorly made costume.
At the end of this episode, it shows the Pickles after the movie in a light green car backed into a parking spot. In the next scene it shows them backing out of the parking spot in a blue car.

Quotes

Lou [after seeing the title card for the Dummi Bears movie]: Land without brains is more like it!

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |Next = [[Slumber Party]]
 |Airdate = August 25, 1991|season = 1
-|episode = 3a|VHS = [[Return of Reptar]]
+|episode = 3a|VHS = [[Return of Reptar (VHS)|Return of Reptar]]
 |DVD = [[Season 1]]}}
-'''''At the Movies''''' is the first segment of the third episode of [[season 1]], and the third ''[[Rugrats]]'' segment overall.
+'''''At the Movies''''' is the first segment of the third episode of [[Season 1]], and the third ''[[Rugrats]]'' segment overall.
 ===Characters Present ===
@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 *Betty, Howard, and Chaz appear in this episode, but don't have any lines
 *In this episode, the characters do not know much about Reptar, but in further episodes, they claim that Reptar is their favorite fictional character, and seem more familiar with the franchise.
-*This episode marks the second time [[Angelica]] does not appear.
+*This episode marks the second time [[Angelica Pickles|Angelica]] does not appear.
 *MGR: Minor Guidance Recommended is a parody of the real life rating PG: Parental Guidance Suggested.
-*This episode appears on the ''[[Return of Reptar ]]'' VHS tape.
+*This episode appears on the ''[[Return of Reptar (VHS)|Return of Reptar]]'' VHS tape.
 *In the later episode, [[A Step At A Time]], Tommy is seen with a Reptar doll right before taking his first steps. This could suggest he knew about, and loved, Reptar before this episode.
 * Tommy looks for the popcorn booth