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'Rugrats' Voice Actors E.G. Daily And Cheryl Chase Call New Animation Style 'Brilliant': 'Every Time They Would Show Us We Would Just Gasp''

(CBS) - In the words of Chuckie Finster, "Looks like a giant step to me" as the 90's classic Rugrats returns on May 27th with all-new episodes and a slick modern animation style as a Paramount+ original. Rugrats brings Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica and the gang into modern times with a brand new slate of adventures. Many of the original voice actors return as a whole new generation of fans get acquainted with the voices millennials grew up with on Nickelodeon.

CBS' Matt Weiss spoke to Cheryl Chase (Angelica Pickles) and E.G. Daily (Tommy Pickles) about the new series, bringing modern technology into the fold and the potential for a sequel to "Reptar On Ice."

MW- Cheryl, E.G. great to see you both today and as a millennial I couldn't be more excited about the return of Rugrats coming to Paramount+! What was the reaction from each of you when you found out about the new series?

CC- Certainly excitement to see if the children of today are to embrace the new reboot!

EGD- It was really exciting, I could barely believe it was really happening. It was always a great show and even though we stopped doing it for as long as we did, it sort of felt like the world needed Rugrats back. I feel like Tommy Pickles stays in my body all the time and he's itching to get out! He's always in there saying things like "I gotta get out of here!" [Tommy Pickle's voice]. I can feel him wanting to be out [Laughs].

I really feel like this couldn't have come at a better time. We were all so separated during COVID and this is such a beautiful time to get back with our Rugrats family. It's really awesome.

MW- Absolutely, no better time to bring some positivity. This new series will have a totally different animation style than the original with 3D computer graphics, what did each of you think when you first saw it?

CC- When I first saw it my eyes bugged out of my head, it was mind boggling! Everything is in 3D, you can practically reach out and touch it and see so many details. Chuckie's little Reptar doll you can see the texture to it, you can see the sparkle on Angelica's sneakers. It's brilliant!

EGD- Every time they would show us we would just gasp. It's tactile, with the this amazing animation the water looks like water, the mud looks like mud. Rugrats is so much about texture with them all crawling around on the ground and the perspective's are so much bigger.

They're able to go so much bigger with the perspectives but the stories are still based around family and love and sweetness. It's the best of everything, what we remember about the secret lives of kids and their perspective but with those gorgeous animation.

MW- The first thing I thought of is how incredible a "Reptar On Ice" episode would look, I don't know if that's in the works but it should be!

CC- There should be, yes! That's a good idea!

EGD- A great idea!

MW- Just give me credit if it does happen [laughs]. Is there a moment going back to the original series and your experiences with the show that sticks out as a favorite for each of you?

CC- A favorite moment of mine was when Rugrats had a live stage show in the late 90's. It premiered at Radio City Music Hall and it was so grand to be in that historic building. Actors would dress up as the characters and put on this show and we as the cast had recorded voice overs. It toured the whole country and it was very exciting for me to be a part of that and to see the premiere at Radio City Music Hall.

EGD- I just really liked some of the very beginning episodes. I just remember things like Tommy loving being naked and saying things like "I like being nakey" and just to me that was so special to see the characters developing. There were so many moments that I loved but I especially love the relationship between Chuckie and Tommy.

Chuckie has his little insecurities and fears and phobias and Tommy helps him through all of it. I think that's so beautiful even today as we all help each other through our own little fears and phobias. I really loved the specials as well because they educated people about different cultures.

MW- For people like myself who watched the original series as a kid or a kid today watching Rugrats for the first time, what can we expect to see when we log on to Paramount+?

CC- They can expect to see some slightly different changes to the characters. For example, Grandpa is a hippie and Charlotte Pickles, Angelica's mom, she's a politician now. The adults on the show now are millennials so they're the same age as the grown up Rugrats fans. So millennials will be able to relate to the jokes for the parents while little kids will still be able to relate to the jokes the babies go through.

EGD- There's a lot of stuff that's really beautiful and a lot of current stuff. If you think back to Rugrats 30 years ago and what we were dealing with, now today we have things like Grandpa doing online dating and the parents talking about blogs and webisodes.

The characters are very much the same but they're set in a different world so they're dealing with cell phones and iPads. I can't wait to see the episodes, people have no idea what the animation is going to look like and I'm just so excited for it!

MW- Can't wait. Before we wrap things up here, E.G. can we close this off with one "a baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do?"

EGD- Of course! A baby's gotta do, what a baby's gotta do! [Tommy Pickles voice]

MW- Fantastic, I don't think there's any better way to end this interview than that. Thank you both so much and all the best!

CC- Thanks Matt!

EGD- Thank you!

Rugrats returns Thursday, May 27th on Paramount+. Visit Paramountplus.com for more information.

 

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