'Rugrats': EG Daily and Tara Strong Dish on Season 2 of Paramount+ Reboot (Exclusive)
Paramount+'s Rugrats reboot is back for Season 2 at the streamer, and the show is once again delivering hilarious and heartfelt stories for children and parents to enjoy together. Recently, PopCulture.com had a chance to speak with Rugrats voice actors EG Daily and Tara Strong, who star as brothers Tommy and Dill Pickles, respectively. The pair dished on many aspects of the show, including the updated animation and how fans have responded to the new series.
While Daily was part of the show's first season, Season 2 of the Rugrats reboot is a reunion for her and Strong, who making her return as the voice of Dill. "You know I started in animation when I was 13 and I grew up in Toronto and I did a lot of American co-production stuff. I was on Beetlejuice and Care Bears and a lot of wonderful projects," Strong said of her career prior to the hit Nicktoon. "But when I first saw Rugrats, I'm like, 'Huh, that is different. That is really special. That is this incredible show that has its own unique animation style,' which they've taken to the next level in this new CG version."
She continued, "You know, I'm sure a lot of the OG people are worried, 'Why didn't they stick to the old animation?' But the new animation is so beautiful. It's like Pixar level, gorgeous to watch. So the adventures are even bigger and better and if, you know, [you] had watched it as a kid and now get to watch it with your kids, it's pretty special."
Now in her second season with the show, Daily notes that she's encountered many Rugrats fans who have been thrilled about the new series. "I think people are just so moved and they're so happy to get to go back to something they love so much, "she said, then clarifying of the original show, "Rugrats didn't leave because it wasn't great. It left because it was done at that point for that many years. They had done so many episodes."
She went on to explain, "So when now the fact that we get to come back and people will come up and see us more recently at Cons and stuff, they literally cry because it's so heartwarming to go back to something that reminded you of when you were younger or a child. Now, these young people watching when they're kids are now young adults and they get to go back to this thing that just makes them feel safe and cozy because it's familiar and everyone's included. They talk about things that we're all very different, but progress really embraces all the differences. I just think it's one of those shows that just, they did it beautifully. They just did it beautifully."
Part of what makes Rugrats Season 2 so special is the return of baby Dill, who rejoins Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, and the rest of the gang. Strong joked that "Dilly's back!" and added that "It's like riding a bike. It's like no time has passed."
Recalling getting back to work on the show, Strong shared, "I was at my first session and you know, all of Baby Dill's lines are in the stage directions. Right? He grabs Tommy's toy, he pulls Angelica's hair, he's pooping, he's crying... And after the first session, I was talking to our director, Charlie Adler, and I said, 'You know it feels good to put this old diapee back on.'"
Elaborating on what she loves about the look of the new Rugrats series, Strong said, "Now most animation for young kids is CG and the kids, that's what they're used to and they're drawn to, right? When we were kids, it was all the old-style animation, and there was old cell animation and the times have changed dramatically. I think when it's not done well, you can tell. When it's done well, you are in those stories with the characters and Rugrats are masterful at that."
Adding some further perspective to what has made the new series so important, Daily said, "What they did that was so beautiful was they brought back all the original babies. So that in itself, just that one element is going to make people feel right, you know feel like they're taking right back to the beginning."
She also offered, "Only the beautiful smart thing they did was they brought our babies and our adults, obviously the adults are now more millennial parents and they put them in today's time. So the new generation of kids can understand what they're talking about, cell phones. And it's really nostalgic for the older generation that are watching it to be like, "Oh my God, our Rugrats now have cell phones and dating apps..."
Strong then quipped, "I think they had cell phones before, but like now they're on Zoom call now. They're on Zoom calls." Daily added, "Yeah, Zoom calls. And bloggers, they're bloggers... We have dating apps now, like Grandpa Lou's on a dating app. I love that."
Lastly, Strong offered some final thoughts on what parents should definitely watch the episodes with their kids. "Rugrats Season 2 is bigger, better, more beautiful," she said, later teasing, "We have wonderful guest stars" such as Yvette Nicole Brown. Strong then said, "I think the thing that I want parents to know the most is whatever they loved about the show before is there. It's the same magic."
It's these beautiful familial moments," Strong added, "It's so inclusive. Rugrats was the first show to include a Jewish family, a Black family. It's where kids learned about Passover, Hanukkah, Kwanza. Of course, representation matters and I think Nickelodeon was on that before anyone else. And I think especially when the world has gone through so much and is so crazy, showing how we can all love each other is the most important thing and this show's great at that." Rugrats Season 2 is now streaming on Paramount+. Those interested in trying out a free trial of Paramount+ can do so by clicking here.