The third episode of the first season of Rugrats.
At the Movies
When the adults take the babies to see The Dummi Bears in The Land Without Smiles, the babies, wanting instead to see Reptar after Tommy told them about it, escape and wander around the theater.
Slumber Party
Angelica and Tommy have a slumber party, and when Tommy ends up getting sick, he has a very strange fever dream.
"At the Movies" provides examples of:
- Adults Are Useless: Not only do all of the parents (except for Lou) get engrossed in The Dummi Bears in the Land Without Smiles, unaware that their children have run away, the snack bar attendants are too busy arguing with each other as the babies make a mess of the snack bar, and the projectionist is reading a Slimeman comic book as the babies make a mess of the film projectors showing the various movies. When Lou gets bored of the movie and decides to go get snacks, he finds the babies, but without the least bit of concern, he thinks that the babies have gotten bored of the movie as well, and says nothing to the other parents.
- Affectionate Parody: This episode marks the first appearances of Reptar, a Godzilla parody, and the Dummi Bears, a parody of the Care Bears.
- An Aesop: Take your kids to movies they are interested in, they want to see, and they would like to see.
- Baby's First Words: In this episode, "Reptar" is revealed to be the first word Tommy says to the grown-ups. Having seen a commercial for a Reptar movie, this is how Tommy tries to tell his parents that he wants to see that movie.
- Brick Joke: The babies cause a huge mess at the concession stand. After the Octoplex closes, one dissatisfied moviegoer complains about the popcorn tasting like soda pop.
- Correlation/Causation Gag: While looking for Reptar's theater in the projection booth, Tommy and Chuckie see a martial arts movie. When Chuckie asks if it's what they're looking for, the character on screen says "Hey, you talkin' to me?". Chuckie immediately says he was talking to Tommy.
- Cut Short: In-universe; Didi has to comfort a tearful Stu over whether or not Little Shauna lives, when the film ends up getting cut short thanks to the babies making a mess of the projection room. At the same time, a couple who was watching a mystery movie complain about the picture going out just before The Reveal.
- Dramatic Irony: At the end of the episode, Stu and Didi comment on Tommy making it through a whole movie without causing any trouble, unaware that he and the other babies were responsible for the films going out.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The Reptar film in the short has him attacking New York City, whereas in later episodes, being a Godzilla expy, he attacks Tokyo.
- Melting-Film Effect: The babies' shenanigans in the cinema's projection room leads to the Dummi Bears: The Land Without Smiles film getting caught in it's projector and burning right at an important plot point. Worthy of note are the wacky bubble-like noises the film's soundtrack makes as it melts.Squeaky Bear: I know you're all wondering if little Shauna is going to pull through... (the others look aghast) Oh well... (warps a bit) lookslikelittleShauna, uh... (makes bubbling noises)
- Movie-Theater Episode: The families go to the movie theater to see The Dummi Bears in the Land Without Smiles in this episode.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: In their first appearance, Larry and Steve are working at the Octoplex's snack bar.
- Noodle Incident: Apparently, Steve once bet Larry to drink a carton of artificial popcorn butter. Larry did it, but ended up getting caught by their boss.
- Periphery Demographic: In-universe; the adults (except for Lou) are more engaged in The Dummi Bears in the Land Without Smiles than their children are.
- Periphery Hatedom: In-universe; throughout the episode, Lou complains about the saccharine tone of The Dummi Bears in the Land Without Smiles, and how he'd rather go bowling.Lou: "Land Without Brains" is more like it!
- Poor Communication Kills: Tommy wants to see the Reptar movie, but the adults have no idea and take him to see The Dummi Bears in the Land Without Smiles instead, and it results in the babies wandering off to find Reptar and also inadvertently causing the films at the theater to go out (although this is also due to the adults' incompetence). Then again, Tommy does try to tell his parents he wants to see Reptar, but they don't understand because of his Baby Talk.
- Recurring Extra: First appearance of teenagers Larry and Steve, this time as theater employees.
- Show Within a Show: The Dummi Bears in the Land Without Smiles, which is an Affectionate Parody of The Care Bears Movie.
- Sickeningly Sweet: In-universe; The Dummi Bears in the Land Without Smiles. Lou is very vocal about his opinion on the movie's tone.Lou: I'm gonna get some candy. I'd rather rot my teeth than stay here and rot my brain!
- Two Decades Behind: The Octoplex's movie projectors still use older-style film reels, contrasting to the large film platter projectors that actual cinemas began adopting in The '70s.
- The Unreveal: In The Land Without Smiles, just as Dr. Squeaky Bear is about to reveal whether Little Shauna will pull through or not, the film gets caught in the projector and melts, due to the babies' shenanigans in the projection room. Stu is especially angered and upset by this.
"Slumber Party" provides examples of:
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: When Angelica takes on the form of the cupid in Tommy's mobile during Tommy's hallucination, she is drawn without visible genitalia, as with the cupid itself.
- Bookends: This episode technically begins and ends the same way; with Tommy asking what a slumber party is, and Angelica replying, "If you have to ask, you'll never know.".
- Catch Your Death of Cold: Tommy complains about the room getting cold when Angelica opens the window. He turns out to be right when he gets sick.
- Fever Dream Episode: Tommy gets sick in this episode, leading to a sequence where he hallucinates that his family members are the figurines from his mobile.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: In a previous episode, "Barbecue Story", Angelica received no comeuppance for throwing Tommy's ball over the fence and into the next yard. In this episode, she opens Tommy's bedroom window, getting him sick, and blames Chuckie, Phil, and Lil for it despite the latter three not being in the episode, and Tommy throws up on her near the end.
- Laser-Guided Karma: For getting Tommy sick and lying about it to the adults, Tommy throws up on Angelica near the end of this episode.
- Never My Fault: Angelica blames her opening Tommy's bedroom window and getting Tommy sick on Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, who aren't even in this episode.
- Noodle Incident: Lou tells the other adults that in order to cure Tommy, they have to turn him upside down and feed him applesauce. Stu objects to this idea, because the last time they tried it, there was applesauce everywhere.
- Screaming at Squick: Angelica does this after Tommy vomits all over her.
- Sick Episode: Tommy gets sick when Angelica leaves his bedroom window open.
- Slumber Party: It's in the title.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Near the end of this episode, Tommy throws up on Angelica, and the viewers get to see him do so.
