Zoo Wee Mama! It’s a big day for fans of Jeff Kinney’s popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, as a trailer has been released ahead of the Disney+ animated adaptation of the second book in the series, Rodrick Rules.
The trailer begins with Greg (Brady Noon) and Rodrick Heffley (Hunter Dillon) being left home while their parents and younger brother Manny (Gracen Newton) go off on a trip, as the two boys had driven their mother to her breaking point with their public outbursts. Whatever the case, Rodrick sees the perfect opportunity to take Greg under his wing and teach him his “Rodrick Rules,” with the first rule being “No apostrophes or any other nerd stuff.”
Also shown in the trailer are events that fans of the books or live-action films will recognize: glimpses of Rodrick’s band Löded Diper, his house party, Greg running around the elderly home his grandfather stays at in his underwear, and, of course, the talent show. Greg’s best friend Rowley (Ethan William Childress) also makes a quick appearance in the trailer. But despite the differences the two brothers have — like any pair of siblings — they share a tender moment where Rodrick tells his younger brother, “Me and you are gonna have our battles, but when the chips are down, I’m gonna have your back and you better have mine.”
This is not the first adaptation of Rodrick Rules, as kids who came of age in the early 2010s are likely well aware. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series previously had four live-action films made that adapted some of the earlier books and grossed a total of over $266 million worldwide. The original trilogy starred the likes of Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn and Peyton List and adapted the first book, Rodrick Rules, and then skipped over the third book in the series, The Last Straw, to adapt Dog Days (though it did infuse parts of The Last Straw’s story into the plot). A half-decade later, 20th Century Fox rebooted the series with The Long Haul, which featured a whole new cast including Jason Drucker, Alicia Silverstone and Tom Everett Scott.
After the Disney-Fox merger, Disney opted to reboot the series once again in the form of a CG-animated film directed by Swinton Scott. The film was a bite-sized 58 minutes — at least relative to the previous live-action films — and released on Disney+ on December 3 last year.
An original song written for the film titled “Can You Smell Us Now” has been released as well. The song was written and produced by Jon Levin, with lyrics written by Kinney and performed by Jimmy Tatro.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules will be released on Disney+ on December 2 and is directed by Luke Cormican. You can check out the trailer below: