Successful films understand their target audience. Highly successful films play to their target audience but also try to expand it.

No clearer example of that rule exists than the "Toy Story" movies, which raked in the dough by appealing to kids — the obvious, primary audience — as well as their parents and other adults.

And while the "Rugrats" theatrical movies may not be in the same cinematic stratosphere as "Toy Story" and its exceptional sequel, they have tried to duplicate the successful formula.

That experiment already worked once — the first "Rugrats" film was a surprise hit last summer. And "Rugrats in Paris — The Movie" cleverly stays the course.

Consequently, the level of humor at work this time isn't very highbrow — in fact, it's downright childish, for the most part. But there's a smarter, more sly wit lurking just beneath the surface of what seems to be a simple story.

That story, by the way, revolves around bespectacled 2-year-old Chuckie Finster (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh), who's hoping to get a new mom soon. His dad, Chas (Michael Bell), a widower, has just started dating again but with little success. That's about to change, though, because the Finster family is headed to Paris. More specifically, Chas and Chuckie are going with the Pickles family.

It seems Stu Pickles (Jack Riley) has been asked to come to EuroReptarland by his demanding new boss, Coco LaBouche (Susan Sarandon), who wants him there to fix a malfunctioning robot. At the same time, Coco is making a bid to take over the whole company after the CEO retires. The catch is, she needs to prove her love for children to get the job, so she quickly latches onto the unsuspecting Chas.

And even though she quickly wins him over, she'll have a much harder time winning over the distrustful Chuckie, who's holding out for a more genuine, loving mother.

Despite the fact that there are five credited screenwriters (all of whom have written for the television series) and several subplots going on, co-directors Stig Bergqvist and Paul Demeyer manage to make it all fit together, with few cracks showing.

But what's perhaps most surprising is how deftly, how poignantly the motherhood and parenting material is handled — though, again, the balance of humor is directed at really young viewers.

Thankfully, there are also some lighthearted jabs at Disney entertainment, including its amusement parks and the Broadway production of "The Lion King," which should satisfy headier audiences. (Ya gotta love the silly but affectionate nod to "Lady and the Tramp.")

If that wasn't enough, there's also stellar voice work from series regulars Cavanaugh, E.G. Daily and Cheryl Chase — though guest voice Sarandon threatens to steal the show with her way over-the-top vocal performance.

"Rugrats in Paris — The Movie" is rated G, though it does contain juvenile potty humor and other crudities, slapstick violence and animated partial nudity (sumo-wrestler costumes). Running time: 74 minutes.

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