Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is the second Animated Adaptation of the book series, and more specifically, the second book, by Jeff Kinney. It was released to Disney+ on December 2, 2022, with animation production by Bardel Entertainment.
All Greg wants is a decent enough Cool Big Bro to look up to. Unfortunately, he's only got one big bro: the lazy, rude and troublesome Rodrick Heffley, who enjoys teasing Greg as much as he can and is no help at all at teaching the younger boy the ways of living. One night, Rodrick throws a Wild Teen Party and locks Greg and his best friend Rowley in the basement, so Greg comes up with a risky plan to make Rodrick give him the much-needed respect... while also doing his best to tie up a few loose ends that could spoil everything.
Previews: Trailer
The film was followed up by Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, released on December 8, 2023.
This movie provides examples of:
- Adaptation Expansion: The movie adds a scene where Grandpa laments to Greg how, unlike how Greg and Rodrick spend time together, Frank and his brothers never got along and drifted apart, yearning that they could learn to be as close as the two younger Heffleys supposedly are. Greg can't help but feel a mixture of guilt and pity for his grandfather.
- Bittersweet Ending: Greg gets a grounded Rodrick back on track for the performance and makes amends with him, at the cost of skipping out on helping Rowley (who nonetheless manages to make do with the much older Larry Larkin) and a harsher punishment.
- Compressed Adaptation: Just like the first animated film. This film cuts out all of the scenes at the beginning showing Greg and Rodrick bullying each other, the scene where Mom finds out that Greg's Mom Bucks are fake, and the scene where Greg plays a prank on Rowley that breaks Rowley's toe (and Mom then forces Greg to assist Rowley in the talent show).
- Et Tu, Brute?: Two such moments occur, one more dramatic then the other, involving Rodrick and Greg:
- It all starts after the boys are grounded due to Susan and Frank discovering Rodrick's party and Greg's complicity in it; Rodrick thinks Greg ratted him out as payback for selling him a bogus science project and laying into him for everything, making it clear he's not just angry with his brother, but also extremely disappointed in him:
Rodrick: I thought you were cool... guess I was wrong.- The second, more poignant one takes place during the talent show, where Bill offers Greg the chance to join their band as a backup drummer. Rodrick, already bitter at Greg for the above fiasco, is extremely mad at first and eager to make fun of Greg for every pratfall, but once Greg pulls off an excellent drum solo that puts his to shame, Rodrick (in one of the most OOC moments in Diary of a Wimpy Kid history), tears up and storms out of the theater to hide his sadness, and Greg is horrified to see how much he broke his brother's heart.
- Exact Words: Rodrick sells Greg an assignment that Rodrick claims is his "best work", that he got an F on. Greg later confronts Rodrick, who points out that an F is still his best work.
- Oh, Crap!: The boys belt out a good, long, panicked scream when they see the message "Rodrick Rules!" on the bathroom door... with the car pulled up just in front of the house.
- Out of Focus: Westmore Middle School and it's student body receive a lot less focus in this film than in the previous one, and the only scene involving them shows them taking a level in kindness when they praise Greg for winning the bingo competition at Leisure Towers and making a big getaway.
- Say My Name: Rowley tells Greg that wasn't a Rockstart project, that's just a "Do Plants Sneeze?" project. Greg angrily screams Rodrick's name and birds fly away. Also combined with Skyward Scream.Greg: RODRICK!!!
- Take That!: How does Greg drive away all the sleeping teenagers in their house after the party? Whip out "Never Gonna Give You Up"note along with a few dance moves with a dead serious glare.Bill: Not cool, dude.
- Truer to the Text: Greg and Rowley remain trapped in the basement for the rest of the night during Rodrick's party, unlike the live-action film in which Rodrick had to let them out after receiving a call from Susan checking in on him and Greg. Bill Walter is also much closer to his book counterpart than in the live-action film, since still tries to get Rodrick back into the talent show, instead of outright replacing him.
- Wild Teen Party: It wouldn't be Rodrick Rules if there wasn't the party that Rodrick threw in the original book after Frank, Susan and Manny left the house for the night.
