Rags (2012 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rags
Film poster
Genre	Musical film
Based on	Cinderella by Giambattista Basile
Written by	Jason Fuchs Elizabeth Hackett Hilary Galanoy
Directed by	Bille Woodruff
Starring	Keke Palmer Max Schneider Drake Bell Avan Jogia Burkely Duffield Keenan Tracey
Theme music composer	Rodney Jerkins Andre Lindal Travis Sayles
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Nick Cannon Lauren Levine Keke Palmer Scott McAboy
Running time	88 minutes
Production company(s)	Pacific Bay Entertainment
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon
Original release	May 28, 2012 (2012-05-28)

Rags is a fun Nickelodeon Original Movie. It's a musical story that flips the classic Cinderella fairy tale. Instead of a girl, the main character is a boy! The movie stars Keke Palmer, Max Schneider, Drake Bell, Avan Jogia, and Nick Cannon. It first aired on Nickelodeon on May 28, 2012. You could also get the movie on DVD starting August 28, 2012. It was released with another film called Big Time Movie.

What is Rags About?

The movie tells the story of Charlie Prince. He is an orphan who lives in his late mom's old karaoke bar, called The Palace. His mean stepfather, Arthur, now owns the bar. Arthur makes Charlie do all the cleaning work. But two other employees, Diego and Martha, are very kind to Charlie. They treat him like their own son. Charlie's stepbrothers, Andrew and Lloyd, are not very helpful. Andrew is selfish, and Lloyd is a bit simple-minded.

All three boys dream of becoming singers. Andrew and Lloyd aren't very good, but Arthur doesn't see it. Charlie, however, has a great voice and can write amazing songs. But he just can't seem to get a chance to show his talent. At the start of the movie, Charlie sings on the streets of New York City. A man named Shawn gives him a tip and says, "Next time I see you, it better be on an album cover."

Meanwhile, there's Kadee Worth. She is the daughter of Reginald Worth, who runs Majesty Records. Kadee is a huge pop star around the world. Everyone sees her as a glamorous superstar. But secretly, she's tired of singing songs other people write. She also doesn't like wearing clothes that others pick for her. Her "boyfriend," Finn, is self-centered. Kadee's dad thinks dating Finn will help her sell more records. All Kadee really wants is to share her own music and true talent with the world.

One day, Arthur sends Charlie to deliver a song by his stepbrothers, "Androyd," to Majesty Records. They are holding a new talent contest. On his way, Charlie bumps into Kadee when her dog, Trumpet, runs toward him. After dropping off the song, Charlie sees a job opening for a janitor. Shawn, who works at Majesty Records, sees Charlie and makes sure he gets the job. Soon after, Shawn hears Charlie singing in the studio. He helps Charlie record a demo song.

As Charlie works, he keeps running into Kadee. He makes a good impression on her, and she starts to follow him. Meanwhile, Arthur finds out that "Androyd" was rejected from the talent contest.

Charlie and Kadee finally talk outside of work. Kadee tells him she writes her own music. Charlie then takes Kadee into town. He encourages her to sing her own songs. She puts on a simple disguise and performs one of her songs on the street. She loves the experience! To say thank you, Kadee gives Charlie an invitation to Majesty Records' Masquerade Ball. The winner of the talent contest will be announced there. But Arthur takes the invitation from Charlie. He plans to take Andrew and Lloyd to the ball instead.

With help from Diego and Martha, Charlie sneaks into the ball. He dances with Kadee, who is also in disguise. Charlie then meets Shawn, who is the DJ at the party. Shawn gives Charlie a demo CD. He calls Charlie "Rags" as a reminder of his humble beginnings. When the talent contest winner doesn't show up to perform, Arthur quickly sends Andrew and Lloyd on stage. But they are booed off almost immediately. Shawn encourages Charlie to perform instead. Charlie is nervous, but he agrees and steals the show! He quickly leaves afterward because he sees his stepfamily leaving. On his way out, he kisses Kadee. He tells her again to "Be you," and accidentally drops his CD.

Kadee really wants to find out who "Rags" is. She asks her dad for help, but he doesn't listen. He thinks it's not good for business. Kadee doesn't give up. She finds Charlie at The Palace and asks him to help her search. Charlie tries to tell her he is Rags, but Kadee doesn't hear him. So he helps her with the search auditions. No one else had heard the second song on the CD, so whoever knew the lyrics was Rags.

When Reginald confronts Kadee, she tells him off for not listening to her. Charlie accidentally hears this and thinks Kadee isn't interested in him. But right after, Kadee compliments Charlie and breaks up with Finn. Lloyd, who recognized Charlie from his shoes at the performance, tells Charlie to go after Kadee. He promises to keep Charlie's secret.

Andrew overhears their conversation. He goes through Charlie's room and steals his songbook. He gives it to Arthur. At the auditions, Reginald arrives and says sorry to Kadee for not listening. He promises to be more open. Charlie also encourages Kadee, telling her "Be you" again, which surprises her. Andrew shows up to audition. He leads Charlie to his father, who locks Charlie in a closet. This way, Andrew can pretend to be Rags, with Lloyd as a backup singer. Charlie escapes with help from Trumpet and Kadee's friends. But he arrives just as Andrew shakes hands with Reginald Worth.

Heartbroken, Charlie starts packing his things to leave. But Kadee finds him. She begs him to stay until she introduces Rags. To everyone's surprise, she calls Charlie up to the stage! She had figured out that Charlie was Rags because he kept telling her to be herself. Charlie is thrilled and starts to sing for the crowd. He then invites Kadee to the stage and tells her to sing her own songs. She does, with her father's encouragement. When Reginald hears his daughter's true talent, he is amazed. He decides to let Kadee be in charge of her own career from then on. Lloyd then reveals that Charlie's mom actually left The Palace to Charlie, not Arthur! This makes Charlie's day even better.

Charlie and Kadee start dating and appear on many magazine covers. The movie ends with them singing "Me And You Against The World" at The Palace. Charlie now owns it, and Diego and Martha still manage it. Lloyd is a backup dancer. Arthur and Andrew are left scrubbing toilets.

Meet the Characters

• Max Schneider as Charlie Prince: A talented young musician who dreams of becoming famous. He's like a modern-day Cinderella, but a boy!
• Keke Palmer as Kadee Worth: A famous pop singer who becomes friends with Charlie. She helps him with his dreams, and he helps her find what she truly wants.
• Drake Bell as Shawn: A studio worker at Majesty Records. He helps Charlie record his demo CD, which leads Kadee to find "Rags."
• Avan Jogia as Finn: Kadee's rockstar ex-boyfriend.
• Zak Santiago as Diego: He works with Martha at Arthur's bar and is like a father figure to Charlie.
• Christina Sicoli as Martha: She works with Diego and is like a mother figure to Charlie.
• Robert Moloney as Arthur McGowens: Charlie's mean stepfather and the father of Andrew and Lloyd.
• Burkely Duffield as Lloyd McGowens: Charlie's nicer and more friendly stepbrother.
• Keenan Tracey as Andrew McGowens: Charlie's spoiled and selfish stepbrother.
• Isaiah Mustafa as Reginald Worth: Kadee's father and the head of Majesty Records.
• Nick Cannon as Himself
• Devon Weigel as Erna: Reginald Worth's assistant.
• Tracy Spiridakos as Sammi: One of Kadee's friends.
• Carlena Britch as Tammy: Another one of Kadee's friends and a backup dancer.
• Maggie Ma as the Majesty Records receptionist.

Making the Movie

The movie Rags was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This happened from May to July in 2011. The film first showed on Nickelodeon in the USA on May 28, 2012.

How Popular Was Rags?

Rags was very popular! About 3.5 million people watched the film when it first aired. But when you count people who watched it later (within 7 days), the total viewers went up to 4.6 million. This made it one of Nickelodeon's most-watched original movies. The film also became very popular on iTunes. It was the number one musical movie on iTunes and stayed at the top for over a month! In the United Kingdom and Ireland, 139,000 people watched it on Nickelodeon.

The Music of Rags

The album Rags (Music from the Original Movie) is the official soundtrack for the film. It was released on May 22, 2012, by Nick Records. All the songs were produced by Darkchild and Andre Lindal. The album has nine songs sung by Keke Palmer and Max Schneider, plus three bonus tracks. It was available on iTunes starting May 21. The soundtrack reached number one on the iTunes soundtrack albums chart. It also hit number three on the Top 100 albums on iTunes chart.

Song List

Where Was Rags Shown?

The movie Rags was shown on many Nickelodeon channels around the world. Most of these broadcasts happened in August 2012.

Country / Region	Channel	Movie Premiere	Title in Country
Brazil	Nickelodeon (Brazil)	9 August 2012	Rags, O Poder da Música
Latin America	Nickelodeon (Latin America)	11 August 2012	Rags
Poland	Nickelodeon (Poland)	18 August 2012	Wyśpiewać marzenia
Russia	Nickelodeon (Russia)	18 August 2012	Лохмотья
Germany	Nickelodeon (Germany)	18 August 2012	Rags
Africa	Nickelodeon (Africa)
Netherlands	Nickelodeon (Netherlands)	19 August 2012
Philippines	Nickelodeon (Philippines)	20 August 2012
Hong Kong  India  Malaysia  Singapore  Thailand Taiwan  Vietnam || Nickelodeon (South East Asia)
Australia  New Zealand	Nickelodeon (Australia)	26 August 2012
Italy	Nickelodeon (Italy)
France	Nickelodeon (France)		Le rêve du chanteur masqué
Portugal	Nickelodeon (Portugal)	31 August 2012	Rags
Lithuania	TV3 Lithuania	12 May 2013
United Kingdom  Ireland	Nickelodeon (UK and Ireland)	September 24, 2012
Greece	Nickelodeon (Greece)	9 November 2013

See also

In Spanish: Rags para niños