Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie

Ok, so this movie is essentially filled with Indiana Jones cliche's and typical plot sequences that I've seen countless times before so no originality there. Combine that with loads of fan service and you can understand why the movie was pretty predictable. They were way too cutesy in the beginning at which my respond was to just shake my head. At least they did the ending right so that does bring closure to a fantastic TV series. The movie doesn't have the same wit as the TV series but it's somewhat entertaining nonetheless. More than a decade too late but sure.

I've always been a huge Hey Arnold! Fan, it's the one Nickelodeon show that truly stuck with me, no matter how many years passed. It's always held a special place in my heart, not just for the characters, but for the quiet life lessons at the end of every episode. So to see Craig Bartlett come back and give us The Jungle Movie and actually deliver was honestly such a surprise. It brought closure, answered the big questions, and stayed beautifully true to the original series. Take notes, Cartoon Network. This is how you honor your legacy.

Let's just take a moment to reflect about what a treat it is that this even got made.

The trivia for the other movie straight up said "the film they really wanted to make (which will probably never be made...)"

OK: Does this come anything close to being worth the 17 year wait I had for this?

Yes. Yes it does.

You gotta go into these kind of things with realistic expectations but this is an engaging, funny and poignant adventure which requires you to suspend disbelief a little bit but it's a good story with tons of well judged fan service and gives every character that moment to appreciate them.

At first, the animation style takes some getting used to but you do.

You NEED to watch the finale of the series first. Rewatch it if you haven't seen it in a while.

Very good cartoon! The plot is great. The characters are the same and with the same characteristic; as in the cartoon series "Hey, Arnold" Perfectly brightens up the time...

In General, the plot is done very well. Everything is deployed smoothly and accessible, what and how for what goes. It is very important that after so many years Arnold's characteristics have not changed - it is very valuable!

I've recently rewatched the entire Hey Arnold series, and I've seen obvious and subtle nods to the series. My favorite was the overall theme of Arnold's headshape, and how it ties into the movie. It reminded me of the episode where Arnold turns into a greaser to fit his head through a window lol.

I've watched this movie for the second time and have enjoyed it immensely. I grew up with the series, and I was so excited to watch this movie when it came out. It was worth a revisit. A true nostalgic treasure.