Hey Arnold! The Movie

We saw this film as a sneak preview. My 7 year old son was mildly amused by the film, my 3 year old daughter was bored. It was pretty much a long episode of the TV show, which is cute but not one of my favorites. There were a few laughs but it was more the calibre of Doug's First Movie than other Nick films like Rugrats and Jimmy Neutron.

If your kids enjoy the show, they'll enjoy the movie. As an adult I could definitely take it or leave it.

My friend and I had said before "Hey Arnold!" came out that it'll probably be a pretty bad movie, because of the excessive advertising Nickelodeon put together before the release. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderfully entertaining it was. Now, I've been a relatively big fan of the t.v. show since it first came out, so this is a biased review, but for anyone who's a fan of the show (and as one critic pointed out, who else would want to see this?), this is well worth watching. There's a few good pieces of comedy (mostly from Grandma and Grandpa), and the parents (who'll probably be a least a little amused by it) will notice a whole bunch of cliches from other movies, which is the style in the which many of the episodes are based upon. So the bottom line of this movie is: if you're a fan of the show, this is well worth seeing. If you're not a fan (I then don't know why you're even reading this), you might be entertained, but it's up to you.

i haven't see the show that this cartoon is based on,so i can't compare it to that.as a standalone movie,though,i thought it was pretty good.i liked the characters and their quirks.the story was full of intrigue and suspense.yes,i said it suspense,even though it's a cartoon.the movie also moves along at a decent clip.there are a lot of pop cultural references,some modern,some older,but many adults will get them.of course there's also some references only kids will get,but there is enough for everybody.the movie isn't particularly hilarious,but it does have some amusing moments,and even one or two quite funny parts.there are some fairly dark and mature themes in this movie,so it might be too much for young kids.i'd say it would be OK for anyone over 10,depending on maturity level,of course.for me,Hey Arnold!The Movie is about a 7/10

Hey Arnold! The Movie is harmless, cute, and eventful. Never being a huge fan of the show, but always liking it, I was pleased with the movie adaptation, but found it hard to accept. It's a longer episode of the show, but doesn't do anything daring or very memorable. The Simpsons got sealed into a dome, South Park started a war with Canadians, and even Spongebob set foot on land. Arnold didn't accomplish something as monumental as all the others.

For what it is, it's nothing but an extended episode of the show. Arnold and his pals Gerald and Helga try to stop Mr. Sheck, a giant businessman, from taking over their small neighborhood and replacing it with a huge, revolutionary mall. This means destroying Arnold's block and possibly losing all of his friends in the mix.

Its entertainment stems from its simplicity and the character's desire to achieve their goal. They try and buy secret agent gear to sneak into Sheck's office. Arguably my favorite scene in the movie is the broken hearted bus driver complaining about his failed relationship. The scene mirrors the film Speed, and is pretty much one of the best homages to the film I've seen.

But like I said, if you're going to bring it to the big screen, do something bigger than the series. This could've been an hour long special on Nickelodeon. A seventy-five minute film based on a Nickelodeon's series doesn't say much other than "we thought we'd make you see it a different way." Arnold is likable to a degree, but he's just another perky kid who wants a seemingly impossible thing done. Every character we've seen before. The one character I absolutely loved in the show was Oskar Kokoshka, a con artist who lived in Arnold's apartment. He has a brief appearance in the film, and does his signature voice I've loved since my childhood. Sadly, his presence is far too short. He he he.

Hey Arnold! The Movie isn't bad, but not consistently funny. The voice acting is good, the characters are still charming, the only thing that fails is its ability to stay inside the lines and not venture out to explore a bigger range in storytelling. At this point in time, the future of the series looked grim, and it seems the movie just serves as a piece of the show's history.

Voiced by: Spencer Klein, Francesca Smith, Jamil Walker Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Tress MacNeille, Paul Sorvino, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Christopher Lloyd. Directed by: Tuck Tucker.

This film's origins as a planned TV movie show quite painfully. The animation is barely better than the TV show and the plotting seems low-key rather than something cinematic. It has a very simple story with the usual cartoon shenanigans of defeating the villain and saving the day. Along the way there are funny moments and characters.