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.

It brought back memories. The key aspects of every character were highlighted. I don't know what to say, Craig Bartlett you are a genius. Arnold meant so much growing up. This movie though unbelievable on few occasions, is a masterpiece. Should have released in theatres. The Arnold fans would enjoy every moment of it. This movie was a closing chapter of the base plot - Arnold's parents. But I want more, I want a lot of movies to be released in Hey Arnold series. I am 28, but I would watch Hey Arnold series when its started again. I don't know how to say this, but there were moments when I cried while watching this movie only to see Arnold crying at the same time too. I don't cry for movies, not for fictional characters, certainly not for animation but I did. I wish Hey Arnold series wasn't stopped because of a dispute with Nickelodeon in the early 2000s. Hey Arnold is certainly a highlight of television for me as a kid.

Jungle Movie sees our favorite characters leaving the city on a field trip to the jungle where Arnold seeks out his parents, picking up where the series left off. For the most part, this story is pretty far fetched when compared to the somewhat grounded plot lines we're used to with the show. Seeing these characters that we grew up with receive some closure on open plot lines and relationships that developed over the course of the series is reason enough to make this movie worth it. My only complaints, aside from the far fetched story is that we didn't get to see more of PS 118's many side characters.

Still, this movie is more than worth the watch, if anything for the destination more so than the journey that gets us there.