Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie

  • 09 Dec - 15 Dec, 2017
  • Farheen Jawaid
  • Reviews


Nickelodeon had a lot of great cartoon series in the 1990s till early 2000s , such as Rugrats (1991 – 2004), The Wild Thornberrys (1998 – 2004) and others, thanks to producer Klasky Csupo. In between, we were introduced to a gem called Hey Arnold! (1996- 2004).

This slice-of-life adventure cartoon had jazzy, blue music as its soul, and was set in the fictional lower middle area of Hillwood. There, Arnold, our true blue hero, lives with his quirky and tenacious grandparents in their boarding-house, with weird tenants belonging to mixed ethnicities.

Arnold has one best friend, Gerald – a cool cat who is game for almost all his adventures – and a constant bully named Helga, who had made his life miserable on more than one occasion. Arnold has no idea that Helga lives in the sweet-agony of loving the man she bullies. Arnold has a class full of classmates that were helped, or had went on adventures at one point or another in the series. This is nothing big for him, because solving problems is his personal quirk, and as an optimistic dreamer, he can’t help but see the best in people.

The series had a good run as well as a cult following, but the show came to an abrupt cancellation when the creator of the series, Craig Bartlett, had a fallout with Nickelodeon.

A theatrical movie Hey Arnold!: The Movie (2002) was released in between the last season of the show, with another movie planned, that would have explored what happened to Arnold’s parents. From then on, it could either take the show forward or bring it to a close. However, because of the aforementioned dispute with the network, the movie was left in limbo.

After so many years, the fans can finally have that movie – even though, it is not a theatrical release. The movie starts with Arnold (voiced by Mason Vale Cotton) dreaming about his parents, and longing to find anything about their disappearance. The next day is the start of the summer vacation, with an opportunity to win a trip to San Lorenzo – the place his parents were lost.

It goes without saying, that with some hiccups and team work from Helga (Francesca Marie Smith), Gerald (Benjamin Flores Jr.), Phoebe (Anndi McAfee) and his other classmates, Arnold and his friends go to San Lorenzo and their adventure begins in the jungle.

Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie starts with a heavy dose of nostalgia. The whimsical and optimistic view of Arnold, the way he prepares for the contest, his interactions with Helga (that will make any fangirl/fanboy squeal with glee), as well as the big reveal – his real surname. Just when you think it can’t get any better, it actuallty doesn’t. The big adventure in San Lorenzo is a meandering, slapdashedly told story that takes down the excitement from the first half of the movie.

Even With a weak third act, Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie is nothing short of a wonderful surprise that might (finger crossed) give birth to a new season from where this movie leaves off. If that happens, the fan in me will watch it with a joyful heart.

VERDICT
Just when you think it can’t get any better, it actually doesn’t. The big adventure in San Lorenzo is a meandering, slapdashedly told story that takes down the excitement from the first half of the movie.

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