This movie gets a 10/10 right off the bat because it is just so amazing that it has finally come to be. Thank you, Nickelodeon for finally allowing Craig Bartlett to finish/continue this wonderful story! Hey Arnold was my absolute favorite cartoon as a 90s kid and I still watch it constantly on hulu as an adult. The reruns make me so happy, but The Jungle Movie was always painfully missing from all of our lives.
This movie is a burst of nostalgia with many wonderful modern elements. The kids having cell phones was a wonderful touch and it was so nice to see them a bit older. I personally always viewed them as teenagers when I was a kid and I still do. Children do not accomplish/do any of the things that the Hey Arnold gang does. I think Craig Bartlett just had to make them "nine" because the show was for Nickelodeon. He even said in a recent interview that he would like to continue the show and eventually see them as teenagers.
They included all of the classic characters and used almost all of the original voices, Francesca Smith of course being the most important as Helga. The actor playing Arnold did a magnificent job. He captured the essence of the character perfectly and delivered all of his lines with such needed emotion.
The pace may seem a little rushed at first but give them a break, they needed to make up for 15 years worth of time and cram it into an hour and twenty minutes.
There were definitely some corny moments which are good for really young/new fans like Abner eating the bacon and somehow making it back to America alive lol. And the green eyed people being a society without adults. I am sure kids loved that.
The villain was wonderful and I was happily surprised to see how dark they went with him. Killing his own men to save himself and his death was extremely graphic. Glad to see they did not pull any punches.
Jim Lang luckily returned to do the music and it was a jazzy good time! Too bad Steve Viksten who wrote all of the classic/best Arnold and Helga episodes died a few years ago. This movie would have benefited even more from his writing talents. He created all of the best Arnold and Helga moments. Luckily they chose to focus mostly on Arnold, Helga, Gerald and Phoebe who were certainly the best characters. But the rest of the gang is still included! The scene where Brainy jumps off the boat to save Helga's locket is so poetic. I was so sad when she threw it off the boat but I felt her pain.
I honestly didn't think they were going to be able to deliver a conclusion for his parents that didn't seem like BS after all these years but I was BLOWN AWAY. I can't believe I never saw that coming after fifteen years. Of course it still makes no sense as far as reality goes, but it completely works within its own realm.
The end with Helga's locket is BEAUTIFUL and honestly rivals Disney. "It's not a pure heart." Because the gold is not pure so she is not sure if it will work in the machine and she is also saying that she is not perfect but she is offering her heart to Arnold anyway and he takes it!!! Dude...when she reveals that locket and he sees it and takes it from her...CHILDHOOD COMPLETE!!! I seriously almost passed out from holding my breath when he was revealing his feelings to her. And when he kissed her it was like all of the planets had finally aligned. I was so proud of her for not freaking out and just enjoying the kiss. I am loving how they implied that they are definitely a couple in the end but she is still the dominant one. It would be great if she were to wear her locket from now on since her feelings for Arnold are no longer hidden. I would love it if the show continued but if not, I am eternally grateful that we now live in a world where it is confirmed that Helga loves Arnold and Arnold loves Helga.
This movie is a burst of nostalgia with many wonderful modern elements. The kids having cell phones was a wonderful touch and it was so nice to see them a bit older. I personally always viewed them as teenagers when I was a kid and I still do. Children do not accomplish/do any of the things that the Hey Arnold gang does. I think Craig Bartlett just had to make them "nine" because the show was for Nickelodeon. He even said in a recent interview that he would like to continue the show and eventually see them as teenagers.
They included all of the classic characters and used almost all of the original voices, Francesca Smith of course being the most important as Helga. The actor playing Arnold did a magnificent job. He captured the essence of the character perfectly and delivered all of his lines with such needed emotion.
The pace may seem a little rushed at first but give them a break, they needed to make up for 15 years worth of time and cram it into an hour and twenty minutes.
There were definitely some corny moments which are good for really young/new fans like Abner eating the bacon and somehow making it back to America alive lol. And the green eyed people being a society without adults. I am sure kids loved that.
The villain was wonderful and I was happily surprised to see how dark they went with him. Killing his own men to save himself and his death was extremely graphic. Glad to see they did not pull any punches.
Jim Lang luckily returned to do the music and it was a jazzy good time! Too bad Steve Viksten who wrote all of the classic/best Arnold and Helga episodes died a few years ago. This movie would have benefited even more from his writing talents. He created all of the best Arnold and Helga moments. Luckily they chose to focus mostly on Arnold, Helga, Gerald and Phoebe who were certainly the best characters. But the rest of the gang is still included! The scene where Brainy jumps off the boat to save Helga's locket is so poetic. I was so sad when she threw it off the boat but I felt her pain.
I honestly didn't think they were going to be able to deliver a conclusion for his parents that didn't seem like BS after all these years but I was BLOWN AWAY. I can't believe I never saw that coming after fifteen years. Of course it still makes no sense as far as reality goes, but it completely works within its own realm.
The end with Helga's locket is BEAUTIFUL and honestly rivals Disney. "It's not a pure heart." Because the gold is not pure so she is not sure if it will work in the machine and she is also saying that she is not perfect but she is offering her heart to Arnold anyway and he takes it!!! Dude...when she reveals that locket and he sees it and takes it from her...CHILDHOOD COMPLETE!!! I seriously almost passed out from holding my breath when he was revealing his feelings to her. And when he kissed her it was like all of the planets had finally aligned. I was so proud of her for not freaking out and just enjoying the kiss. I am loving how they implied that they are definitely a couple in the end but she is still the dominant one. It would be great if she were to wear her locket from now on since her feelings for Arnold are no longer hidden. I would love it if the show continued but if not, I am eternally grateful that we now live in a world where it is confirmed that Helga loves Arnold and Arnold loves Helga.