Hey Arnold! The Movie - Film Review

Just one more day...

Bringing you a review for Thanksgiving with a movie that has nothing to do with Thanksgiving.

Hey Arnold! The Movie is directed by Tuck Tucker and stars Spencer Klein, Francesca Smith, Jamil Walker Smith, Paul Sorvino, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and a cameo by Christopher Lloyd.

Plot
Arnold (Spencer Klein) and his best friend Gerald (Jamil Walker Smith), learn their beloved neighborhood is about to be torn down by a greedy developer named Scheck (Paul Sorvino) to build a mall. While the adults give up hope, try to stop the bulldozers, or come up with a scheme to get rich, the two try a more practical approach to the problem with the help of Helga (Francesca Marie Smith) and a spy named Bridget (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The kids discover their neighborhood was designated as a historical landmark but they must prove it before Scheck moves in with his crew.

Review
In case you didn't know, I love the Hey Arnold! TV show, it's in there with my top 3 Nicktoons along with Rocko's Modern Life and Invader Zim. Can't wait for their movies either. You don't have to grow up in the 90's to like the show, I was born in the 2000's and I love this show.

I just finished watching this like 5 minutes ago for The Jungle Movie on YouTube, and it was split up in parts. It didn't bother me that much though.

This film was a huge box office bomb, only made around $15 million and critics didn't like it much. A lot of Hey Arnold! fans think that this is an underrated film, myself included. And it was originally going to be a TV movie instead of a theatrical release. I do think that this would've been better off as a TV movie, but if I wasn't only a baby when this came out then I would probably go to see it.

The movie is really short too, it's only 75 minutes long, but it feels like it goes by quicker.

I wouldn't say the plot is really anything outstanding, it's mostly just Arnold and Gerald trying to stop Scheck from destroying the city, but one of the most famous parts in it is Helga admitting to Arnold that she has a crush on him after hiding that for the entire series.

There's a small subplot with Phil, Mr. Hyunh, Oskar and Ernie placing bombs under the sewer to stop the bulldozers from destroying everything, and one with Arnold's grandmother being arrested and escaping, and Big Bob getting angry that the beeper store he plans on opening in the mall won't be under his name and that he owns a little less than half of the store.

The animation is really good here, higher quality than the show. I guess if you want your film to look good, you need a higher animation quality than the show.

The cast is pretty good here despite it being just voice acting, the people I mentioned are good, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Bridget and Christopher Lloyd as a coroner are good here despite being in the movie for less than five minutes.

The film is rather underrated and overlooked, mostly known by Hey Arnold! fans such as myself. If you love Hey Arnold! then you will like this, or you may have seen this already, but if you aren't a Hey Arnold! fan, then you really won't like this. I would even like to see this get a Blu-Ray release.

Anyway, this film is underrated, not fantastic. If  you're a fan of the show, check it out.

Just one more day until Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie and I am pumped!

7.5/10

Previous review - Get Out
Next review - Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie