Yeah, read the
title. I got nothing more to add.
Hey Arnold is yet
another beloved animated show from the 1990s that I remember fondly
for all the right reasons. It was a low-key animated show that was
more about the goings on of Arnold and his classmates at P.S. 118 in
the big city primarily focusing around character interaction and the
mundane trials of childhood as well as general antics of urban
adventure like investigating urban legends The kind of show that
could have wacky characters, then dedicate an entire episode to why
they are that way and make a compelling fifteen minute drama out of
it. Episodes focusing around Chocolate Boy, The Pigeon Man, and the
infamously poignant “Helga on the Couch” are great examples of
this.
But after a
respectable five season run on Nickelodeon, and a big-budget
theatrical film release that many fans write off as being non-canon
due to it being forgettable and a notable behind-the-scenes nightmare
for show creator Craig Bartlett, the show concluded in 2004.
And if this was any
other show that would be it. Except this was a show on Nickelodeon
for one. Just about every major show they had got a finale, be it a
final episode or a TV movie that ends things on a high note. The
Rugrats cartoon got several animated film adaptations and an
unofficial series finale with the All Grown Up special...which then
spawned the spin-off All Grown Up. Fans don't talk about it. Doug got
a final episode where the character graduated high school, ending
things on a high note until Disney bought the show and ran it into
the ground. The list goes on.
Second of all, the
final episodes of the show hinted at a larger finale, which is
strange to type out since the show's appeal was its mellow and mild
atmosphere and simple urban location. After basically five seasons of
seeing the antics of Arnold living with his grandparents in a
boarding house full of eccentric personalities getting into
adventures with his friends, dealing with bullies, and being an
active member of his community, it was revealed that his parents were
actually good-hearted philanthropic adventurers that continually
traveled to South America, and vanished on one last trip to assist
the natives, the Green Eye People. The final episode of the show
ended with Arnold finding his father's journal, and hidden inside was
a map, which could lead him to where his parents ventured off to.
And the movie that
was supposed to resolve one of the biggest mysteries show, give
closure to multiple threads including the running gag of Arnold's
last name, supporting character Helga Pataki finally getting around
to confessing her love for him never got made.
But after thirteen
years, Craig Bartlett finally made it happen this Thanksgiving
Weekend with Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie.
And man oh man was
it so completely worth it!
I honestly can't
believe this movie got made, even now after writing this it feels
like a dream, and it reads exactly like the kind of film Craig
Bartlett wrote down thirteen years ago and finally brought it out of
mothballs.
But yes, a brief
plot summary for the sake of formality. After discovering the map in
his father's journal, Arnold has been pouring over the details,
trying to find out what caused them to mysteriously vanish, even
having intense nightmares about him traveling to the country of San
Lorenzo and it making turns for the worst.
But then the plot
kicks into high gear when his teacher Mr. Simmons reveals a contest
where the most selfless and charitable student who submits a video
presentation of their community service can win a class-wide field
trip to San Lorenzo and meet the local relief organization there.
And without missing
a beat, Arnold works on a project with his friend Gerald to make a
home for the local weird “yet endearingly sweet” Monkey Man...and
it blows up in their face.
Then about three
minutes later, Helga Pataki, the brash tomboy who has been in love
with the football-headed protagonist from episode one, to an almost
stalkerish level due to some clearly subtextual issues in her home
life.
Sidebar: The “Helga
on the Couch” episode where we got a refreshingly healthy look into
this family dynamic and probably the only example of a therapist on a
show in a positive light helping Helga deal with this developmental
stage of her life was basically downplayed by Nickelodeon because of
stupid “think of the children” reasons, to the extent that a
planned spin-off “Hey Helga” was basically dead in the water. No
real context for that, just pissed that that show never got made.
Bartlett, talk to Adult Swim.
Anyway, she reveals
that every single good deed Arnold ever performed throughout five
seasons of the show are on tape. She recorded and kept records of
them in a hidden room. A little editing later, and the video
submission, basically a giant montage of some of the high points of
the show, was complete. And for the record, there was plenty of
material to choose from. Everything from cleaning up a vacant lot and
turning it into a baseball field, helping an old singer find a second
wind in his career, helping a retired baseball player remember his
love of the game and opening a sports-themed hot dog restaurant,
helping several unusual or socially anxious members of his city
spread their wings and reach out to other people, mediating and
ending a teacher's strike at his school, getting the entire community
to work together to get into the Guinness Book of World Records,
helping one of the residents of his boarding house re-unite with his
daughter who he hasn't seen in decades due to being separated by a
war in his home country on Christmas, and accidentally breaking up a
counterfeit penny operation while investigating local caverns for
proof of a local urban legend.
My god, he's done so
much for still being in elementary school....
So naturally he won
the contest and we are off to San Lorenzo!
And from there, the
movie basically turns into a kid-friendly adventure story with hidden
civilizations, complex puzzles and death traps that wouldn't be out
of place in an obstacle course in Legends of the Hidden Temple,
and a major villain in the form of an evil river pirate known as La
Sombra. Slapstick and ingenius tinkering and puzzle-solving abounds,
and we finally get some big moments that have been almost two decades
in the making. Helga confessing her love for Arnold, the true final
fate of his parents, and a definitive end to the series that honestly
brought a tear to my eyes.
Seriously, that's
it. I really have nothing more to say.... Alright there are a few
minor elements that did concern me. Watch out, not only are these
spoilers, but it's also a format more of less stolen from Josh
Loomis' blog, Blue Ink Alchemy.
Stuff I Loved
- The reveal of Arnold's Last Name. What started off as a weird running gag throughout the show slowly turned into a freaking conspiracy among the fan base. And when it was finally revealed, it lands as both fitting and as the punchline to the longest brick joke in animated television history. Seriously, I was in stitches for five minutes straight while clapping triumphantly.
- The Ending. Despite multiple areas where the story could have gone off the rails, it kept things grounded and reasonable, which is tricky considering this is a show that basically confirmed that ghosts exist and are scary as hell.
- The villain La Sombra. He was a legitimate threat for the movie. He had thugs, he had an agenda, and he was pretty terrifying. We get some heavily implied off screen deaths at his hand which, for a kids movie, is pretty scary.
- Helga's Confession going exactly as I wanted it to. Yes, it was cheesy but screw it, this show has more than earned this moment of earnest emotional resonance.
Stuff I Liked
- The entire cast retaining their personality. Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie basically dragged along the entire supporting cast with characters like Rhonda, Nadine, Curly, Harold, and Eugene along for the ride, and as easy as it was for them to just fade in the background, if they didn't contribute to the plot, their shear quirky traits still gave levity to what could have been a much darker and scarier experience. Even if it can be argued that these personalities are more like informed characteristics, it is the way in which their notes are hidden that count.
- The new art style. Obviously computer-generated animation has overtaken hand-drawn animation and I will miss the old look, but the new visual style is handled decently enough that I was able to tolerate it.
Stuff I Didn't
Like
- What Year Is It? Seriously. The show ended in 2004 and in terms of time jumps it's implied to be one year after the last episode aired. Several characters even look slightly aged up. Yet Rhonda is running around with a camera phone. There's also a kind of funny substory about Helga's father's Beeper Company basically closing down from basically going obsolete, and a throwaway joke about a wi-fi password. But if the timeline of the actual show is to go by, phone booths and LAN line telephones with spiral chords were still in prominent use. It's downplayed over all but it is still jarring to see, almost reading like a studio bullet point to appeal to modern kids.
That's about it.
Seriously, if you loved Hey Arnold, track down this movie on Nick's
streaming app or on your cable provider's catch-up service. It is
totally worth it.
Now where the hell
is that piece on .hack//SIGN I kept saying I was going to write....
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