User reviews

Hey Arnold! The Movie is harmless, cute, and eventful. Never being a huge fan of the show, but always liking it, I was pleased with the movie adaptation, but found it hard to accept. It's a longer episode of the show, but doesn't do anything daring or very memorable. The Simpsons got sealed into a dome, South Park started a war with Canadians, and even Spongebob set foot on land. Arnold didn't accomplish something as monumental as all the others.

For what it is, it's nothing but an extended episode of the show. Arnold and his pals Gerald and Helga try to stop Mr. Sheck, a giant businessman, from taking over their small neighborhood and replacing it with a huge, revolutionary mall. This means destroying Arnold's block and possibly losing all of his friends in the mix.

Its entertainment stems from its simplicity and the character's desire to achieve their goal. They try and buy secret agent gear to sneak into Sheck's office. Arguably my favorite scene in the movie is the broken hearted bus driver complaining about his failed relationship. The scene mirrors the film Speed, and is pretty much one of the best homages to the film I've seen.

But like I said, if you're going to bring it to the big screen, do something bigger than the series. This could've been an hour long special on Nickelodeon. A seventy-five minute film based on a Nickelodeon's series doesn't say much other than "we thought we'd make you see it a different way." Arnold is likable to a degree, but he's just another perky kid who wants a seemingly impossible thing done. Every character we've seen before. The one character I absolutely loved in the show was Oskar Kokoshka, a con artist who lived in Arnold's apartment. He has a brief appearance in the film, and does his signature voice I've loved since my childhood. Sadly, his presence is far too short. He he he.

Hey Arnold! The Movie isn't bad, but not consistently funny. The voice acting is good, the characters are still charming, the only thing that fails is its ability to stay inside the lines and not venture out to explore a bigger range in storytelling. At this point in time, the future of the series looked grim, and it seems the movie just serves as a piece of the show's history.

Voiced by: Spencer Klein, Francesca Smith, Jamil Walker Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Tress MacNeille, Paul Sorvino, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Christopher Lloyd. Directed by: Tuck Tucker.

i haven't see the show that this cartoon is based on,so i can't compare it to that.as a standalone movie,though,i thought it was pretty good.i liked the characters and their quirks.the story was full of intrigue and suspense.yes,i said it suspense,even though it's a cartoon.the movie also moves along at a decent clip.there are a lot of pop cultural references,some modern,some older,but many adults will get them.of course there's also some references only kids will get,but there is enough for everybody.the movie isn't particularly hilarious,but it does have some amusing moments,and even one or two quite funny parts.there are some fairly dark and mature themes in this movie,so it might be too much for young kids.i'd say it would be OK for anyone over 10,depending on maturity level,of course.for me,Hey Arnold!The Movie is about a 7/10

My little brother dragged me to see this movie, I have never seen the show on Nickelodeon and I was dreading seeing it all week. My brother loved it and I have to say it wasn't that bad, it is actually kind of cute and I wasn't half as bored as I thought I would be. It is obviously a kids movie but I think adults will be able to watch it and enjoy it too.

I've been a fan of Hey Arnold ever since I watched it growing up as a kid and it still remains one of my favorite nicktoons till this day. I remember seeing the movie when it came out in theaters and finally got around to revisiting it. I have to say while it's enjoyable, it really does feel more like the t.v special it was intended to be and not a movie. The plot is pretty weak and the length of the movie feels forced at even it's short 70 min runtime. The animation also isn't that great for a theatrical film (some of the later episodes of the show actually had better animation). But, it's flaws don't keep it from being enjoyable. The film still sticks to the shows humor and characters well and keeps itself going at a good pace which makes it so the film never really slows down. Still, I feel like it really didn't a movie and it probably should've just stayed a t.v special. If you're a die hard fan of the show, you'll most likely be disappointed but still enjoy it.

Hey Arnold is another slab of filmmaking from the Nickelodeon channel bringing forth a patented Nick Toon to amuse the masses of kids. After watching this, I kept wondering what was so wrong with Ren and Stimpy to leave that in the dust while this, Doug, Rugrats (2 movies), Wild Thornberries, get attention to the box office? But then that's irrelevant to the review. I mention it if only because a movie like this comes so standard, so puffed with a plotline kids in the second grade have heard since they were three, and with sterility (in particular in the Shawshank parody), it is a wonder why something as original as Ren and Stimpy doesn't make its way to the theater. Oh well, next week I get an answer- Powerpuff Girls.

PS, there are two funny jokes in this movie for all and then the rest will vary on how much the parents and kids will tolerate- a parody of the Hulk and a cameo from Christopher Lloyd as a mortician. Grade: between C and C-

"Hey Arnold!" is one of the few quality TV shows for all kids these days, with a cast of likeable and unique characters and thought provoking episodes. But you won't see much of it here in this disappointing and underwhelming big screen picture. There have been far worse films (supposedly) made for kids in recent years, but that's not to say that this average and generic movie deserved to cash in at the box office, either.

From the opening credits until just before the ending, the film completely lacks the feel of a major motion picture; it feels more like your typical TV movie (This movie, in fact, was originally made for TV). Throughout the first half of the film everything is happening so quickly, that it's difficult to build up any interest for the plot. Midway through the film, I already asked myself why Nickelodeon didn't put this on TV for free instead of milking it for short-term cash.

The two biggest disappointments of the movie was the storyline development itself and the use of the series' characters.

Amidst the rush of the storyline, the film actually does a decent job of building up the conflict between Arnold and the villain, Mr. Scheck. But all of it goes to waste when the multimillionaire Scheck reveals his ridiculous motives. It was very anticlimatic and I didn't take the movie very seriously after that; I thought of at least two alternate ways the movie could've ended (while taking away most of the excitement).

The three main characters in the series (Arnold, Helga, & Gerald) take up most of the film's significance, as they should. But what of the secondary characters (Arnold's grandparents, Phoebe, Sid, Harold, Rhonda, Eugene, and a few others), most which have had at least two of the 100+ episodes based on them? The ability to add depth to these other characters is what helps make the TV show interesting; but here they get shoehorned into this film without being able to help Arnold at all. They remain likeable, but ultimately are not at all memorable. Even the other characters made for this movie (Bridget, the coroner, and the one-legged man) get more of the face time.

Part of the film does focus on the relationship between Arnold and Helga (who passionately loves Arnold even though she pretends to hate him), and the moment when she finally admits her love for him (and how he reacts to it) as the movie nears the final major scene. It's one of the main concepts of the TV show, and the only valuable part of this movie.

Otherwise, this was a very average film with a simplistic and uninspiring story, cluttered with useless characters. This mediocre outing by the show's creators will likely mark the beginning of the end for a fine TV series. Besides, when Nickelodeon still has the Rugrats, Spongebob, and a roster of new hit shows at its disposal, why continue to focus on a cartoon that failed miserably on the biggest stage?

My friend and I had said before "Hey Arnold!" came out that it'll probably be a pretty bad movie, because of the excessive advertising Nickelodeon put together before the release. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderfully entertaining it was. Now, I've been a relatively big fan of the t.v. show since it first came out, so this is a biased review, but for anyone who's a fan of the show (and as one critic pointed out, who else would want to see this?), this is well worth watching. There's a few good pieces of comedy (mostly from Grandma and Grandpa), and the parents (who'll probably be a least a little amused by it) will notice a whole bunch of cliches from other movies, which is the style in the which many of the episodes are based upon. So the bottom line of this movie is: if you're a fan of the show, this is well worth seeing. If you're not a fan (I then don't know why you're even reading this), you might be entertained, but it's up to you.

This film's origins as a planned TV movie show quite painfully. The animation is barely better than the TV show and the plotting seems low-key rather than something cinematic. It has a very simple story with the usual cartoon shenanigans of defeating the villain and saving the day. Along the way there are funny moments and characters.

This was a really great kid's movie! It is especially great for children who are fans of the cartoon. The movie is about Arnold, and his friends and family when they discover that a man named Sheck is going to knock down their city and install a giant mall. Now Arnold and his friends have six days to come up with a plan to save the neighborhood, with some help of the mysterious "Deep Voice", can they save the neighborhood before it's too late? All in all, this is a really good kid's movie. I give Hey Arnold! The Movie a 10 out of 10!!! :)

We saw this film as a sneak preview. My 7 year old son was mildly amused by the film, my 3 year old daughter was bored. It was pretty much a long episode of the TV show, which is cute but not one of my favorites. There were a few laughs but it was more the calibre of Doug's First Movie than other Nick films like Rugrats and Jimmy Neutron.

If your kids enjoy the show, they'll enjoy the movie. As an adult I could definitely take it or leave it.

Good show, Classic show about a troubled cool child who deals with his and his friends problems.

Arnold is a good kid who gets bullied by his crush Helga.

This is a Nick Classic

However, it has a low replay value.

It's 'good' but no Great Animation 5/10 Characters 6/10 Story 6/10

Only children below the age of 12 should be allowed to see this film. The rest of us should take a book, MP3 player, or just take a nice nap to endure the experience of this event. This can be best summed up as a "blown-up" TV movie being distributed into theaters. Children will want to see this film, and they will like and be amused by the movie.

This movie is Trash, Go watch Jungle Movie, NOT THIS!

I am a fourteen-year-old girl and while I'm certainly not the show's core demographic, I enjoyed the movie as much as I enjoy any episode of the TV series. Hey Arnold was one of the things I had lived with since about the second grade and then one day it just turned into a full-blown obsession.

But first off, let's get one thing straight, people: This was NOT intended to be a big-screen movie. It was intended to be a Nick Flick, one of Nickelodeon's made-for-TV movies. The powers that be decided that the storyline of the series held a much more interesting premise: searching for Arnold's parents. That premise became the movie. But then, for reasons I am not aware of, this switched back to being a theatrical movie. Then there was some kind of disagreement, and now it's unlikely we'll ever see the second movie. ::sniffle::

That information aside, this is still a very enjoyable movie. The particular theater my brother and I saw it in was filled with many parents, most of which probably had no idea of the story behind the movie (both legal and TV-show-story wise) and they still enjoyed it as much as I did. Helga is as laughably enjoyable as ever, and the movie still contains subtle humor situations that adults will enjoy.

This is a decent enough movie. And if you still think you won't like it, go see it for us fans, who desperately want a second movie and are hoping against hope that it will be made. Thank you.

One thing that works very well about Hey Arnold! The Movie is the sense of nostalgia the film invokes. As a fan of the show growing up, it was certainly nice to get back into this world Nickelodion created. Looking back with adult eyes, I can see why children loved this series, including myself. It's a series about best friends going on adventures and the "romance" between Arnold and Helga. I was disappointed with this movie in a regard, because it does not tie up an important storyline which was important to the series. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this nostalgic trip.

This film has Arnold and his best friend, Gerald rescuing their neighborhood from the evil Mr. Scheck who wants to turn their homes into a modernized shopping complex.

Overall, Hey Arnold! The Movie is worth the trip down memory lane since it has been years since I have last seen an episode of this cartoon. It was never my favorite series, despite me finding it passable. The bickering between Helga and Arnold goes on a little more than I would have liked. I did like the spoofs the movie has to offer, especially the Men in Black spoof. A merely passable film for the family.

My Grade: C+