Last we heard about Nickelodeon’s Hey Arnold! reboot, it was planned to lead up to a massive crossover tentpole film that would tie together the universes of Rugrats, Angry Beavers, Hey Arnold!, Rocko’s Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy, and … well, the list goes on. That might still happen, but first, Nickelodeon plans to build — or rebuild? — Arnold’s world via a straight-to-TV movie.
This new development doesn’t sound like a reboot, though, at least not according to the traditional definition of that word. According to Variety, the movie “picks up where the original series ended and resolves unanswered plot-lines–including the whereabouts of Arnold’s parents, long missing from the program.”
So, um … who’s this for, again? Is Nickelodeon trying to summarize Hey Arnold! for young newcomers while also simultaneously pleasing the much-older fans of the original show? Just so, according to Russell Hicks, Nickelodeon’s president of content development and production:
Kids who grew up on these characters are now of the age that they are having kids and families themselves. Our library has come to fruition and it’s time for it to start coming back to life …
You have to remember people who are going to watch really don’t have a recollection of Hey Arnold! You have to make it relevant to them but also nod to the audience that is going to be interested.
What a tricky tightrope to walk, huh? The plans for an eventual tentpole crossover film will probably only come to fruition if the rest of the nascent reboot plans prove successful. What do you think? Do you intend to revisit all of these old favorites? Or would you rather see Nick work on some more original ‘toons?
(via Variety, image via Nickelodeon)
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