Nickelodeon has been spending some time in its prestigious archives, sifting through the likes of Ren & Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, The Wild Thornberrys and the beloved Hey Arnold! series as it looks to bring back the NickToons of yesteryear. Out of the candidates for a revival, the studio has reportedly settled on the latter property, which will be strutting back onto the small screen soon in the form of a made-for-TV movie.
Word comes by way of Variety, who report that newly-appointed executive Chris Viscardi is keen to tap into some of the palpable nostalgia with this renewed focus. Spearheading the charge is a new installment in the Hey Arnold! series which would, in an attempt to tie up the loose ends of the original show, locate the whereabouts of Arnold’s parents.
In light of today’s announcement, Russell Hicks of Nickelodeon Group had the following to say:
“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.”
Making its bow in 1996, Hey Arnold! ran for eight years on the network, culminating in a spinoff movie appropriately titled Hey Arnold!: The Movie. Released in 2002, it pulled in $15 million at the time, but perhaps the most exciting news to come out of today’s revival is that of Craig Bartlett returning to write and executive produce. As the animator who originally created the likeable 4th grader – football head and all – it’s reassuring to have some of the original talent on board for Nickelodeon’s revival.
Move it, football head! Hey Arnold! is coming back to TV for a feature-length movie, and should it prove a success, it could mark the beginning of a wave of classic series being revived at Nickelodeon.