Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
| Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John A. Davis |
| Produced by |
Steve Oedekerk John A. Davis Albie Hecht |
| Screenplay by |
John A. Davis Steve Oedekerk J. David Stern David N. Weiss |
| Story by |
John A. Davis Steve Oedekerk |
| Starring |
Debi Derryberry Patrick Stewart Martin Short Rob Paulsen Jeffrey Garcia Frank Welker Carolyn Lawrence Crystal Scales |
| Music by | John Debney |
| Cinematography |
Steve Kolbe Chris Sherrod |
| Edited by |
Gregory Perler Jon Price |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million |
| Box office | $103 million[1] |
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (also known as Jimmy Neutron: The Movie) is a 2001 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film based on a few three-minute animated shorts shown on Nickelodeon between the years 1999–2001, and a pilot in 1998. The film was produced by Nickelodeon Movies, O Entertainment, and DNA Productions, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was produced using off-the-shelf software (messiah:studio and LightWave 6) by DNA Productions. The film was released December 21, 2001.[2] It was nominated for the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Shrek. It was the only animated Nickelodeon film to ever be nominated in that category until Rango was nominated in 2011 and won.
The success of the film led to a spin-off television series, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, which ran from 2002 to 2006. A second spin-off, Planet Sheen, ran from 2010 to 2013.
Plot
The film starts off with a rocket carrying two boys and a robotic dog: Jimmy Neutron (Debi Derryberry), Carl Wheezer (Rob Paulsen) and Goddard (Frank Welker). Jimmy is attempting to launch a communications satellite made out of a toaster, hoping to communicate with an alien species he believes exists somewhere out in the universe. Unknown to anyone, the satellite is picked up near the planet Yolkus, home to an alien race called the Yolkians. King Goobot V (Patrick Stewart) and his assistant, Ooblar (Martin Short), watch a pre-recorded message from Jimmy, featuring him introducing himself and explaining about life on Earth.
Jimmy, Carl, and their friend Sheen (Jeffrey Garcia) spot a poster for an amusement park called "Retroland." However, Jimmy's parents, Hugh (Mark DeCarlo) and Judy (Megan Cavanagh), refuse to let him go that night because it is a school night, and as a result Jimmy is forced to go his room for the night to think about what he's done wrong after accidentally causing a fire with one of his inventions. Jimmy, Carl and Sheen subsequently choose to sneak out and visit the park despite their parents' knowledge.
As the three are at the park, the Yolkians set a course for Earth and kidnap all the parents in the city, leaving fake notes on the refrigerators to tell the kids they've gone to Florida for an "extended vacation". Coincidentally, Carl spots a shooting star (actually a Yolkian ship), so he, Jimmy and Sheen wish for no more parents so they can have fun all the time. The next morning, the kids are initially overjoyed upon discovering that their parents have all disappeared, but eventually become despondent over their absence. After hearing a message from his parents that Goddard had recorded while posing as Jimmy last night, Jimmy becomes suspicious of the fact that his parents said they would see him in the morning instead of not being there. He soon discovers what has really happened.
Jimmy organizes the other children in town to build spaceships from the Retroland rides to travel to Yolkus and get their parents back. Eventually they are captured by Goobot, who tells them the parents are to be sacrificed to their goddess, Poultra. He shows the kids Jimmy's video, thanking him for helping him find a suitable species for their ritual, before having the children locked up in their cells.
With Jimmy feeling guilty over the fact that his actions led to the Yolkans abducting the parents in the first place, his rival/love interest Cindy Vortex convinces him to help the rest of the kids escape from their cell. After breaking out with the help of Goddard, the children, in accordance with Jimmy's plan, manage to stop the parents from being sacrificed to Poultra.
Everyone escapes aboard a Yolkian ship, but Goobot follows them in his ship at the head of the Yolkian fleet. With the exception of Goobot's ship, all of the Yolkian ships are destroyed when Jimmy baits them into flying too close to Yolkus' sun. Jimmy and Goddard then use a shrink ray to grow to the size of a planet, and blow Goobot's ship into an asteroid: Goobot and Ooblar survive the explosion, but Goobot declares that they have not seen the last of him. Jimmy reconciles with his parents as all the other kids reunite with theirs, and they make it on their way back home.
In a final scene of the film, Jimmy and Carl have breakfast during which Jimmy's parents drink one of his experiments (that causes significant belching), thinking it is real soda and they all laugh out loud.
Cast
- Debi Derryberry as Jimmy Neutron
- Patrick Stewart as King Goobot V
- Martin Short as Ooblar
- Frank Welker as Goddard
- Rob Paulsen as Carl Wheezer/Mr. and Mrs. Wheezer/Kid in Classroom
- Carolyn Lawrence as Cindy Vortex
- Jeffrey Garcia as Sheen Estevez
- Crystal Scales as Libby Folfax
- Candi Milo as Nick Dean/Britney/PJ
- David L. Lander as Yokian Guard/Gus
- Megan Cavanagh as Judy Neutron/VOX
- Mark DeCarlo as Hugh Neutron
- Carlos Alazraqui as Mr. Estevez
- Jim Cummings as Ultra Lord/Mission Control/General Bob
- Keith Alcorn as Bobby/Kid/Control Yokian
- Kimberly Brooks as Zachary/Reporter/Angie/Libby's Mom
- Andrea Martin as Ms. Winfred Fowl
- Billy West as Bobby's Twin Brother/Butch/Jailbreak Cop/Old Man Johnson/Robobarber/Flurp Announcer/Yokian Officer/Anchor Boy/Guard
- Bob Goen and Mary Hart as Yokian newscasters
- Dee Bradley Baker as Norad Officer
- Greg Eagles as Libby's Dad
Release
Theatrical release
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius was released in cinemas on December 21, 2001 by Paramount Pictures.
Home media
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius was released on VHS and DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on July 2, 2002. It was re-released on DVD on June 22, 2011. A Blu-ray release has not been announced yet.
Production
The film started out as a short called Johnny Quasar in 1995 and was shown off at SIGGRAPH that same year. It was intended to be a short pilot for a TV show and in 1998, a new short with the main's character name changed to Jimmy Neutron called Runaway Rocketboy was made and pitched to Nickelodeon with the intent of making it into a television series but the pilot was so successful that the producers wanted to make it into a film, due to the evaluation of CGI. However, they were concerned that making a feature film before a TV show was too risky so they made and aired short interstitials on Nickelodeon leading up to the feature's release.
Reception
Critical response
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences. The film currently holds a 75% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus: "What Jimmy Neutron lacks in computer animation, it makes up for in charm and cleverness".[3] According to Metacritic, the film also holds a score of 65/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4] Rita Kempley of Washington Post praised the film, saying that "this little charmer both celebrates and kids the corny conventions of family sitcoms". Nell Minow of Common Sense Media enjoyed the "stylish 3-D computer animation, good characters", giving the film 3 out of 5 stars.[5] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave this film a B+, calling it " a lickety-split, madly packed, roller-coaster entertainment that might almost have been designed to make you scared of how much smarter your kids are than you".[6] Paul Tatara of CNN.com called this film "the most delightfully original children's film of 2001".[7] Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times gave this film a 3/4 score, saying that "it doesn't have the little in-jokes that make Shrek and Monsters, Inc. fun for grown-ups. But adults who appreciate the art of animation may enjoy the look of the picture".[8]
Box office
The film was financially successful, bringing in $13,833,228 on its opening weekend for an average of $4,407 from 3,139 theaters, and ended up with a total of $80,936,232 domestically, and the film did better overseas bringing in $22,056,304 which made a total of $102,992,536 worldwide. It had a budget of roughly $30 million. It is one of only twelve feature films to be released in over 3,000 theaters and still improve on its box office performance in its second weekend, increasing 8.7% from $13,832,786 to $15,035,649.[9]
Awards
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius was nominated for the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Shrek, released by DreamWorks. It was the first release from Nickelodeon Movies to receive an Academy Award nomination.
Soundtrack
Official edit
The movie soundtrack was released on November 20, 2001 after the movie was released, by Jive Records and Nick Records.[10]
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Leave It Up to Me" | Aaron Carter | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Pop" (Deep Dish Cha-Ching Remix) | *NSYNC | 4:13 |
| 3. | "Parents Just Don't Understand" | Lil' Romeo, Nick Cannon, and 3LW | 3:55 |
| 4. | "Intimidated" | Britney Spears | 3:17 |
| 5. | "He Blinded Me With Science" | Melissa Lefton | 3:15 |
| 6. | "A.C.'s Alien Nation" | Aaron Carter | 3:23 |
| 7. | "Kids in America" | No Secrets | 3:06 |
| 8. | "The Answer to Our Life" | Backstreet Boys | 3:17 |
| 9. | "The Chicken Dance" | Werner Thomas | 1:32 |
| 10. | "I Can Count on You" | True Vibe | 3:46 |
| 11. | "We Got the Beat" | The Go-Go's | 2:31 |
| 12. | "Go Jimmy Jimmy" | Aaron Carter | 2:38 |
| 13. | "Parents Just Don't Understand (Bonux Mix)" | Lil' Romeo, 3LW, and Nick Cannon | |
| 14. | "Blitzkrieg Bop" | The Ramones | 2:12 |
| 15. | "Jimmy Neutron Theme" | Bowling for Soup | 2:08 |
Original score
Additionally, a promotional CD containing the score by John Debney was released for Academy Award consideration.
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jimmy Neutron Theme" | Bowling for Soup | 2:08 |
| 2. | "Leave It Up to Me" | Aaron Carter | 2:59 |
| 3. | "Pop" (Deep Dish Cha-Ching Remix) | *NSYNC | 4:13 |
| 4. | "Parents Just Don't Understand" | Lil' Romeo, 3LW, and Nick Cannon | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Intimidated" | Britney Spears | 3:17 |
| 6. | "He Blinded Me With Science" | Melissa Lefton and The Matrix | 3:15 |
| 7. | "A.C.'s Alien Nation" | Aaron Carter | 3:23 |
| 8. | "Kids in America" | No Secrets | 3:06 |
| 9. | "The Answer to Our Life" | Backstreet Boys | 3:17 |
| 10. | "The Chicken Dance" | Werner Thomas | 1:32 |
| 11. | "I Can Count on You" | True Vibe | 3:46 |
| 12. | "We Got the Beat" | The Go-Go's | 2:31 |
| 13. | "Go Jimmy Jimmy" | Aaron Carter | 2:38 |
| 14. | "Parents Just Don't Understand (Bonux Mix)" | Lil' Romeo, 3LW, and Nick Cannon | |
| 15. | "Blitzkrieg Bop" | The Ramones | 2:12 |
| 16. | "Nickelodeon Logo" | 0:14 | |
| 17. | "Air Force" | 1:00 | |
| 18. | "Jimmy's Rocket Machine" | 1:20 | |
| 19. | "Parents" | 1:17 | |
| 20. | "Ready-To-Go-To-School Machine" | 1:49 | |
| 21. | "The Plan (Part 1)" | 0:37 | |
| 22. | "The Plan (Part 2)" | 0:17 | |
| 23. | "Nick" | 0:50 | |
| 24. | "The Worm" | 0:20 | |
| 25. | "RetroLand Theme Park!" | 0:40 | |
| 26. | "Oyster & Diamond" | 0:34 | |
| 27. | "Alien Space Craft/Jimmy's Message" | 3:02 | |
| 28. | "Options" | 0:49 | |
| 29. | "Sneak Out" | 1:09 | |
| 30. | "Invasion Alert" | 0:34 | |
| 31. | "RetroLand Main" | 0:14 | |
| 32. | "Good Night" | 0:58 | |
| 33. | "Alien Abduction" | 1:13 | |
| 34. | "The Wish" | 0:47 | |
| 35. | "Say Goodbye/Angry Mob & 75/Launch" | 7:07 | |
| 36. | "Beauty Of Space/Meteor" | 2:25 | |
| 37. | "The Alien Planet" | 1:12 | |
| 38. | "Flying Jimmy" | 0:50 | |
| 39. | "King Goobot's Shock" | 0:20 | |
| 40. | "Poultra: God Of Wrath (Part 1)" | 0:10 | |
| 41. | "Poultra: God Of Wrath (Part 2)" | 0:20 | |
| 42. | "Prisoners" | 1:10 | |
| 43. | "Cindy & Jimmy" | 1:34 | |
| 44. | "Ooblar's Danger/Cell Dog Phone/Rescue" | 3:09 | |
| 45. | "Stadium" | 0:23 | |
| 46. | "Bring On The Humans" | 0:47 | |
| 47. | "The Incubation" | 0:48 | |
| 48. | "Sacrifice" | 0:29 | |
| 49. | "The Plan" | 1:40 | |
| 50. | "Jimmy To The Rescue" | 2:02 | |
| 51. | "Escape From The Planet/The Big Chase" | 2:42 | |
| 52. | "Jimmy Is The Winner/Apologise" | 2:15 | |
| 53. | "The End" | 0:13 | |
| 54. | "End Credits" | 7:27 | |
Total length: |
82:58 | ||
Cancelled sequel
A sequel to this film was planned, entitled, Jimmy Neutron: The Search for Carl, but was shifted due to the production of Rugrats Go Wild from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. However, the GBA version of Jimmy Neutron vs. Jimmy Negatron had you find Carl in the "Jelly World", which is the Yolkian planet.
Genius, Sheenius or Inbetweenius
An event that aired on May 25, 2007, Nickelodeon rehired the original voice actors of Jimmy, Sheen and Carl to return for a special audio commentary version of the film that features their animated counterparts' silhouettes, spoofing Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Film promotion
These shorts were used to promote the film. They have all been released on the official Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius DVD release of the film. All of the inventions in each short was seen again at some point in the TV series (except for the Pain-Transference helmet). Clips from similar versions of these shorts, along with clips from the unaired "Runaway Rocketboy" pilot appeared in the teaser trailer for Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. The biggest difference between the clips seen in the trailer and the original shorts is that Jimmy wears the white and red striped shirt he wore in the pilot, rather than his trademark shirt.
Shorts and Overviews
| Short | Overview |
|---|---|
| Carl Squared | Carl asks Jimmy lots of questions when he clones himself. The cloning machine is seen again in "Send in the Clones" and "The Trouble with Clones". |
| Calling All Aliens | Jimmy receives a message, thinking that it is from aliens. But when he says "school goddard", he gets teleported to school. And tries several attempts to try to communicate with the aliens. Aliens are also mentioned in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (Movie). |
| Cookie Time | Jimmy has a remote control that controls time. He asks his mom for a cookie and gets it. He keeps rewinding but Goddard bites the remote and sends them back to the prehistoric era. The remote is seen again in "Sorry, Wrong Era". |
| Hyper Corn | Jimmy invents his Hyper Cube, to store infinite items in one small place. But, it's dinner time and they are having creamed corn, which Jimmy hides in his Hyper Cube. After Jimmy's dad thinks it's a brain teaser puzzle and breaks it, Jimmy finds out he likes it after all. The Hyper Cube makes appearances in the episodes "Hypno Birthday to You" and "Holly Jolly Jimmy", although it looks different from in the original short. |
| New Dog, Old Tricks | Jimmy introduces his robotic dog, Goddard to Cindy and her dog, Humphrey who Cindy says is the best dog in Retroville. However, after showing each other new tricks, Goddard wins the argument. Humphrey makes brief cameos in other episodes. NOTE: A clip from a slightly different version of this short appeared in the original theatrical trailer for Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. This version ends with Goddard putting himself back together after Jimmy says, "I can fix that". |
| Pain Pain Go Away | Jimmy visits the dentist, using his Pain-Transference Helmet to transfer the pain to Cindy. He gets in trouble, though, when Cindy snatches the helmet the next day and retaliates by injuring herself and sending the pain to Jimmy. |
| Sea Minus | Jimmy accidentally uses his Matter Transporter to move the Neutron's House underwater! The Matter Transporter is seen again in "My Son, the Hamster". |
| Ultralord vs. The Squirrels | Sheen gets his new Ultralord Action Figure in a tree, Jimmy must get it back with his Hypno Ray invention to keep it away from the squirrels. The Hypno Ray is seen again in "Hypno Birthday To You". NOTE: A clip from a slightly different version of this short appeared in the original theatrical trailer for Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. In the trailer version, the scenes take place in the park, rather than in Jimmy's backyard, and Sheen is replaced by Nick Dean. |
References
- ↑ "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
- ↑ "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius". RottenTomatoes.com. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ↑ "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
- ↑ "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
- ↑ "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Movie Review". Commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
- ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (2002-01-04). "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Review | Movie Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
- ↑ "CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News". Archives.cnn.com. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
- ↑ Emerson, Jim (2001-12-21). "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Movie Review (2001) | Roger Ebert". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
- ↑ "Smallest Second Weekend Drops". boxofficemojo.com. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Various - Music From The Motion Picture 'Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius'". Discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
External links
- Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius at the Internet Movie Database
- Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius at The Big Cartoon DataBase
- Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius at Rotten Tomatoes
- Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius at Metacritic
- Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius at Box Office Mojo
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