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If you like boys with football-shaped heads, Hey Arnold! The Movie will probably be right up your alley. I say this because every site or press release relating to this Nickelodeon cartoon makes reference to Arnold's unusually oblong-shaped noggin, so it clearly is a matter of the utmost importance.

Originally planned as a direct-to-television movie, Nickelodeon and Paramount execs have obviously taken note of the theatrical success of Rugrats, another of their highly-rated series, and have given it a prime June release date. For the uninitiated, Hey Arnold! is a "NickToon" that has been appearing on the kids' cable channel since 1996. At one time, the show was actually shown in prime time, and is currently the early-evening show that precedes network staple Rugrats and the increasingly popular Spongebob Squarepants.

The title character lives in his grandparents' inner-city boarding house. (Simpsons fans will likely notice that Grandpa is voiced by Homer himself, Dan Castellaneta.) The other denizens of the boarding house are quite eccentric and don't always get along. Arnold is somewhat unusual for a nine-year-old boy, as he likes jazz music and stickball, and his parents' location is a bit of a mystery. He has a blast hanging out with his best friend, Gerald, and has an odd relationship with Helga, the uni-browed girl who loves Arnold so much, she wants to punch his face in.

Hey Arnold! was created and is executive produced by Craig Bartlett, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie, which was formerly titled Arnold Saves the Neighborhood. Based on this information, I think we can safely infer that the plot will revolve around Arnold...you guessed it...saving the neighborhood.

The show is undoubtedly quirky, but it does have a loyal following who have occasionally been able to propel it fairly high in the ratings for its timeslot. Though Hey Arnold! The Movie is certainly unlikely to have the draw of the Rugrats films, Paramount will undoubtedly do some very clever marketing of the product to expand the appeal to a larger demographic beyond the devoted fan base. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

June 16, 2002
Looking at the current marketing, Hey Arnold! is being targeted and advertised in a manner very similar to that of Recess: School’s Out, which was also a fairly niche-oriented cartoon series. It’s probably not going to wow anyone with its box office, but considering that it was produced on a very modest budget, it should be a moderate success for Nickelodeon and Paramount nonetheless. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for Hey Arnold! The Movie Main Cast Spencer Klein, Francesca Smith, Jamil Walker Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Tress MacNeille, Paul Sorvino, Jennifer Jason Leigh Supporting Cast Christopher Lloyd, Vincent Schiavelli, Maurice LaMarche, Justin Shenkarow, Anndi McAfee, Olivia Hack, Craig Bartlett Director Tuck Tucker Screenwriter Craig Bartlett, Steve Viksten Distributor Paramount Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.heyarnold.com/ Rating PG Running Time 76 minutes Screen Count 2,534 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Hey Arnold! The Movie
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Pokemon the First Movie	11/12/99	31.03	36.97	2901	10696.00	12212.0	85.74	102.17	2.13
Rugrats	11/20/98	27.32	35.12	2782	9820.00	12144.1	100.49	129.19	3.68
Rugrats in Paris	11/17/00	22.72	25.41	2934	7744.00	8333.1	76.46	85.53	3.37
Big Fat Liar	2/8/02	11.55	12.00	2531	4565.00	4565.0	47.81	49.70	4.14
Recess: School's Out	2/16/01	10.07	10.74	2624	3838.00	3939.9	36.70	39.16	3.64
Pokemon 3	4/6/01	8.24	8.79	2675	3080.00	3161.8	17.05	18.19	2.07
Jetsons: The Movie	7/6/90	5.03	7.18	1562	3220.00	4425.6	19.54	27.92	3.88
Doug's 1st Movie	3/26/99	4.47	5.32	2268	1971.00	2250.4	19.42	23.14	4.34