Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie

Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie
Fan Poster created by Sofy-Senpai
Director	Craig Bartlett
Co-Director	Raymie Muzquiz
Producer	Tuck Tucker
Music	Jim Lang
Production Company	Nickelodeon Movies Paramount Animation
Distributor	Paramount Pictures
Original Release Date	2002

Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie was going to be the second and final movie of the Hey Arnold! series.

"TJM" is an acronym commonly used by the crew and fans of Hey Arnold! to refer to The Jungle Movie. The planned sequel is also sometimes referred to as Hey Arnold 2: The Movie.

Background

Originally, The Jungle Movie was supposed to be the only theatrical feature of the series. However, Nickelodeon executives decided to give the made-for-TV movie, Arnold Saves the Neighborhood, a theatrical release in 2002 under the title of Hey Arnold!: The Movie. The movie ended up being unsuccessful and only grossed $15.2 million at worldwide box offices. Despite this, Nickelodeon was still interested in making TJM, and asked Craig to produce a special one-hour episode called The Journal that would link the series to the second movie.

In 2004, Nickelodeon decided to cancel both the project and the series, citing a drop in viewer interest as the main reason for their decision.

Although Craig Bartlett does not want to reveal the plot line completely, some aspects of it have leaked through his chats and interviews. Craig also stated in 2012 that if TJM were to be made today he would "have to start from scratch."

In an interview on The Arun Mehta Show, Justin Shenkarow, who did the voice of Harold, hinted that discussions between Nickelodeon and Craig had been going on about possibly green-lighting the second movie. Craig later confirmed that he was indeed going into meetings with Nickelodeon executives.

In 2013, it was rumored that the movie would be released if there was enough interest in it among fans. Cyma Zarghami, the president of Nickelodeon, has told Craig about how she has been receiving numerous letters and fan mail about Hey Arnold! Since then, Craig has announced that he is now officially working on a new Nickelodeon show called Sky Rat and wants to work on this new show before becoming re-invested in Hey Arnold! Craig still wants to eventually produce TJM, granted his revived involvement with Nickelodeon continues to go well.

In 2014, it was rumored that TJM was finally being worked on again, and that it would be released in theaters either on June 19, 2015 or sometime during 2016. However, this rumor has not been confirmed by Craig Bartlett, Nickelodeon, or Paramount Pictures, which implies that the rumor is likely to be false. However, many fans have been sharing this rumor, claiming it to be the truth.

Production

Drafts of the movie were written and developed between 1998-2001, and it's rumored the script was in its 6th or 7th draft. A number of storyboards were also drafted by then co-director Raymie Muzquiz.

Towards the end of the series, Snee Oosh Studios was only working with a small number of staff. Enough to produce the two final episodes of the show (April Fool's Day and The Journal) and the movie.

Legal Status

Nickelodeon and Paramount currently own the rights to the script and the Hey Arnold characters, but currently there are no plans to put it into production. It's highly unlikely that the project would be allowed to be revived under another production company.

Plot line

The Jungle Movie concept art by Roger Luan

The Jungle Movie concept art by Roger Luan

The Jungle Movie concept art by Roger Luan

Unknown concept. Though rumoured to be Sammy Redmond's Mansion.

While no official information has ever been released by Nickelodeon, Craig Bartlett himself has talked about the movie plot in various online chats and interviews.

Arnold's name is revealed in the opening scene. A man comes to the door of the boarding house with a package for him and he signs his full name.

The whole class, who are now in the fifth grade, go to San Lorenzo in Central America after Arnold wins them an essay contest. However, he has his own secret agenda to go look for his parents with the map that he found in the episode "The Journal".

Arnold meets the mysterious Green Eyed people, the people his parents were helping. When he was born, he silenced all of nature (the erupting volcano), which prompted the Green Eyes to believe that he is divine. The Green Eyes have designed a motif that is shaped like a football head in all their architecture. They are also impressed with Helga's ferocity. This makes the Green Eyes semi-worship Arnold and Helga. The Green Eyes also think very highly of Miles and Stella, because they’ve all saved each other’s lives before, many times.

La Sombra, a villain who was briefly seen in the episode "The Journal" is a big character of the movie, he is Miles and Stella's enemy. He is a mercenary treasure hunter and river pirate, who goes in disguise. La Sombra is after La Corazón, a fabulous jewel and a sacred relic of the Green Eyes, which can't be seen in the light of day.

In 2004, Craig Bartlett stated that if Arnold finds his parents he is going to stay with them, but in 2007 he said that they never decided whether Arnold had to stay in San Lorenzo.

Arnold finally takes the next step in his relationship with Helga. While in the first movie she confesses her love for him, but he dodges out of telling how he feels in return. In The Jungle Movie, he completes the conversation. She acts like she still hates him again, but after they "get together" they realize that they are meant for each other. In the end of the movie they share a short kiss (during a scene when they are in a hurry), but Gerald interrupts them. When they make a really lame excuse he says "Whatever you say". By that point, most of the characters in the movie would probably already notice what's going on between Arnold and Helga, and would start teasing them about it.

Raymie Muzquiz Storyboards

In July 2012, animation director Raymie Muzquiz launched his official website with examples of his work. One to those examples was a PDF document showing storyboards of a TJM scene.

In the storyboards, La Sombra is revealed, turning out to be the blue shirted river pirate shown in Roger Luan's concept art. The scene starts with a monkey climbing over a long wall into the compound, with the text hinting to what happened in the previous scene. It pans into La Sombra's hut, where he has Arnold held captive.

Two of his thugs are also in the room. La Sombra instructs one of the thugs to open a plate of tastey-looking food, but Arnold ignores it. La Sombra persists, trying to get Arnold to tell him where the hidden city of the Green-Eyed people is, but Arnold again avoids the topic, arguing that if he knew that, he'd probably find his parents.

La Sombra grows angrier and orders his thugs to restrain Arnold. The same monkey from the opening scene fallows in the background, watching the thugs capture Arnold and through him in a storeroom. The map falls in after him. La Sombra explains how he thinks a good night's sleep might jog his memory. Plus, he'd hate to hurt Arnold's friends "on accident". Then the thugs close the door. Arnold runs to the door but it's locked.

Sketches

View from the top of river rapids

View from the riverside with smoke coming from Eduardo's boat in the distance.

River at the end of the rapids

La Sombra's Hut

TJM Test Footage

Hey Arnold Test

In 2012, Vimeo user and Artist Brent Forrest posted the test footage for TJM on his account.

The footage shows Miles and Stella on horseback chasing a masked La Sombra through the San Lorenzo jungle in the rain. Referencing a scene that was shown in the episode The Journal when Eduardo tells the story of La Sombra stealing the Corazon from the Green Eyes.

The animation is radically different from the artwork featured in the Hey Arnold! TV Series and also showed off some 3D effects.

In 2014, Craig Bartlett confirmed the footage to be genuine on his Facebook page, and that it was produced by his studio in 2001.

Characters that go to San Lorenzo

• Arnold Now ten years old, he is on his quest to find answers to his parents' disappearance.
• Helga Since the first movie, she's acted like she hates Arnold again but that appears to change.
• Gerald He interrupts Arnold and Helga's kiss in the end of the movie, and after hearing their lame excuse he responds, "Whatever you say."
• Harold He does his usual bullying stuff with Stinky and Sid. "I'm the boss and I say we're doin' it!"
• Sid He tags along with Harold and Stinky.
• Stinky He tags along with Harold and Sid.
• Rhonda She totally freaks out in the jungle.
• Nadine For her, the jungle is like heaven. "There are 20,000 species of spider in San Lorenzo!"
• Brainy He helps Helga to get her act together, and is thrown overboard by her a couple of times. In the middle of the story, Helga is fed up and she gives up completely. However, Brainy kind of helps her back to life.
• Eugene He jinxes it up like crazy by getting allergic attacks, his legs puff up like balloons and he is nearly eaten by piranhas; among other misfortunes.
• Phoebe Her role is not known, but she is pictured in the concept art.
• Sheena She is 1 of the young girl students in Mr. Simmons' 5th grade class.
• Lila She was never mentioned in the any of the pre-production material.
• Mr. Simmons He is now the fifth grade teacher of Arnold's class.
• Principal Wartz He tags along with the group because he always wanted to go to Central America.

Other students of Mr. Simmons's class also participate in the trip.

Other characters

• Miles He is Arnold's father who went missing in San Lorenzo 9 years ago. His whereabouts are unknown.
• Stella She is Arnold's mother and Miles' wife. She went with Miles to help the Green Eyes but also disappeared.
• Eduardo He is Miles and Stella's most trusted friend who witnessed Arnold's birth "silence all of nature" in "The Journal." In one of the sketches, it's suggested Eduardo drives a steam-powered riverboat.
• The Green-Eyed People They are the original and mysterious inhabitants of San Lorenzo.
• La Sombra He is an evil river pirate and treasure hunter; Miles and Stella's arch enemy.

Trivia

• This wasn't the only movie cancelled by Nickelodeon Movies at the time. Others include Aaahh!!! Real Monsters: The Movie, Ren & Stimpy: The Movie, Jimmy Neutron: The Search for Carl, Pelswick: The Movie, and Catscratch: Saving Waffle. Doug: The Movie was also cancelled, but was later renamed Doug's 1st Movie and made by Walt Disney Pictures.

Fan-led Campaigns

Fans of the Hey Arnold! series have set up campaign web sites and Facebook groups asking for The Jungle Movie to be released.

• JUNGLE MOVIE PETITION (goal is 30,000 signatures)
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/713/349/694/hey-arnold-the-jungle-movie-production/ (goal is 300 signatures)
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/163/953/505/more-hey-arnold-episodes/ (goal is 10,000 signatures)
• http://www.change.org/p/nickelodeon-make-the-hey-arnold-jungle-movie (goal is 200 signatures)
• http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/greenlight-hey-arnold-the-jungle-movie (goal is 100 signatures)
• http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/green-light-hey-arnold-the-jungle-movie (goal is 100 signatures)
• http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-the-cartoons (goal is 100 signatures)
• http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bring-back-hey-arnold-for-season-6 (goal is 100 signatures)
• http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/returnoldnick/ (goal is 500 signatures)
• http://ipt-elb-94457558.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com/petition/tell-nick-to-release-the-jungle-movie-script (goal is 1,000 signatures)
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/437/906/534/hey-arnold-the-jungle-movie/ (goal is 1,400 signatures)
• http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nickelodeonsplat/ (goal is 10,000 signatures)
• Hey Arnold! Save The Jungle Movie!! 100,000 People!! ~ Group on Facebook
• HeyArnoldOpruth ~ Facebook group dedicated to anything Hey! Arnold related including The Jungle Movie & The Patakis
• Operation Ruthless (Opruth) ~ Blog on Tumblr
•  HeyArnoldOpruth on DeviantArt~ DeviantArt dedicated to anything Hey! Arnold related including The Jungle Movie & The Patakis
• Save The Jungle Movie ~ Blog on Blogspot
• MOVE IT FOOTBALL HEAD! ~ Blog on Tumblr
• Save The Jungle Movie UK ~ The United Kingdom Sub-Division of the Save The Jungle Movie campaign.

Fan Fictions closely related to The Jungle Movie

See also Fanfics about San Lorenzo

• "The Jungle Fanfic" by MeganKoumori
• "The Jungle Movie" by If Wishes Were Blue Skies
• "Jaguars" by Cybra
• "The Jungle movie fanfic" by WildAngel16
• "The Arnold and Helga Chronicles XVIII: Welcome to the Jungle" by Jake Collins (TheEyeShield)
• "Chismes" by Number6 (in Spanish)
• "My version of Hey Arnold! TJM" by Kisstriss
• "Sentimientos ocultos parte 2" by Laura11 (in Spanish)
• "Eres para mi" by Ratoncito82 (in Spanish)
• "Proof" by PennyBlue
• "The Jungle Movie" by Taylort
• "The Jungle: Journey to San Lorenzo" by OoOIzzyOoO
• "The Jungle Movie: Los Tres Observadores" by RinandSess
• "Hey Arnold 2: The Journey to San Lorenzo " by valcanous
• "The Map That Led Home" by ElectricAmethyst
• "Peter, Sonic, and Link: The Cross-Over Crystals" by Godzilla2915

Fan Projects related to The Jungle Movie

• Hey Arnold! — The Jungle Movie Fanmade Projects! community on Livejournal — Community in which you can also share your ideas, plot devices for The Jungle Movie fan project, and also a place to post/share all of your projects, whether they be for The Jungle Movie, the years after The Jungle Movie, The Patakis, and even the years after The Patakis.
• Project Heart (Fan Project)

References

• See also: Hey Arnold! The Movie Cancelled Sequel