Hey Arnold!: The Movie

Arriving home from a basketball game, Arnold Shortman and his best friend Gerald Johanssen learn that Alphonse Perrier du von Scheck, the CEO of FutureTech Industries (FTi), has announced plans to redevelop the entire neighborhood as a luxurious high-rise shopping mall. That night, Helga Patiki finds that her father, Big Bob, is working with FTi to build a new super-sized branch of his beeper store in the proposed mall. She ultimately sides with her father, though is hesitant to do so because of her love for Arnold.

Arnold hosts a demonstration against FTi. Unfortunately, their permit is stolen by Scheck's employees, Arnold's grandmother Gertie Shortman is arrested, and the demonstration is declared illegal. The failure encourages many of Arnold's neighbors to give up, and sell their homes to FTi. As the residents begin packing their belongings, Arnold's grandfather Phil Shortman tells the story of the "Tomato Incident", a major Revolutionary War battle fought in the city. Arnold realizes that the neighborhood had to have been declared a historic district after the war, effectively ensuring its preservation. Arnold and Gerald learn from the city coroner that the legal document granting its landmark status was sold to Scheck, who denies obtaining the document.

As the deadline draws near, Arnold gets a mysterious phone call from "Deep Voice" (a "Deep Throat"-esque character), who informs Arnold that Scheck is lying and the document is in his office safe and that his assistant Nick Vermicelli has the key. Arnold and Gerald get some special equipment from agent Bridget and follow Nick. After learning that the key is on his neck, they steal it while he’s sleeping. Big Bob confronts Nick after reading the fine print of his contract and learning that Scheck gets 51% of his company in exchange for the beeper emporium and they fight. After knocking out Big Bob, Nick notices the missing key, and informs Scheck. Meanwhile, Phil and the boarders try to devise a backup plan in case Arnold fails. The plan is to wire the storm drain tunnels beneath their street with dynamite to intercept FTi's construction equipment. Big Bob later teams up with them to get back at FTi.

Arnold and Gerald infiltrate into FTi headquarters and access the safe, only to find that the document is missing. Scheck appears from behind them with the document in his hand. He reveals that his ancestor, a governor of the British forces, was humiliated by the "Tomato Incident", and, that, for years, Scheck has been planning to avenge his family by demolishing the neighborhood and replacing it with a hulking building carrying his name on it. He then burns the document to ensure that his plans will proceed, before summoning his guards to get rid of Arnold and Gerald. They escape, but believe they have failed, until "Deep Voice" advises Arnold to obtain the FTi's security-camera footage of Scheck burning the document.

After Arnold finds out that "Deep Voice" is Helga, he asks why she decided to help him instead of her father. Helga reluctantly professes her love for Arnold. Helga and Arnold escape the building, and meet Gerald on a city bus, convincing the driver Murray to race home when realizing that his girlfriend lives in the same neighborhood. After jumping off a bridge, Murray is knocked unconscious with his fake leg stuck on the gas pedal, so Arnold convinces Gerald to drive the bus. Despite several near-collisions, the kids eventually make it back unharmed. Mayor Dixie arrives at the scene, along with the police and a news crew. Accessing the large ScheckVision jumbotron poised atop a nearby building, Arnold and Bridget show everyone the footage of Scheck burning the document. Dixie officially restores the neighborhood's status as a historic site.

Scheck arrives, demanding to know why demolition has not begun. He sees the footage of himself burning the document on the monitor, and realizes he's caught and is facing prison time. Gertie, having escaped prison, sabotaged his car, and Scheck is promptly arrested. Big Bob notices Nick trying to be escape and knocks him out. Harold inadvertently sits down on the detonator that ignites Phil's explosives, causing the jumbotron monitor to be destroyed. Murray reconciles with his girlfriend and Helga denies ever having loved Arnold, claiming that she said those things in "the heat of the moment". Arnold, unconvinced, pretends to accept it as she returns home. The film ends with Eugene singing a song about how they saved the neighborhood, until Gerald turns off his boom box and says “Show’s over, Eugene.”

In 1998, Nickelodeon renewed Hey Arnold! for a fourth season, and gave creator Craig Bartlett the chance to develop two feature-length adaptations.[6] As work on the fifth season was completing, in 2001, Bartlett and company engaged in the production of the first film, titled Arnold Saves the Neighborhood. The Neighborhood project was originally produced for television and home video as the last 3 episodes of season 5,[4][6] but eventually became Hey Arnold!: The Movie[6] when executives at Paramount Pictures decided to release it theatrically after successful test screenings.[4] According to animation historian Jerry Beck (in his Animated Movie Guide), the decision was also buoyed by the financial success of the first two Rugrats films, The Rugrats Movie and Rugrats in Paris: The Movie.[6]

A second film, titled Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, was in production but due to the disappointing results of the first film, the project was cancelled. Bartlett later left Nickelodeon, resulting in Hey Arnold!'s cancellation. In 2015, it was announced that The Jungle Movie had resumed production as a TV movie. The movie was first broadcast on Nickelodeon and sister networks TeenNick and Nicktoons in the United States on November 24, 2017.[7] The film was later broadcast on Nickelodeon channels and select theatres worldwide in 2018.[8][9]

The first trailer was released theatrically in late 2001 with Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. A second trailer consisting of new animation debuted during the 2002 Kids' Choice Awards. They showed segments on Nickelodeon called "Backyard Players" where kids would play Arnold, Gerald, and Helga and act out scenes from the film. There was a contest held for a lucky winner to be Arnold for a day and go to the film's premiere. The song 2-Way by Lil' Romeo was used to help promote the movie.

THQ released a video game of the movie, exclusively for the Game Boy Advance. The game consists of five worlds, with four levels each (each including a boss on the fourth level) and the player can play as Arnold, Gerald, Grandpa, and Grandma. Helga is playable only with a cheat code found on various websites.

A television film entitled Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie serves as a sequel to this film. Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie originally aired in the United States on November 24, 2017, over 13 years after the conclusion of the television series. The debut airing was simulcast on Nickelodeon, TeenNick, and Nicktoons.[13][14]

• List of American films of 2002
• List of animated feature-length films

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