Depending on your age, the ’90s programming at Nickelodeon was either a childhood staple or was part of late nights of your high school/college years. Either way, the run of shows was very strong, and in this era of maximizing IP value, it’s a bit of a surprise the network hasn’t done anything with them…until now…
Variety reports that Nickelodeon is going to ambitiously put characters from all their ’90s shows into a single movie, "NickToons," with "Napoleon Dynamite" director Jared Hess to helm the project. That’s right, the worlds of "Doug," "Rugrats," "Ren & Stimpy" and "Ahh! Real Monsters" will collide (and, hopefully, "Hey Arnold!") for what’s being described as a "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"-esque film. Hess is also writing the project with regular collaborator Jerusha Hess, and it’s certainly an ambitious undertaking.
So, why cram all these properties into one movie? I’d wager it’s a good way to see what characters fare well on the big screen and resonate, and which don’t, rather than spending all kinds of money on a "Ren & Stimpy" movie (for example), only to find it can’t hold the tone for 90 minutes, or the audience isn’t there for it. We’re just wondering if any of the original voice actors or creators (John Kricfalusi of "Ren & Stimpy" fame for example) will be involved.
Thoughts? Does this make no sense, or do you see it as being kinda genius. Let us know below.
The part of me that grew up watching these cartoons is happy, but the part of me that\’s a cynical adult keeps screaming that this entire idea reeks of failure.
Here\’s what I hope it looks like; MADtv – Once Upon a Toon
Hey Arnold was a good show, just distinct from the original nick toons lineup. Real monsters came later too. Disney owned a different version of Doug, where he\’s a bit more grown up. While this concept seems a little sketchy I think it\’ll end up entertaining.
Ren & Stimpy and Hey Arnold! did not coexist in the same Nick programming era. Hey Arnold blows and should be forever forgotten.
I\’m pretty sure Disney owns Doug.