Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

This article is about the 2001 film. For the TV series, see The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

Theatrical release poster
Directed by John A. Davis
Produced by
Screenplay by
Story by
  • John A. Davis
  • Steve Oedekerk
Starring
Music by John Debney
Cinematography
  • Steve Kolbe
  • Chris Sherrod
Edited by
  • Gregory Perler
  • Jon Price
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
  • December 21, 2001 (2001-12-21)
Running time
82 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $30 million[1]
Box office $103 million

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is a 2001 American 3D computer-animated comic science fiction film based on a few three-minute animated shorts shown on Nickelodeon between the years 1999–2000, 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, Carl Wheezer and Goddard. 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. Despite his parents Hugh and Judy's protest in talking to strangers. Unknown to anyone, the satellite is picked up near the planet Yolkus, home to an alien race called the Yolkians. King Goobot V and his assistant, Ooblar, watch a pre-recorded message from Jimmy, featuring him introducing himself and explaining about life on Earth.

Jimmy, Carl, and their friend Sheen spot a poster for an amusement park called "Retroland." However, Jimmy's parents refuse to let him go that night because it is a school night, and as a result Jimmy is forced to go his room 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 advised by Nick Dean, a popular kid.

As the three are at the park, the Yolkians set a course for Earth and kidnap all the adults 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 the 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 despite 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 god, Poultra. He shows the kids Jimmy's video, thanking him for helping him find 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 stand up and think of an escape plan. After breaking out with the help of Goddard, the children (except Nick, as he turns out not so brave), in accordance with Jimmy's plan, manage to stop the parents from being sacrificed to Poultra the giant chicken.

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 an experimental 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 for not understanding strangers, 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. In the post credits scene, Ms. Fowl, the school teacher, is shown taming a worm when having been shrunk by Jimmy's shrink ray prior to the film.

Cast

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.[3] 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.[4] It was intended to be a short pilot for a TV show and in 1998, a new short with the main character's name changed to Jimmy Neutron called Runaway Rocketboy was made and pitched to Nickelodeon with the intent of making it into a television series. The pilot was so successful that the producers wanted to make it into a film, due to the evolution 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% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics consensus reads: "What Jimmy Neutron lacks in computer animation, it makes up for in charm and cleverness".[5] According to Metacritic, the film also holds a score of 65/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6] 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.[7] 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".[8] Paul Tatara of CNN.com called this film "the most delightfully original children's film of 2001".[9] 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".[10]

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.[11]

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 Sony Music Soundtrax, Columbia Records and Nick Records.[12]

No. TitleArtist 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 3:07
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 2:39
13. "Parents Just Don't Understand (Bonux Mix)"  Lil' Romeo, 3LW, and Nick Cannon 3:52
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. TitleArtist 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 3:07
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 2:39
14. "Parents Just Don't Understand (Bonux Mix)"  Lil' Romeo, 3LW, and Nick Cannon 3:52
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/Apologize"    2:15
53. "The End"    0:13
54. "End Credits"    7:27
Total length:
82:58

Planned sequel

In June 2002, it was reported that Kate Boutilier had made a deal to write a sequel to the film.[13]

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

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 (Parts 1-5) 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). It serves as the prologue to the 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 Dr. Pane, 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.

See also

References

  1. "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  2. "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius". RottenTomatoes.com. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  3. Bovberg, Jason (July 18, 2002). "Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius". DVD Talk. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  4. Mallory, Michael (November 11, 2001). "A Boy and His Franchise". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  5. "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  6. "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  7. "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Movie Review". Commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  8. Gleiberman, Owen (2002-01-04). "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Review | Movie Reviews and News". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  9. "CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News". Archives.cnn.com. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  10. Emerson, Jim (2001-12-21). "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Movie Review (2001) | Roger Ebert". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  11. "Smallest Second Weekend Drops". boxofficemojo.com. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  12. "Various - Music From The Motion Picture 'Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius'". Discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  13. "'Jimmy Neutron' Sequel Gets 'Thornberrys' Scribe". Killer Movies. June 20, 2002. Retrieved November 12, 2016.

External links

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