Nickelodeon is bringing back the original Hey Arnold! cast for the upcoming TV movie, which is titled Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie. The two-hour telemovie will air in 2017.
Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie picks up from where the original series left off in 2004 and will resolve unanswered questions and plotlines – including Arnold finally getting answers about the whereabouts of his missing parents.
Original voice actors Francesca Marie Smith will return as Helga, Anndi McAfee as Phoebe, Justin Shenkarow as Harold, Olivia Hack as Rhonda, Nika Futterman as Olga, Dan Butler as Mr Simmons, The Simpsons veteran Dan Castellaneta as Grandpa, Tress MacNeille as Grandma, Antoinette Stella as Stella, Carlos Alazraqui as Eduardo, Dom Irrera as Ernie, Maurice LaMarche as Bob Pataki, Kath Soucie as Miriam, Danielle Judovits as Big Patty, Danny Cooksey as Stoop Kid, Jim Belushi as Coach Wittenberg, and Craig Bartlett as Miles.
Arnold, and many of the kid characters from the original cartoon, will be voiced by new actors. Mason Vale Cotton will play the title character, Benjamin L’il P-Nut Flores Jr will voice Gerald, Gavin Lewis as Eugene, Jet Jurgensmeyer as Stinky, Aiden Lewandowski as Sid, Laya Hayes as Nadine, Nicolas Cantu as Curly, Wally Wingert as Oskar, and Stephen Stanton as Pigeon Man.
The original voice of Arnold, Lane Toran, and the original voice of Gerald, Jamil Smith, will lend their voices to several other roles.
Alfred Molina joins that cast as the resident villain, Lasombra, an infamous river pirate operating from a secret compound in the jungles of San Lorenzo.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to work with these talented voice actors who brought to life one of the most celebrated cartoons in Nickelodeon’s history,” said Chris Viscardi, SVP of content development, Nickelodeon Franchise Properties. “The voice cast is an essential piece to the Hey Arnold! universe and we’re excited for a new generation of fans to hear these characters in a new TV movie.”
Original Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett is writing and executive producing the TV movie, which hails from Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
Hey Arnold! originally ran on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 2004. The revival movie is one of the cabler’s original projects returning, in addition to a Legends Of The Hidden Temple movie, based on the 1990s game show. The Hey Arnold! movie was first reported by Variety.
The announcement comes amid Nickelodeon’s 25th anniversary celebration of original creator-driven animation. – Reuters/Elizabeth Wagmeister
