| Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John A. Davis |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | John Debney |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[2] |
| Box office | $103 million |
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is a 2001 American animatedscience fiction comedy film directed byJohn A. Davis and written by Davis,Steve Oedekerk,David N. Weiss, and J. David Stem. Featuring the voices ofDebi Derryberry,Patrick Stewart,Martin Short,Rob Paulsen,Jeffrey Garcia, andCarolyn Lawrence, the film followsJimmy Neutron, a schoolboy with super-genius intelligence, who must save all the parents of his hometown from a race of egg-like aliens known as the Yolkians.
The idea for the film was first conceived by Davis in the 1980s as a script for a short film titledRunaway Rocketboy, which featured a prototype Jimmy Neutron named Johnny Quasar. After revisiting the abandoned script several years later, Davis decided to retool it as a computer-animated short and potential TV series. A 40-second demo was created and gained popularity at the 1995SIGGRAPH convention, garnering the attention of Oedekerk and leading Davis'DNA Productions to develop an extended TV pilot. After a successful pitch toNickelodeon, a 13-minute episode was produced, and Nickelodeon, impressed with both the character and the 3D technology, raised the possibility of making both a TV series and a full-length feature film. Davis suggested that the film be made first, so that the production team could create the assets on a higher budget and reuse them in the TV series. Production began in early 2000 and was completed in roughly 24 months, with the studio considerably raising its staff count and expanding its studio space.Jimmy Neutron was the first computer animated film to be created entirely withoff-the-shelf animation software, includingLightWave 3D andMessiah.
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius was released byParamount Pictures andNickelodeon Movies on December 21, 2001, and was a box office success, grossing $103 million worldwide against a $30 million budget. It earned generally positive reviews and was nominated for the inauguralAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film was followed by an animated television series,The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, which aired from 2002 to 2006, alongside a spin-off series,Planet Sheen, which aired from 2010 to 2013. Asimulator ride based on the film,Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast opened atUniversal Studios Florida in 2003 and closed in 2011.
Eleven-year-old boy genius Jimmy Neutron lives in Retroville with his parents, Judy and Hugh, and his robot dog, Goddard. Jimmy's friends are overweight Carl Wheezer and hyperactive Sheen Estevez, and his long-standing rival, intelligent classmate Cindy Vortex, teases him for his small stature. After Jimmy launches a communications satellite into space, hoping to contact alien life, he crashes his makeshift rocket into his house's roof, upsetting his mother. The next day, Jimmy, Carl and Sheen learn of the grand opening of Retroland, an amusement park. Popular kid Nick Dean convinces the boys to sneak out and attend. Jimmy's mother refuses to let him attend the park that night. After his jetpack accidentally starts a fire in the house, she grounds him. Taking Nick's advice, Jimmy uses his shrink ray invention to sneak out and meets Carl and Sheen at Retroland for a night of fun.
Meanwhile, Jimmy's satellite is intercepted by the Yolkians, a race of egg-like aliens from the planet Yolkus. Their leader, King Goobot, views Jimmy's message and notices a picture featuring his parents, declaring his search complete. The Yolkians arrive on Earth and abduct all the adults in Retroville, except Jimmy's teacher Miss Fowl (due to being shrunken down to a small size by Jimmy's shrink ray). As their ships return to space, Jimmy, Carl and Sheen mistake their departure for a shooting star, prompting Jimmy to wish their parents were gone. The next morning, all the children notice the parents are missing and party recklessly. At first, having no parents is fun for the children. But then, the following day, they are miserable and realize they need their parents. Jimmy learns that his satellite has been found and deduces the parents have been abducted. He enlists the children to create rocket ships out of Retroland's rides and they blast off into space after their families.
After braving a meteor shower and camping on an asteroid, Jimmy and company eventually reach Yolkus and find the parents with mind control devices attached to their heads. When Jimmy tries to get the mind-control helmet off of his father, Goobot captures them and reveals that Jimmy had led the Yolkians directly to Earth to take their parents, whom they intend to sacrifice to their god Poultra. Jimmy is separated from Goddard by Goobot's bumbling assistant, Ooblar, and is locked in a dungeon with the other children, who blame Jimmy for their predicament. Taking pity on Jimmy, Cindy confesses she and the other children need him and encourages Jimmy to fix things by helping them escape. Using a cellphone owned by Cindy's friend, Libby Folfax, Jimmy contacts Goddard, who escapes from Ooblar and frees the children.
Jimmy and company reach the Yolkians' Colosseum where a giant egg is hatched, releasing Poultra, a gigantic three-eyed alien chicken. As Goobot arranges the parents to be eaten using a mind control remote, Jimmy rallies the children to storm the colosseum and battle the guards while Sheen retrieves an escape vessel, which knocks Poultra on the head upon his return. Jimmy steals the remote from Goobot and the children escape Yolkus with the parents. Goobot arranges a fleet to pursue them, which is all destroyed when the children fly their ship around the surface of the Sun, save for Goobot's vessel. When Goobot and Ooblar mock Jimmy's short size, Jimmy charges at Goobot's ship with Goddard in a flying bike form and uses his shrink ray to enlarge himself into the size of a planet. He then blows Goobot's vessel away into an asteroid, destroying it. Goobot survives and vows revenge. On the return trip to Earth, Jimmy reconciles with his parents, admitting that despite his intelligence, he still depends on them.
Meanwhile, the still-shrunken Miss Fowl is seen riding on an apple worm, named Mr. Wiggles, on her way to the cafeteria in the elementary school hall.
The idea for a series about a boy with super-genius powers was first conceived in the 1980s by John A. Davis, who scripted and storyboarded a short narrative titledRunaway Rocketboy, centering around a character named Johnny Quasar (inspired by a facetious nickname that his summer co-workers had coined for him in his youth)[3] who builds a rocket ship and runs away from his parents.[4] Davis stated in an episode of theNickelodeon Animation Podcast that he initially wrote the concept with the intention of creating it as a live-action film with special effects and matte shots, even going so far as to apply for a grant to fund the project, but found that getting such an investment was difficult since the film was not educational or informative.[3] The idea laid dormant for several years until Davis came across the abandoned script while in the process of moving.[3] Around the same time, Davis'Dallas-based studio, DNA Productions, had just begun experimenting with the use of computer animation after obtaining copies ofLightWave 3D. In turn, Davis realized that the film would be fitting as a CGI film, since all of the science fiction set pieces could be entirely modeled in 3-D.[3]
Davis, alongside studio co-founder Keith Alcorn, created a 40-second proof-of-concept demo film which depicted Johnny and his robot dog, Goddard, flying through an asteroid belt and greeting the viewers. Simultaneously, Davis and Alcorn worked to create a story bible outlining a potential television series. The demo short was shown off in 1995 at theSIGGRAPH CGI convention, where it was entered into a competition for LightWave films. The demo quickly garnered notability in the computer animation industry, receiving frequent press coverage in magazines and winning two "Wavey" awards- one for Best Character Animation and another for Best in Show. Among people who caught wind of the film wasSteve Oedekerk, the founder ofO Entertainment, who saw a still shot of Johnny and Goddard in a CGI magazine. Oedekerk, a strong backer of computer animation, was impressed by the characters' designs, stating in an interview that the image particularly stood out to him because it "seemed fun" compared to the mostly-photorealistic work being done with computer animation at the time.[5] He cold-called Davis requesting to see a tape of the full short. After watching the demo, as well as seeing the show bible which Davis and Alcorn had developed, Oedekerk expressed interest in helping to pitch their concept to different networks.[4][6]
After teaming up with O Entertainment, the company began working on developing a full-length episode for a TV series, titledThe Adventures of Johnny Quasar, writing an expanded version of the originalRunaway Rocket story and tweaking aspects of Johnny's design to make him look more like a child. In Fall 1995, the idea was pitched toNickelodeon, who expressed immediate interest in the idea.Albie Hecht, the then-president of Nick, was particularly impressed, coining him to be "halfBart Simpson and halfAlbert Einstein", he strongly praised Johnny's blended personality as an adventurous and intelligent character and one grounded in the reality of childhood, which, according to him, made him "the perfect Nick kid".[5] Following positive reception, Nickelodeon commissioned for a 13-minute pilot episode to be created.[4] After several years of going through the review process, the episode began production in late 1997, and was completed in 1998. The name "Johnny Quasar" was changed at the request of Nickelodeon, who did not want the character to be confused with similarly named ones such asJonny Quest andCaptain Quazar, so Davis brainstormed other character names while walking his dog around the neighborhood block, eventually coming up with the final name, "Jimmy Neutron".[3]
After the pilot was completed, Nickelodeon executives, who were impressed by the pilot and still enthusiastic about the show's potential, raised the prospect of creating a theatrical film to accompany the TV series, much to the surprise of Davis and his team at the studio. During the initial pitch to Nickelodeon, Oedekerk had highlighted the idea that using computer animation would allow the same models and assets to be reused between both a film and a TV show, an idea which Nick held strong faith in.[4] Davis further suggested that the feature film be created first, since the characters being modeled could be created at a higher quality than they would have with a TV budget. Although Nick was worried that it would be more difficult to attract a movie-going audience without the TV show to build an install base for the series, these concerns were answered with a series of short TV interstitials which would begin airing in order to build up hype for the upcoming film.[4][6]
With a budget of roughly $30 million, production ofJimmy Neutron: Boy Genius was greenlit in Fall 1999, and work began on a script for the film.[7] Production officially started in February 2000 under the direction of Davis. In order to speed up the pace of work for a feature film, the company's staff count was considerably increased from 30 to around 150 employees, and the studio's workspace was also reformed in order to fit such a team of filmmakers.[5] The film was completed in 24 months, roughly half that in which most other CGI films were completed.[4][6]
The screenplay forJimmy Neutron was written by Davis and Oedekerk, as well asRugrats staff writersDavid N. Weiss and J. David Stem.[6] In creating the many ideas inJimmy Neutron, Davis and Oedekerk thought back to their childhoods, trying to think about "what a kid would create if he had the ability to create any kind of gadget".[4] The film was largely inspired by Davis' own love of science fiction which he had since childhood, drawing influence from various sources includingThunderbirds andRay Harryhausen's stop motion work. Oedekerk's 6-year-old daughter, Zoe, came up with the idea for "burp soda", which ultimately appeared in the movie as one of Jimmy's many inventions.[4] According to Davis, the Ultralord-obsessed Sheen Estevez was inspired by Davis' own love of collecting.[3] Sheen was initially intended to be Japanese, as he was named after the nickname of a Japanese employee who had worked for Davis, but the filmmakers had trouble finding a suitable voice actor of Japanese descent. Incidentally, they changed the character's nationality to Mexican after opening the role to a broader category and eventually settling on Mexican-American stand-up comicJeff Garcia.[3][8]
Jimmy Neutron was the first computer-animated film to be created entirely using commercial animation programs rather than proprietary software, with most animation done using both Lightwave andproject:messiah.[4] Characters were first modeled in Lightwave, after which they were rigged and animated in Messiah. Texture painting was done viaAdobe Photoshop, while compositing work was completed inMaya Fusion.[5] In addition to serving as executive producer, Alcorn was the film's lead character designer, and created actively simplistic and cartoonish designs in order to avoid overcomplicating production. To animate crowd scenes, methods of simplification were used to make animation less time-consuming: characters that were farther from the camera had less articulation, and animators would duplicate the same characters, offset them to different areas, and change their body parts to differentiate them. One particular scene shows a crowd of 6000 Yolkians, each of which uses one of 30 distinct animation loops.[5]
According to Davis, the character models were intentionally given a "sculpted, graphic look," both to avoid making them look overly realistic and to circumvent the prospect of having to deal with simulating cloth or hair.[5] The over-the-top character designs, in turn, influenced the film world's aesthetic (e.g. cars were modeled to be able to fit the characters' stylistically large heads).[5] Off-the-shelf shaders were favored over ones which created more photorealistic lighting in order to maintain a cartoonish appearance throughout.[5]
Nancy Cartwright,Pamela Adlon andE. G. Daily were all considered for the role of Jimmy Neutron beforeDebi Derryberry was cast for the film and subsequent series. The film was Derryberry's biggest acting role at the time, as previously she had mostly provided minor roles in films and TV shows.[9]
The movie soundtrack was released byZomba Music,Jive Records, andNick Records on November 20, 2001, a month prior to the film's release.[10][11][12] It includes covers ofDJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince's "Parents Just Don't Understand",Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me With Science", andKim Wilde's "Kids In America".
| No. | Title | Artist | 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, and3LW | 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" | Stupid | 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 (Bonus Mix)" | Lil' Romeo,3LW, andNick Cannon | 3:52 |
| 14. | "Blitzkrieg Bop" | The Ramones | 2:12 |
| 15. | "Jimmy Neutron Theme" | Bowling for Soup | 2:08 |
Additionally, a promotional CD containing the score composed byJohn Debney, performed by theHollywood Studio Symphony and conducted by Pete Anthony was released forAcademy Award consideration.
| No. | Title | Artist | 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, andNick Cannon | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Intimidated" | Britney Spears | 3:17 |
| 6. | "He Blinded Me With Science" | Melissa Lefton andThe 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" | Stupid | 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 (Bonus Mix)" | Lil' Romeo,3LW, andNick 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 out 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 | |
| Total length: | 82:58 | ||
Promoting a film with the then-unknown Jimmy character was a challenge, as "kids like to go to the movies to see a friend". For that reason, Jimmy was presented as someone that children would like to spend time with.[13] As part of the marketing campaign, aJimmy Neutron website was created, and several tie-in deals were struck, including one withTHQ for the development of aGame Boy Advance video game, and another withJive Records, the label of artists such asAaron Carter andBritney Spears (who are featured in the soundtrack).[13]
A series of shorts were created to air on Nickelodeon, with the first one premiering on February 5, 2001.[4][14] The shorts were tied in with online games available on Nick's website.[6] Clips from the shorts were previously compiled to form a trailer, which was attached to the theatrical release ofRugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000).[4] The shorts would later be included on the film's DVD release.[14]
In April 2001,Nickelodeon Magazine launched a monthly Jimmy Neutron comic strip.[6] An official trailer debuted two months later with the release ofLara Croft: Tomb Raider.[4] The character Jimmy Neutron made appearances at the2001 Kids' Choice Awards and appeared in commercials forTrident gum ahead of the film's premiere.[4][6] Other promotional partners includedRadioShack andMattel, both of which produced toys based on the film.[15][16] A "viral" campaign was also designed, consisting of Jimmy mischievously appearing during Nickelodeon shows – such asRugrats,SpongeBob SquarePants andTaina – and altering them with his zapping device.[13] The campaign began in September 2001, to further raise awareness of the film.[6]
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius premiered in India on June 22, 2001, and was released in theaters on December 21, 2001,[1] byParamount Pictures.
It was released onVHS andDVD byParamount Home Entertainment on July 2, 2002.[17][18] It was re-released on DVD twice, on June 22, 2011, and April 25, 2017. The film received aBlu-ray release on March 8, 2022.[19]
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 74% based on 76 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The critics' consensus reads: "WhatJimmy Neutron lacks in computer animation, it makes up for in charm and cleverness."[20] According toMetacritic, the film has aweighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[22]
Rita Kempley ofThe Washington Post praised the film, saying that "this little charmer both celebrates and kids the corny conventions of family sitcoms".[23] Nell Minow ofCommon Sense Media enjoyed the "stylish 3-D computer animation, good characters", giving the film 3 out of 5 stars.[24] Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly gave this film a grade of "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".[25] Paul Tatara ofCNN called the film "the most delightfully original children's film of 2001".[26]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four, saying that "it doesn't have the little in-jokes that makeShrek andMonsters, Inc. fun for grown-ups. But adults who appreciate the art of animation may enjoy the look of the picture".[27]
The film was financially successful, grossing $13,833,228 on its opening weekend in third place behindThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring andOcean's Eleven and ended up with a total of $80,936,232 domestically, and the film did better overseas grossing $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 twenty 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.[28]
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius was nominated for the firstAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature, losing toShrek. It was the first release fromNickelodeon Movies to receive an Academy Award nomination.
A sequel television series,The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, ran from July 2002 to November 2006. Another series,Planet Sheen, is a spin-off of the film and its 2002 series. It focuses on Sheen Estevez, and ran from October 2, 2010, to February 15, 2013.
A simulator ride calledJimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast opened atUniversal Studios Florida on April 4, 2003, and operated until August 18, 2011. It was set after the events of the film and featured guest appearances by otherNicktoons characters.
The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, a trilogy of crossover television specials withThe Fairly OddParents, aired between 2004 and 2006.
In February 2002, a sequel was reported in development for a summer 2004 release. Producer Albie Hecht reported to The Los Angeles Times that the sequel "would be made on the same budget as the first, but with a new batch of inventions and adventures in Jimmy's town of Retroville."[29] On June 20, 2002,The Hollywood Reporter reported that writerKate Boutilier had signed a writing deal with Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures to write a sequel to the film, but the sequel never materialized.[30] The film was cancelled because the writers could not agree on a story and Alcorn later stated in an interview that "once the TV series came out, there wasn't a lot of incentive to make a movie when fans could simply watchJimmy Neutron for free at home."[31]
In 2016, director John A. Davis stated that he has a story for aJimmy Neutron reboot feature that he would like to make, but he is waiting for the "right situation" to make it.[32]
When asked about a reboot in 2020,Rob Paulsen stated "Well, I've got to tell you, man. I go all over the world when we don't have thecoronavirus, and people love Carl. They love Carl. I don't think it would be a bad thing at all to reboot Jimmy Neutron. I think that's one of those shows that a lot of people would love to see again. It was very good. Really smart. That wouldn't surprise me."[33]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| TV series |
| ||
| TV specials |
| ||
| Characters | |||
| Video games |
| ||
| Attraction |
| ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
