Hey Arnold! The Movie 2002

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Hey Arnold! The Movie is what happens when you blow up small potatoes to 10 times their natural size, and it ain't pretty. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Hey Arnold! The Movie could have been made 40 years ago, and parents' appreciation of it may depend on whether they consider that a good thing. Read more

Christine Dolen, Miami Herald: Thoroughly enjoyable. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: A good laugh every half-hour or so is not enough for me to recommend this film to anyone who's not a fan of the TV show. Read more

Loren King, Chicago Tribune: An acceptable way to pass a little over an hour with moviegoers ages 8-10, but it's unlikely to inspire anything more than a visit to McDonald's, let alone some savvy street activism. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: This may be the first cartoon ever to look as if it were being shown on the projection television screen of a sports bar. Read more

Ted Shen, Chicago Reader: The simplistic drawing is closer to Peanuts than The Lion King, and the dialogue is strangely anachronistic. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: Passionate, irrational, long-suffering but cruel as a tarantula, Helga figures prominently in this movie, and helps keep the proceedings as funny for grown-ups as for rugrats. Read more

Malcolm Ritter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: It all unfolds just about as a grownup might expect, though at a leisurely pace that makes the movie's 72 minutes seem longer. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: The ethical, independent-minded kid has his unhip charms, and so does Hey Arnold! The Movie. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Hey Arnold! is now stretched to barely feature length, with a little more attention paid to the animation. Still, the updated Dickensian sensibility of writer Craig Bartlett's story is appealing. Read more

Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: Unfortunately, it's also not very good. Especially compared with the television series that inspired the movie. Read more

C.W. Nevius, San Francisco Chronicle: It is great summer fun to watch Arnold and his buddy Gerald bounce off a quirky cast of characters. Read more

Daphne Gordon, Toronto Star: It all unfolds predictably, and the adventures that happen along the way seem repetitive and designed to fill time, providing no real sense of suspense. Read more

Time Out: The coloured pencil tones and quirky-looking characters are likeable, and the plot cuts the sentimentalism with sarky wit and minimum schmaltz. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: The movie feels like a long-form version of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series on which it's based, which probably won't bother Arnold fans. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety: Pic has lots of charm, and parents in attendance won't feel too bored or alienated by its goings-on, while kids will lap it up. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Neither funny nor suspenseful nor particularly well-drawn. Read more