I still really like cartoons and animated movies even though I am no longer a child. I have several animated movies in my movie collection, and will be adding more in the future. My favorite animated movies are Disney movies, but I have also enjoyed other animated movies. I recently rented Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius on DVD. I really enjoyed the movie and will be adding a copy of it to my DVD collection sometime in the future.

A military base picks up something on their radar and some jets are sent out to investigate. They discover a little boy flying a home made rocket ship. Jimmy Neutron is a genius and he invents many things, like his robot dog Goddard, who is along for the ride. Jimmy’s best friend, Carl is also in the ship. They are launching a satellite that Jimmy made out of the toaster so he can attempt to communicate with aliens. His rocket has some problems.

A lot of the things Jimmy invents don’t always work like he plans. He has trouble with the huge bubble he uses to travel to school in. His shrink ray doesn’t work right during show and tell and the other kids in class laugh at him. Cindy, a girl in his class who is also very smart, seems to really enjoy picking on Jimmy. I think Jimmy may have a bit of a crush on her, but he doesn’t act on it, and she only has eyes for Nick, the cool kid in class.

Jimmy’s satellite is picked up by an alien spacecraft. The Yokians, on orders from King Goobot, head for Earth. When they arrive, they kidnap all the parents to use them as a sacrifice to the huge chicken god they worship. Many of the kids in town are at the opening of an amusement park when their parents are kidnaped. Jimmy, Carl, and another friend, Sheen, get the idea to sneak out from Nick. The next morning, the kids discover that all the parents are gone. The kids run wild, doing whatever they want, having fun for a while. Eventually they miss their parents.

Jimmy discovers what happened to the parents and he starts to rebuild his space ship so he, Goddard, and Carl can rescue the parents. The other children show up and become part of the rescue mission. They turn the rides from the amusement park into space ships.

Do the children find their missing parents? Is the rescue operation successful? If you want to find out, watch the movie.

VOICE TALENT

Megan Cavanagh - Mom/Vox
Mark DiCarlo - Dad/Pilot/Arena Guard
Debi Derryberry - Jimmy Neutron
Jeff Garcia - Sheen
Bob Goen - Alien newscaster
Mary Hart - Alien newscaster
Carolyn Lawrence - Cindy Vortex
Andera Martin - Miss Fowl
Candi Milo - Nick/Brittany/PJ
Rob Paulsen - Carl/Carl’s mom/Carl’s dad
Crystal Scales - Libby
Martin Short - Ooblar
Patrick Stewart - King Goobot

John Davis - Director/Screenwriter

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is rated G. There is a little bit of cartoon violence and a few things that could be upsetting to really young children - aliens and parents disappearing. The movie is 82 minutes long. It was released in theaters in the fall of 2001. It is now available on VHS and DVD.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is a wonderful movie for children and adults. I really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was entertaining. It is very cute and I thought it was original. A little boy who is really smart, builds all kinds of things, including space ships that he and his friends use to rescue their kidnaped parents. I think that children will really enjoy the movie, especially children who are more imaginative.

The animation in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius was all done by computer. It is a different sort of computer animation than what was in Shrek and Monsters, Inc.. I did think the animation was good, but it isn't up to the same level as the amination in Shrek or Monsters, Inc.. The characters in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius are more like caricatures. Most of the characters have large heads. Jimmy’s dad has a huge nose and chin. Jimmy’s mom has a rather large hairstyle. Bright, vibrant colors are used throughout the movie.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is similar in a few ways to Dexter’s Laboratory, a cartoon that is on the cable station Cartoon Network. Dexter is a young boy who is very smart. He has a secret laboratory under his house. His older sister DeeDee knows about the lab, but their parents don’t. They seem to be a bit in the dark about just how smart their son really is. Dexter invents all kinds of things and some of them don’t work too well. There are some differences between the cartoon and the movie though. I think Jimmy is older than Dexter. He is an only child and his parents do know about his laboratory and inventions. Some of his inventions don’t work to well either. The animation in each in totally different. People that enjoy Dexter’s Laboratory may also enjoy Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

The aliens in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius are very unique looking. They are these green blob looking things with eyeballs. They sort of resemble the yolks of eggs except for the fact that they are green instead of yellow. The aliens have to be inside something to keep any sort of shape. Their spaceships look like giant metal chickens. They worship a God that is a huge monster that looks like somewhat like a chicken. I thought that the aliens were very funny looking. King Goobot and Ooblar were hilarious throughout the movie.

None of the voices of the characters were annoying to me. I think that the voices fit the characters. Martin Short and Patrick Stewart did a great job with the voices of Ooblar and King Goobot. They sounded very different from their normal voices and I didn’t recognize them at first. Patrick Stewart’s voice normally sounds very dignified to me. It was a long way from sounding that way in this movie. It seems like he was being a little more over the top in his performance, but it worked with his character.

CHARACTERS

Jimmy Neutron - He is a young boy who is a genius. He has a lab under the house and he invents all kinds of things. Some of his inventions work better than others. He has some trouble fitting in with other kids in school at times. He comes up with the plan to rescue the kidnaped parents. His friends come to depend on him to make their plan a success. His full name is James Isaac Neutron.

Goddard - Jimmy’s robotic dog. Jimmy built him. He goes almost everywhere with Jimmy, including on the rescue mission.

Carl - Jimmy’s best friend. He doesn’t seem too brave, but he gets mixed up in Jimmy’s plans more than once. He has allergies, and his inhaler plays an important role later in the movie. Carl is a loyal friend to Jimmy.

Sheen - Another friend of Jimmy. He is obsessed with a super hero. Sheen uses his obsession with the super hero to help him carry out something important with the rescue mission.

Cindy - Girl from Jimmy’s class. She is also very smart. She enjoys teasing Jimmy when his inventions don’t work, but she does end up cheering him up at one point. She has a crush on Nick, the cool kid in their class.

Libby - Cindy’s best friend. She teases Jimmy at times too.

Nick - He is the cool kid in the class. He may not be as tough as he acts.

Ooblar - One of the aliens. He works closely with the King.

King Goobot - King of the aliens. He makes the decision to kidnap the parents after recovering Jimmy’s satellite. King Goobot doesn’t like Jimmy.

DVD EXTRAS

The DVD of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius has a few extras.

The movie can be watched in either wide screen or full screen versions.
Making of Jimmy Neutron - The director and some of the voice actors talk about their experience making the movie. A few scenes from the movie are shown. It is also told how some of the scenes in the movie were done.

Music Videos
Promotional Spots
DVD ROM - there are 7 DVD ROM games. I did try them all, but I didn’t have much luck with them.
Teaser Trailer
Theatrical Trailer

I really enjoyed Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. It is a cute, entertaining movie. I think it is worth watching. I think children will enjoy the movie. Adults who still enjoy animated movies should also like this movie. There is now going to be a Jimmy Neutron cartoon on the cable station Nickelodeon, so fans of the movie should watch for the cartoon.


Animated Movie Reviews
The Emperor's New Groove ~ Sleeping Beauty ~ Monsters, Inc. ~ Lilo & Stitch ~ Finding Nemo ~ Treasure Planet ~ Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas ~ Brother Bear ~ Looney Tunes: Back in Action ~ The Cat in the Hat ~


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4