Get Ready to Reunite With Hey Arnold!

“Hey move it, football-head!”

Sound familiar?

Because the hype is real.

After a bout of teasing the possible return of what could very well be one of the most beloved Nicktoons, news broke today (November twenty-third 2015) that the classic Nick series Hey Arnold is slated to have a new television movie.

For anyone who might not be exploding with shear glee, Hey Arnold is a slice-of-life series that follows the likes of a large and diverse ensemble cast of Arnold and the rest of the colorful members of the neighborhood as they deal with a wide arrange of conflicts that life likes to chuck their way; from growing-up, convincing the stoop kid to leave his stoop, and even facing urban legends.  Despite appealing somewhat simplistic, the series packs a lot of heart and has compelling stories that really develop the characters.

With grounded roots with narrative and characters that have crafted such a lasting impressions are only the very tip of the ice burg of why the series has still maintain a level of relevance and a special place in the hearts of fans who grew-up with the series even after ending over a decade ago.

Social media is going mad and fans are excited to find themselves returning face to face with characters they love as they can once more reenter a beloved world. And to sound for what I feel is the thousandth time, 2015 is the year of reuniting.

Seeing as this news is still fresh and burning across the internet, we do not have a specific date or any finer details such as confirmation of the cast’s return to their roles. What we do known thanks to the official press release is that this new special will continue on after the events of the series and resolve some of the loose ends the series left. Including the location of Arnold’s missing parents, a major part of the story that has only been touched on in the slightest and bares such a mask of mystery.

Outside of the basic details the following statement was offered by Russell Hicks, president, content and production for the company:

“You have to remember people who are going to watch really don’t have a recollection of ‘Hey Arnold…”

“You have to make it relevant to them but also nod to the audience that is going to be interested.”

Outside of the news of Hey Arnold’s return. It is also worth noting that Nick is not scaling back on new endeavors- or rebooting other series in their archives.

There are a lot of emotions and thoughts swirling around my mind, perhaps the strongest one of all is the realization of how ironic this all is. If you might recall back in July I penned an article about five animated series that should return, the very first one on that list was Hey Arnold.   So hearing that it was, in fact, returning was very surreal.

There is no question that Hey Arnold is a show more than worthy of returning. It was a smart show that knew how to handle a large cast and be relevant. Even though life and seemingly everything has changed so drastically since it first started the series still holds up well as it is very universal.

Much like any other series receiving a reboot the fears of it being altered greatly from where it began are always very apparent. Sometimes things need updated in order to work with the era, but other times it is best to let the hands of time be pushed from the surface and let the world run as it had.

With any luck we will be continuing to get constant news and updates on this return, as well as other possible Nicktoon’s return to center stage as time passes. As always I will be watching and keep reporting. I want to see what this ride has in store for us.

Welcome back, football-head.

Join the conversation: what are your reactions in regards to both the news of Hey Arnold’s return and the potential for other Nick series to once again appear on screens?