Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John A. Davis
Produced by	Steve Oedekerk John A. Davis Albie Hecht
Screenplay by	John A. Davis J. David Stem David N. Weiss Steve Oedekerk
Story by	John A. Davis Steve Oedekerk
Starring	Debi Derryberry Patrick Stewart Martin Short Rob Paulsen Jeffrey Garcia Carolyn Lawrence
Music by	John Debney
Editing by	Jon Price Gregory Perler
Studio	Nickelodeon Movies O Entertainment DNA Productions
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	December 21, 2001 (2001-12-21) (United States)
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Money made	$103 million

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is a fun computer-animated science fiction comedy movie from 2001. It was made by Nickelodeon Movies, O Entertainment, and DNA Productions. Paramount Pictures released the film.

The movie was directed by John A. Davis, who also helped write the story with producer Steve Oedekerk. The voices you hear belong to actors like Debi Derryberry, Patrick Stewart, Martin Short, Rob Paulsen, and Jeffrey Garcia.

The story is about a super-smart schoolboy named Jimmy Neutron. He has to save all the parents in his town from some egg-shaped aliens called the Yolkians.

The idea for Jimmy Neutron started way back in the 1980s. John A. Davis first wrote a short film script called Runaway Rocketboy. It featured an early version of Jimmy named Johnny Quasar. Years later, Davis found the script and decided to make it into a computer-animated short film and maybe a TV show.

A short 40-second demo was made using special computer software. It became very popular at a big computer graphics event in 1995. This caught the eye of Steve Oedekerk, which led to DNA Productions making a longer TV pilot.

Nickelodeon loved the pilot! They were so impressed with Jimmy and the 3D animation. They decided to make both a TV series and a full movie. Davis suggested making the movie first. This way, the team could create high-quality animation for the big screen. Then, they could reuse those designs for the TV show.

The movie was released on December 21, 2001. It was a big hit, earning $103 million worldwide against a $30 million budget. People generally liked the movie for its characters, humor, and voice acting. It was even nominated for the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2001! It lost to Shrek, but it was the only Nickelodeon animated film nominated for almost ten years.

Because the movie was so successful, it led to a TV show called The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. This show ran from 2002 to 2006. Later, a spin-off show called Planet Sheen came out in 2010. It focused on Jimmy's friend, Sheen Estevez.

There was also a simulator ride based on the movie! It was called Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast. It opened at Universal Studios Florida in 2003 and closed in 2011.

Movie Story

Eleven-year-old Jimmy Neutron is a super genius living in Retroville. He lives with his parents, Judy and Hugh, and his robot dog, Goddard. Jimmy's best friends are Carl Wheezer, who loves llamas, and Sheen Estevez, who is super energetic. His smart classmate and rival, Cindy Vortex, often teases him.

One day, Jimmy launches a satellite into space to find alien life. But it crashes into his house, making his mom upset. When Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen hear about a new amusement park called Retroland, they want to sneak out. A popular kid, Nick Dean, convinces them to go. Jimmy's mom grounds him after his jetpack accidentally starts a fire. So, Jimmy uses his shrink ray to sneak out and meet his friends at Retroland for a fun night.

Meanwhile, Jimmy's satellite is found by the Yolkians. They are egg-shaped aliens from a planet called Yolkus. Their leader, King Goobot, sees Jimmy's message and a picture of his parents. He realizes his search is over. The Yolkians come to Earth and take all the adults from Retroville. Only Jimmy's teacher, Miss Fowl, is left because Jimmy's shrink ray made her tiny.

As the alien ships fly away, Jimmy and his friends think it's a shooting star. Jimmy even wishes his parents were gone! The next morning, all the kids notice their parents are missing. They party wildly at first. But the next day, they feel sad and realize they need their parents back. Jimmy figures out his satellite was found and that aliens took the parents. He gathers all the kids to build rockets from Retroland rides. They blast off into space to find their families.

After flying through a meteor shower and camping on an asteroid, Jimmy and his friends reach Yolkus. They find their parents with mind-control devices on their heads. When Jimmy tries to help his dad, King Goobot captures them. Goobot reveals that Jimmy's satellite led the Yolkians to Earth. They plan to sacrifice the parents to their giant chicken god, Poultra.

Goobot's clumsy helper, Ooblar, separates Jimmy from Goddard. Jimmy is locked in a dungeon with the other kids. They blame Jimmy for their trouble. But Cindy feels bad for Jimmy. She tells him they need his help to escape. Using a cell phone from Cindy's friend, Libby Folfax, Jimmy calls Goddard. Goddard escapes Ooblar and frees the kids.

Jimmy and his friends reach the Yolkians' Colosseum. A giant egg hatches, and out comes Poultra, a huge three-eyed alien chicken! Goobot uses a remote to make the parents walk towards Poultra. Jimmy rallies the kids to fight the guards. Sheen gets an escape ship, which accidentally hits Poultra on the head. Jimmy steals the remote from Goobot. The kids escape Yolkus with their parents.

Goobot sends a fleet of ships to chase them. But the kids fly their ship around the Sun, destroying all the alien ships except Goobot's. When Goobot and Ooblar make fun of Jimmy's small size, Jimmy flies at Goobot's ship on Goddard, who is shaped like a flying bike. Jimmy uses his shrink ray to make himself giant, like a planet! He then blows Goobot's ship away into an asteroid, destroying it. Goobot survives and promises revenge.

On the way back to Earth, Jimmy makes up with his parents. He admits that even though he's smart, he still needs them. The next day, Jimmy and Carl are eating eggs for breakfast. Jimmy's parents accidentally drink one of his science experiments, thinking it's soda. It makes them burp a lot, and everyone laughs. Goddard is seen outside, flying after a bird.

In a short scene after the movie credits, the tiny Miss Fowl is seen riding on an apple worm named Mr. Wiggles. She is on her way to the cafeteria at school.

Characters and Voice Actors

How the Movie Was Made

Creating the Idea

The idea for a super-smart boy started in the 1980s with John A. Davis. He wrote a story called Runaway Rocketboy about a character named Johnny Quasar. Johnny built a rocket and ran away from home. Davis wanted to make it a live-action film, but it was hard to get money for it.

Years later, Davis found his old script. His studio, DNA Productions, had just started trying out computer animation. Davis realized his story would be perfect as a computer-animated film. All the cool science fiction parts could be made in 3D!

Davis and his co-founder, Keith Alcorn, made a short 40-second demo. It showed Johnny and his robot dog, Goddard, flying through space. This demo was shown at a big computer graphics event in 1995. It became very popular and won awards.

Steve Oedekerk, who started O Entertainment, saw a picture of Johnny and Goddard. He was very impressed by the characters' fun designs. He called Davis and asked to see the full demo. After watching it, Oedekerk wanted to help pitch the idea to TV networks.

From Pilot to Film

After teaming up, they started making a full-length TV episode called The Adventures of Johnny Quasar. They made Johnny look more like a kid. In 1995, they showed the idea to Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon loved it right away! The president of Nickelodeon, Albie Hecht, called Johnny "half Bart Simpson and half Albert Einstein." He liked that Johnny was smart and adventurous, but still a normal kid.

Nickelodeon asked for a 13-minute pilot episode. It took a few years to make, finishing in 1998. Nickelodeon asked them to change the name "Johnny Quasar" to avoid confusion with other characters. Davis thought of "Jimmy Neutron" while walking his dog.

After the pilot, Nickelodeon was so impressed that they suggested making a movie too! Davis suggested making the movie first. This way, they could create all the characters and settings in super high quality for the big screen. Then, they could use those same designs for the TV show. Nickelodeon was worried people wouldn't know about the movie without a TV show first. So, they made short TV commercials to get people excited for the film.

The movie, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, officially started production in February 2000. It had a budget of about $30 million. To make the movie faster, the studio grew from 30 to about 150 employees. The film was finished in just 24 months, which is very fast for a computer-animated movie!

Writing the Story

The movie's story was written by John A. Davis, Steve Oedekerk, and other writers. To come up with ideas, Davis and Oedekerk thought about what they would create as kids if they had cool gadgets. The movie was inspired by Davis's love for science fiction, like the TV show Thunderbirds. Oedekerk's 6-year-old daughter even came up with the idea for "burp soda" in the movie!

Sheen Estevez, who loves the superhero UltraLord, was inspired by Davis's own love for collecting things. Sheen was first planned to be Japanese, but they couldn't find the right voice actor. So, they changed his background to Mexican and cast Jeffrey Garcia.

Animation Style

Jimmy Neutron was one of the first computer-animated films made using regular computer programs, not special ones made just for the studio. Characters were first designed in a program called Lightwave. Then, they were moved and animated in another program called project:messiah.

The characters were made to look "sculpted" and cartoonish. This was done on purpose so they wouldn't look too real. It also meant the animators didn't have to worry about making clothes or hair look super realistic. The cartoon style of the characters also influenced how the world in the movie looked. For example, cars were designed to fit the characters' big, stylish heads.

Voice Casting

Before Debi Derryberry was chosen, other actors were considered for the voice of Jimmy Neutron. This movie was Derryberry's biggest role at the time. Before this, she mostly had smaller parts in movies and TV shows.

Music in the Movie

Official Soundtrack

The movie's official soundtrack was released on November 20, 2001. It included popular songs and covers of older hits. Some of the songs were "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "She Blinded Me With Science".

Original Score

The music that plays in the background of the movie, called the score, was created by John Debney. A special CD of his score was released for awards consideration.

Promoting the Film

To get people excited for the movie, Nickelodeon aired a series of short cartoons starting in February 2001. These shorts were also linked to online games on Nickelodeon's website. Clips from these shorts were used to make the first trailer for the movie. This trailer was shown before the movie Rugrats in Paris: The Movie in 2000.

In April 2001, Nickelodeon Magazine started a monthly Jimmy Neutron comic strip online. The main trailer for the movie came out in June 2001. Jimmy Neutron also appeared at the 2001 Kids' Choice Awards and in commercials for Trident gum. Other companies like RadioShack and Mattel made toys based on the movie. In September 2001, Jimmy Neutron even "pranked" other Nickelodeon shows like Rugrats and SpongeBob SquarePants by appearing in them and changing things with a zapping device!

Movie Release

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius came out in movie theaters on December 21, 2001. Paramount Pictures distributed it.

The movie was released on VHS and DVD on July 2, 2002. It was re-released on DVD a couple more times. It also came out on Blu-ray on March 8, 2022.

More Jimmy Neutron Adventures

The success of the movie led to a TV show called The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. It ran from July 2002 to November 2006. Another show, Planet Sheen, was a spin-off focusing on Jimmy's friend Sheen Estevez. It aired from October 2010 to February 2013.

A fun ride called Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast opened at Universal Studios Florida in 2003. It was based on the movie and featured other Nicktoons characters. It closed in 2011.

There was also a special three-part TV event called The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour. These episodes aired between 2004 and 2006 and brought Jimmy Neutron together with characters from The Fairly OddParents.

What About a Sequel?

In 2002, there were plans for a sequel movie to Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. It was supposed to come out in summer 2004. The producer, Albie Hecht, said the sequel would have new inventions and adventures in Retroville. A writer even signed a deal to write the sequel.

However, the sequel never happened. The writers couldn't agree on a story. Also, once the TV show came out, there wasn't as much reason to make a movie. Fans could watch Jimmy Neutron for free at home!

In 2016, director John A. Davis said he has an idea for a new Jimmy Neutron movie. He is waiting for the "right situation" to make it. In 2020, Rob Paulsen, who voices Carl, said he thinks a Jimmy Neutron reboot would be a great idea because many people still love the show.

See also

In Spanish: Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius para niños

• List of films featuring extraterrestrials