Hey Arnold! The Movie
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: June 28, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
47
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
13
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Miami HeraldChristine Dolen
Just plain fun. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
The story is also engaging and hip enough to make it a far easier sit for parents. And it's hard not to like a hero who takes public transportation to a showdown with the bad guy. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleC.W. Nevius
It is great summer fun. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The ethical, independent-minded kid has his unhip charms, and so does Hey Arnold! The Movie. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
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 full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
If your kids are old enough to safely see the movie by themselves, drop 'em off and pick 'em up after. You don't need to see this one. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineFrank Lovece
Essentially a feature-length episode of the popular Nickelodeon animated series, this faithful expansion is savvy enough to stay put. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
The rough, watercolor washes of its city backdrops mark the film with nostalgia while its story carries us along at an amiable, buoyant pace. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianJay Boyar
Hey Arnold "don't get no respect," it's not half bad, either. Kids will certainly like it. For adults, it's perfectly watchable in a Rugrats sort of way. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Nothing about Hey Arnold! The Movie cries out for the big-screen treatment, but it at least makes the transition from television to film with its charm intact. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesGene Seymour
The cause is just. But there's something off-kilter about the mix. Maybe it's because the animation retains its TV flatness while the story's texture is gratuitously bulked up. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The updated Dickensian sensibility of writer Craig Bartlett's story is appealing. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
That may be enough to keep the kids bobbing along -- and there are worse heroes for a kid to have than Arnold -- but apart from the shenanigans of civil-disobedient senior citizens, this movie offers little to keep accompanying parents interested. Read full review
50
VarietyScott Foundas
Has surprising hipness and good humor to spare, all put across with a funky, low-tech vibe. Read full review
50
New Times (L.A.)Andy Klein
Just barely diverting, even at under 80 minutes -- a TV episode inflated past its natural length.
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Blown up way past television-set size, the animated film's squiggly lines and rushed renditions are pale and blurry. 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 full review
50
Chicago TribuneLoren King
It's a refreshing theme for a kids' movie, one that incorporates history and urban flavor, not to mention a preservationists' perspective, into the usual mix. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Inoffensive and sporadically funny, its chief charm is Arnold's ridiculous noggin, and that's not saying much. Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderTed Shen
The simplistic drawing is closer to "Peanuts" than "The Lion King," and the dialogue is strangely anachronistic. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
It's a drab jumble of meaningless action, dull characters and animation as flat and superficial as its story. Read full review
38
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Could easily be just another episode of "Hey Arnold!" the TV show. Except that it's three times as long, and not half as much fun.
38
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The ugly duckling of Nickelodeon's after-bath lineup. That's its strength. Read full review
20
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Neither funny nor suspenseful nor particularly well drawn. Read full review
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