Movie Review: Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie

Movie Review: Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie                                                                          11-24-17

I know I stated that I only review movies that were released in theaters, but this is important to me.

Before The Loud House, before Avatar: The Last Airbender, and before SpongeBob SquarePants, the most popular Nicktoon was Hey Arnold. It was about a football-headed kid named Arnold Shortman, who would go on many misadventures in the city of Hillwood. The series ran from October 1996 to June 2004. Many of the characters in the show included Gerald Johansen, Arnold's African-American best friend with Marge Simpson-like hair, Arnold's wisecracking grandparents Phil and Gertie, Eugene Horowitz, an optimistic kid who is secretly a jinx, and Harold Berman, a kid who seems like a bully, but is secretly a big softy. And then, there's Helga Pataki. She picks on and insults all the other kids in school, especially Arnold. However, she secretly has a crush on him.

In 1998, Nickelodeon gave series creator Craig Bartlett the permission to make two Arnold movies. In 2001, around the time Season 5 was almost complete, Bartlett and company engaged production on the first film, Arnold Saves The Neighborhood. This project was originally going to be direct-to-video, but because of the success of The Rugrats Move and Rugrats in Paris, the executives at Paramount Pictures decided to release Arnold Saves The Neighborhood in theaters, and rename the project Hey Arnold! The Movie. However, the film ended up being a box-office bomb, feeling more like an extended episode with the overused 'save the farm/city/studio' plot we have seen in movies like Herbie Rides Again, Home on the Range, The Muppets, and Sing. Also, releasing Hey Arnold! The Movie around the same time as Disney's Lilo & Stitch didn't help.

In November of that year, an hour-long episode of Hey Arnold, The Journey, aired on Nickelodeon, and gave some insight on what happened to Arnold's parents. The special was supposed to be a prequel to the next Arnold film, The Jungle Movie, but unfortunately, Craig Bartlett left Nickelodeon after the failure of the first Arnold film. However, fans were upset that there was going to be no 'Jungle Movie'. Some fans, using information from conversations with Craig Bartlett, wrote their own versions of The Jungle Movie as fanfics.

In September 2015, Nickelodeon officially announced that Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie was finally pulled out of development heck and put into production. Is this made-for-TV movie worth waiting for? Let's find out.

Arnold is upset that his parents have been missing for his whole life. When the local humanitarians host a special competition, the prize is a trip to San Lorenzo, which is also where his parents have been lost, Arnold struggles to film the best humanitarian video. With the secret help of Helga, Arnold's class manages to win the contest and go to San Lorenzo in Central America. However, La Sombra, a river pirate who captured Arnold's parents, wants to kidnap Arnold so La Sombra can find the city of the "Green-Eyed People".

Who would've thought of the day that a TV movie would be superior to most theatrical animated movies released this year? The characters have been kept in tact, the animation is actually theater quality, and the writing is full of nostalgia and great jokes from characters like Arnold's grandparents, Curly, and, my personal favorite, Harold. Want to know the best part? Olga, Helga's respected older sister, returns for this event!

Interesting to note, Nika Futterman, the voice of Olga Pataki, is also the voice of Luna Loud in The Loud House. She voices two Nicktoons sisters.

The movie also features one of the greatest Nicktoons villains since Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, in the form of La Sombra.

In conclusion, Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie is a treat for Hey Arnold fans everywhere, and deserves to win a local Emmy award.

Rating: Four stars out of five

If you are reading this Craig Bartlett or Joseph Purdy, I am sure that John Lasseter or Ed Catmull would love to hire you to work at either Pixar or Walt Disney Animation Studios.

The Great Toon War Chapter 1

The Great Toon War Chapter 1
Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Dexter's Laboratory, The PowerPuff Girls, Ben 10, Cow & Chicken, Uncle Grandpa, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, Samurai Jack, We Bare Bears, and all related material © Cartoon Network Studios.
Ed, Edd n Eddy © Cartoon Network. Created by Danny Antonucci.
Courage the Cowardly Dog © Stretch Films.
The Amazing World of Gumball © Cartoon Network Development Studios Europe.
Bugs Bunny, Teen Titans, and Teen Titans Go! © Warner Bros. and DC Comics.
The Simpsons and Futurama ©20th Century Fox. Created by Matt Groening.
SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, and The Loud House © Viacom International.
Mickey Mouse and Zootopia © Disney Enterprises.

In memory of June Foray, one of the greatest voice actresses ever.

1917-2017
The story you are about to read takes place in a similar universe to Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

It was October 1st, 2017. Cartoon Network was turning 25 years old. Many of the characters, both old and new, were told to meet at a park in Glendale, California for an anniversary party. Even though their show ended eight years earlier, Ed, Edd n Eddy were still very happy in Peachcreak. Eddy had all the jawbreakers he could eat, Ed was allowed to keep one of Rolf's eggs (which grew into a healthy chicken with the help of his friends), and Double D was given a VIP pass to every museum in Peachcreak. They also met new students at the school whom they've never seen before. On this particular day, the Eds were curious as to who would be at the 25th anniversary party.

"Will Billy be there, Double D?" Ed asked Double D.

"He probably will, Ed." Answered Double D. "But something tells me he'll be even dumber than before."

"I heard some of the new characters are made of valuable gemstones." Said Eddy. "Maybe we could yank the gems out of them to get enough money to buy us another season!"

"Eddy, we had a good run!" Said Double D. "Remember what happened to cartoons like SpongeBob, The Simpsons, or The Fairly OddParents?"

"What about them?" Asked Eddy.

"Fans didn't want those shows to end, so they kept cranking out new episodes." Responded Double D. "However, each one kept being worse than the last. They were too much strain on the writers, and they left one by one."

"At least we have our legions of fans." Said Eddy, and they continued walking.

The three soon made it to the park. They reunited with several classic characters such as The PowerPuff Girls, Dexter, Johnny Bravo, and Blooerguard Q Kazoo. Even Samurai Jack, who recently slain Aku once and for all and reunited with his father, was there. However, there were several unfamiliar faces there as well. There was a human boy with a white hood, a green back pack, noodle-arms, and no nose, Amazonian women with Technicolor skin and gemstones on their bodies, and an anthropomorphic blue cat with clothes but no shoes. Clarence Wendell, from the New Cartoon Network Clan, couldn't help but ask a question.

"What happened to the Teen Titans?" He asked.

"Well, what happened to your Teen Titans?" Asked Dexter, from the Old Cartoon Network Clan.

"I'll be able to answer that." Said Mr. Gus, also from the New Cartoon Network Clan. "On Christmas Eve 2016, someone on the internet, who shall remain anonymous, made a so-called 'Death Battle' concerning your Titans and our Titans. Unfortunately, your Titans got killed, but we lost four of our own Titans. Thankfully, since our Titans were made on the computer, like your imaginary friends over there, we got copies of our own."

"Hey!" Retorted Bloo, from the Old Cartoon Network Clan. "I wasn't made on a computer! I was made by an eight-year-old boy!"

"Sorry to break it to you, blob boy." Said Mandy, from the Old Cartoon Network Clan. "You were animated using Flash, which means you were programmed and animated on a computer in Ireland. For the rest of us, we were animated by hand in Korea."

"Does that mean we're part Korean?" Asked Billy, from the Old Cartoon Network Clan.

"No." Answered Mandy. "Sock-head will give you a demonstration later." Billy then asked the New Cartoon Network Clan another question.

"Didn't you have a show about a raccoon and a bird who worked at a park but never did their jobs and their boss was a short-tempered gumball machine?" He asked.

"You mean Regular Show?" Answered Amethyst, from the New Cartoon Network Clan. "That ended back in January!"

"However, they lead their own separate lives." Answered Garnet, also from the New Cartoon Network Clan. "They deserve their privacy." Uncle Grandpa, from the New Cartoon Network Clan, noticed familiar faces from the other clan.

"Hey!" He said. "You three are on the wrong side! The PowerPuff Girls are on our side, and so is Ben 10! By the way, where are our PowerPuffs?"

"I believe I can answer that question." Said a Sasquatch who skips instead of walks. "For those who may not know me, I am Skips from Regular Show. I am here to fill in for the president of Cartoon Network. She told me that the new PowerPuff Girls and the new Ben 10 aren't here to celebrate the channel's 25th anniversary. That is because if the modern PowerPuffs were to meet their 90s counterparts, the universe will collapse on itself. Same goes with Ben 10. By the way, older Ben, you will always be the true Ben 10."

"Thanks, Sasquatch!" Said Ben 10, who was actually 20 by this point.

"It's Skips." Said Skips. "You may now return to the party." Skips then skipped back to Cartoon Network Studios. Blossom then decided to ask the New Cartoon Network Clan a question.

"Why did you want to reboot us?" She asked.

"We don't sound like the originals!" Cried Bubbles.

"And for making us do a crossover episode with Teen Titans Go Away, Bob deserves a pounding." Threatened Buttercup.

"Why did they need to reboot me?" Asked Ben. "My story arc is basically over. Also, the new Ben looks too cute! Also, we already have Ben 10: Omniworse!" Finn, from the New Cartoon Network Clan, started to retaliate.

"Well, none of your shows, except for Samurai Jack and that show about imaginary friends, had compelling stories with three-dimensional characters!" Retorted the noseless human.

"I'll show you three-dimensional!" Shouted Eddy, and he started to fight Finn. This lead to an all-out free-for-all, though Double D, Steven Universe, and Clarence decided to stay out of this. After a few minutes of fighting, Double D pressed an air horn, emitting a very loud honk.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Said Clarence. "Do it again!"

"Attention, everybody!" Said Double D, speaking through a megaphone. "Can everyone please listen to me?! Steven, Clarence, and I have made a decision that we should hold a marathon of every show from Cartoon Network Studios to date. There will two separate screening rooms: One that will show every episode of every CNS show from 1996 to 2006, and one that will show every episode of every CNS show from 2007 to today. The 'New' Cartoon Network Clan, which includes Finn, Steven Universe, Clarence, and the Bears, will attend Screening Room A. The 'Old' Cartoon Network Clan, which includes me, my friends, Dexter, the PowerPuff Girls, and Billy, will be attending Screening Room B. The only shows not produced by CNS that will be included will be Ed, Edd, and Eddy, which is where I'm from, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Codename: Kids Next Door, and the European-produced The Amazing World of Gumball. Does anybody have any questions?" Gumball, from the New Cartoon Network Clan, then raised his hand.

"How is my show from Europe?" He asked.

"Well, my feline friend," Said Double D. "If you look closely at the end credits, you'll see the closing logo for not Cartoon Network Studios, but Cartoon Network Development Studios Europe."

"But we're patriotic!" Said Gumball. "We deserve to be produced in the US!"

"But then the show would be too expensive." Said Double D. "Without further ado, let's start binge-watching!" Everyone then ran into their respective screening rooms and started to watch each other's shows, excluding reboots.
Author's Notes: The unfamiliar faces that the Eds see in this chapter include Finn the Human (Adventure Time), the Crystal Gems (Steven Universe), and Gumball Watterson (The Amazing World of Gumball).
Yes. Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends was animated in Ireland. While 'Foster's' was Flash animated, the animation was still done overseas. Instead of being animated in South Korea like a hand-drawn cartoon, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends was animated at Boulder Media in Ireland. Here's a link to their website below.
http://www.bouldermedia.tv/
During the run of Ed, Edd n Eddy, Eddy would normally call Double D 'sock head'.

Movie Review: Coco

Movie Review: Coco                                                                                                                          11-22-17

In 2015, Pixar released two feature films: The first was Inside Out. The film received critical acclaim, earned over 800 million dollars worldwide, and rightfully won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Pixar's other feature that year, however, The Good Dinosaur, was a box-office bomb. It had to compete against Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and got weaker reviews. In fact, it reminds me of this scene from Clarence.

Fast-forward to 2017: Once again, Pixar released two films in the same year. The first was Cars 3, which got lukewarm reviews. The second was Coco, which I am reviewing today. Coco sparked some controversy because there has already been a CGI movie about Mexico's day of the dead: 2014's The Book of Life. In fact, some fans even went as far as calling Coco a 'Book of Life' knockoff. However, a few months ago on Twitter, Book of Life filmmakers Guillermo Del Toro and Jorge Gutiérrez stated that Lee Unkrich (who directed Coco) was a talented filmmaker, and that they were excited to see Coco.

Right now, Coco is receiving excellent reviews, with a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But does this film rank among Pixar greats like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Up? Let's find out.

Coco is about a young boy named Miguel, who dreams of being a guitarist like his great-grandfather La Cruz. However, the rest of his family hates music, and they believe La Cruz left a curse upon the family. Against their wishes, Miguel grabs La Cruz's guitar from his mausoleum, but he ends up in the Land of the Remembered: On the special holiday Dia de los Muertos, to boot! Now Miguel has to find a way back to the Land of the Living before sunrise, or else he will remain in the Land of the Remembered forever and become a skeleton.

Congratulations, Pixar! You saved us again during a rough year for animated movies! Coco has gorgeous animation, an original, emotional, and thick story, a very Latin American-inspired score from Michael Giacchino, and a likable protagonist. You can tell that Lee Unkrich's crew put lots of detail into creating both worlds.

While some of the extra characters, like Miguel's family in both realms, may not be as memorable as say, the tank gang from Finding Nemo, there is one thing that surprised me: A surprise villain. I know that fans have been complaining that four of the past animated Disney movies (Wreck-it Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Zootopia) all had surprise villains, but Pixar rarely does surprise villains. In fact, the only other Pixar movies I can think of that had surprise villains are Toy Story 2 and Up.

In conclusion, Coco is a worthy edition to Pixar's library of films, and if it gets snubbed for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, I will get mad!

Rating: Four stars out of five

By the way, make sure you see Coco in theaters before the end of the year to see the new Frozen short film Olaf's Frozen Adventure!

Evolutionary Stones and Items Locations

Evolutionary Stones and Items Locations

Leaf Stone

This stone evolves Gloom into Vileplume, Weepinbell into Victreebel, Exeggcute into Exeggcutor, Nuzleaf into Shiftry, and Pansage into Simisage. It can be found worldwide, and coasts about 200 US dollars to buy at a local store.

Fire Stone

This stone evolves Eevee into Flareon, Vulpix into Ninetales, Growlithe into Arcanine, and Pansear into Simisear. It can be found worldwide, but is most abundant in Africa. Fire Stones cost about 3,000 US dollars.

Water Stone

This stone evolves Staryu into Starmie, Shellder into Cloyster, Poliwhirl into Poliwrath, Eevee into Vaporeon, Lombre into Ludicolo, and Panpour into Simipour. It can be found worldwide, and costs about 800 US dollars.

Thunder Stone

This stone evolves Pikachu into Raichu, Eevee into Jolteon, and Eelektrik into Eelektross. It is found in South America and Africa, and costs about 2,000 US dollars.

Moon Stone

This stone evolves Clefairy into Clefable, Jigglypuff into Wigglytuff, Nidorino into Nidoking, Nidorina into Nidoqueen, Skitty into Delcatty, and Munna into Musharna. It is found in South America, Africa, and Oman, and costs about 5,000 US dollars.

Sun Stone

This stone evolves Gloom into Bellosm, Sunkern into Sunflora, Petilil into Lilligant, Cottonee into Whimsicott, and Helioptile into Heliolisk. It can be found North America, Europe, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, and costs about 12,000 US dollars.

Dawn Stone

This peculiar stone evolves Kirlia (if it's male) into Gallade and Snorunt (if it's female) into Froslass. However, you can still have a male Gardevoir and a female Glalie. Anyway, Dawn Stones can be found in Scandinavia, and cost about 10,000 US dollars.

Dusk Stone

This stone evolves Misdreavus into Mismagius, Murkrow into Honchkrow, Lampent into Chandelure (which won't exist in this world), and Doublade into Aegislash (which also won't exist in this world). It can be found in North America and Europe, and costs about 400 US dollars.

Shiny Stone

This stone evolves Roselia into Roserade, Togetic into Togekiss, Mincinno into Cincinno, and Floette into Florges. It costs about 10,000 US dollars, and can be found in South America and Australia.

Ice Stone

This stone evolves Alolan Vulpix into Alolan Ninetales, and if it were still alive, Alolan Sandshrew into Alolan Sandslash. It costs about 8,000 US dollars, and can be found in the North Pole and the Himalayas.

Everstone

Give this item to a Pokemon, and it won't be able to evolve. It costs only 40 US dollars, and is used in many zoos and aquariums so Pokemon won't evolve into stronger and more destructive forms.

Metal Coat

If you trade Onix (which will be extinct) or Scyther while it's holding a Metal Coat, it will evolve into Steelix (which will also be extinct) and Scizor respectively. The Metal Coat can be found worldwide, but is most abundant in Asia. Because Scizor is able to crush anything to bits with it pincers, Metal Coats are not available for sale anywhere except for black markets.

King's Rock

If you trade Slowpoke or Poliwhirl while it's holding a King's Rock, it will evolve into Slowking and Politoed respectively. It can found in Africa, and costs about 5,000 US dollars.

Upgrade

If you trade Porygon while it's holding an Upgrade, it will evolve into Porygon2. Upgrades can be found in many CGI animation studios around the globe, namely North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Their price varies from 60 to 3,000 US dollars.

Dragon Scale

If you trade Seadra while it's holding a Dragon Scale, it will evolve into Kingdra. These scales can be found in Australia. Because Kingdra is powerful enough to cause whirlpools, Dragon Scales are not available for sale anywhere except for black markets.

Deep Sea Tooth

If you trade Clamperl while it's holding a Deep Sea Tooth, it will evolve into Huntail. These can be found in tropical seas at the bottom of the sea, over a mile below the ocean. Deep Sea Teeth cost about 10,000 US dollars.

Deep Sea Scale

If you trade Clamperl while it's holding a Deep Sea Scale, it will evolve into Gorebyss. Like Huntail, Gorebyss can be found fathoms below the ocean, but lives no where near Antarctica. However, Gorebyss are much rarer than Huntail, and therefore, cost a whopping 20,000 US dollars.

Oval Stone

If you level up Happiny while it's holding an Oval Stone during the day, it will evolve into Chansey. These stones can be found in Australia, and cost about 750 US dollars.

Razor Claw

If you level up Sneasel while it's holding a Razor Claw, it will evolve into Weavile. It can be found in Europe, and costs about 1,000 US dollars.
Razor Fang

If you level up Gligar while it's holding a Razor Fang, it will evolve into Gliscor. It can be found in North American deserts, and costs about 1,500 US dollars.

Electirizer

If you trade Electabuzz while it's holding an Electirizer, it will evolve into Electivire. These items cost about 2,000 US dollars, and can be found in electric power plants all over the world.

Prism Scale

Starting in Generation 5, if you trade Feebas while it's holding a Prism Scale, it will evolve into Milotic. These scales can be found in the Mediterranean Sea, and cost about 2,500 US dollars.

Sachet

If you trade Spritzee while it's holding a Sachet, it will evolve into Aromatisse. It costs about 100 US dollars, and can be found in healthcare stores in Australia. However, since Spritzee and Aromatisse make such good pets, Sachets have been sold worldwide since the 19th Century.

Whipped Dream

If you trade Swirlix while it's holding a Whipped Dream, it will evolve into Slurpuff. They cost about 75 US dollars, and are found in the best restaurants in France. Since Swirlix and Slurpuff are beloved by many chefs, Whipped Dreams have been distributed worldwide since the 16th Century.
I am aware that I forgot to include other items, like the Ice Stone, the Razor Fang, the Magmarizer, and the Protector. That's because many of the Pokemon that require those specific items are either extinct (Alolan Sandshrew and Sandslash, Rhyperier) or banned (Magmortar, Dusknoir, and Porygon-Z).
Well, that basically covers Pokemon Around the World. I might as well announce the movies I will review: Disney/Pixar's Coco and, even though it's normally against my own rules, Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie! I will also begin posting my new story, The Great Toon War, on Friday, so stay tuned!

Antarctic Pokemon

Antarctic Pokemon

Because it's so cold in Antarctica, only a few species of Water and Ice-Type Pokemon live there. It's home to the Water-Type Sinnoh starter Piplup, which are all based on the emperor penguin.

Other Pokemon native to Antarctica include Cryogonal, an Ice-Type Pokemon that is formed from snow crystals...

The super powerful Water/Flying-Type Gyarados...

And Vanillite, Vanillish, and Vanilluxe. These Ice-Type Pokemon are ridiculed by fans because they look like ice cream cones.

I felt Antarctica was the appropriate place for the Vanillite line because no one cares about them.

Also native to Antarctica are the adorable Seel and Dewgong, which also live in the North Pole...

The first Ice-Type Legendary Pokémon Articuno...

And Crabominable, the unusual Ice/Fighting-Type evolved form of Crabrawler, one of the new Pokemon from Pokemon Sun and Moon.

I would imagine Crabominable to swim great lengths to beaches near Asia, Hawaii, Oceania, and other tropical places, to lay their eggs. Those eggs hatch into Crabrawler, and immediately they swim to random locations across the world, in a similar fashion to sea turtles. 75% of the Crabrawler return safely to Antarctica, but the other 25% get eaten by Pokemon like Pelipper, Malamar, and Octillary.
Well, I finally listed and explained where each Pokemon would live in the real world! Next week, I will end 'Pokemon Around the World' with revealing the Evolution Stones locations!

Australian Pokemon

Australian Pokemon

Because there are very few Pokemon based on Australian animals, there are only 30+ Pokemon endemic to Australia. Some of them include Kangaskhan, a powerful Normal-Type kangaroo with some dinosaur-like traits...

The Normal-Type nurses Happiny, Chansey, and Blissey...

The Water-Type platypuses Psyduck and Golduck...

And Komala, a Normal-Type koala that loves the log it holds.

Due to the fact that Kangaskhan only come in female, Cubone and Marowak also live in Australia.

Other Pokémon native to Australia include the Flying-Type birds Swablu and Altaria (which live in New Guinea)...

Alolan Geodude, Graveler, and Golem, which are Rock/Electric instead of Rock/Ground...

Spritzee and Aromatisse, Fairy-Type birds that are associated with smells...

Flabébé, Floette, and Florges, Fairy-Type Pokemon that attach themselves to flowers...

Totadile, Croconaw, and Feraligatr, which can also be found in swampy areas in the United States...

Mareanie and Toxapex, Water/Poison-Type sea stars that are predators of Corsola...

Skrelp and Dragalge, which are based on sea dragons (Skrelp is Poison/Water while Dragalge is Poison/Dragon)...

The Grass-Type mushrooms Shroomish and Breloom (Tasmania)…

Helioptile and Heliolisk, which are based on Australia's own frilled lizards...

The flightless bird Pokemon Doduo and Dodrio...

Lickitung and Lickilicky, Normal-Type reptiles with long tongues and big appetites...

Alolan Marowak, which is Ghost/Fire instead of Ground (Papua New Guinea)...

The Electric/Flying-Type sugar glider (or flying squirrel, depending on how you look at it) Emolga…

And Torchic, Combusken, and Blaziken, which are native to New Guinea.

I know what some of you are thinking. "Why did you distribute the Torchic line to New Guinea if they're based on chickens?" Well, I think keeping and raising Blaziken on a farm would be downright difficult. Also, if you tried taking eggs from Blaziken, it would get very angry and try to kill you. In other words, I think the Torchic line is closer to cassowaries, a dangerous flightless bird native to New Zealand.
 
That's all I have to say about Australian Pokemon. Tune in next week when we travel to the coldest place on Earth for Antarctic Pokemon!