We actually saw this in movie theaters and I can’t remember why we went. I think we were bored on a Saturday morning, the Tinsel Town 20 was nearby and we were jonsin’ for the The Fellowship of the Ring to appear. Somara recently said something about us showing support for a Texas-based animation studio (now gone, The Ant Bully did them in). I do know I was skeptical about it because I am a huge fan of Dexter’s Laboratory so naturally I felt that Nickelodeon was lazily ripping off the whole boy-genius genre. This movie with its following series won me over on co-existence since Jimmy proved have numerous differences from Dexter. The closest equivalent I can give is how I like both Freebird’s and Chipotle; there’s room for both. However, Johnny Test blows, it’s the Taco Bell of cartoons and burritos. In some alternate universe, Jimmy and Dexter may team up to stop some extra-dimensional universal threat.
Jimmy remains interesting from an academic angle too. If you’ve watched the series, you’ll quickly notice how the film is a beta version of the characters: Jimmy wears shorts and loafers; Cindy’s hairstyle and clothes differed immensely; Carl isn’t allergic to much; the actors don’t have the voices done either, Jimmy’s voice is more feminine sounding. The years have been kind to it so far. Nothing appears heavily dated or requires explanation to a five-year-old child. Several jokes remain funny, namely Sheen’s disregard of shower etiquette at home.
Thankfully Nickelodeon allows (OK, licenses) the majority of their animation content to be available on Netflix streaming. I suggest this, when all the good series wind down (Walking Dead?) or go on hiatus (Breaking Bad), dust this off first and then jump over to the entire show run. Re-enjoy one of Nick’s stronger cartoons from the Aughts.