Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius
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Paramount Home Entertainment / 2001 / 82 Minutes / Rated G
Street Date: July 2, 2002 
It's certainly a sad fact that quality entertainment for children is extraordinarily hard to come by these days. Pixar is doing a fine job keeping both the tykes and adults amused, but the rest is a mixed bag. Majors like DreamWorks and Warner seem to be trying, and in general I'd rather pop in the Iron Giant or a Road to Eldorado then go see familiar Disney fair like Lilo & Stitch or Fox's Ice Age blandness. Always contenders, finally Nickelodeon and Paramount have achieved their first animated effort that approaches pure greatness. A relatively original story filled to the brim with unique visuals and fantastical characters, it's no accident Jimmy Neutron was up for last year's first-ever Best Animated Picture Academy Award. Add to the mix some excellent sci-fi elements and magnificent monsters reminiscent of those aliens from The Simpsons, and Jimmy Neutron skillfully blends thrills, chills and humor for 82 minutes of fun for children and adults alike. . Jimmy Neutron is a boy genius, of course, and when we meet him he's trying to put a satellite into space before breakfast. Life is hard for a whiz kid and his pals, and it gets even worse when the Retroland Fair comes to town but their parents won't let them go. (Parents' just don't understand, do they?) This leads to a harmless wish upon a star that sets the plot into motion. Their hopes are answered when an advanced lifeform abducts their parents, but after a pleasure island-esque rampage, the kids realize just how important their guardians truly are. A simple story, yes, but effective. This whimsical adventure has it all. This film is stocked with tons of seasoned voice actors; it seems that Nickelodeon pulled out all the stops to find the very best in the business to personify the characters. (Even Patrick Stewart and Martin Short lend their voices as the leader of the alien invaders and his sidekick.) Impressively, many behind this flick were fairly new to the big screen, including Nickelodeon's David Weiss and J. David Stern, and a screenplay by Steve Oedekerk, most recently know for penning Patch Adams, the Nutty Professor movies, the second Ace Ventura and those cult-fav Thumb flicks. If there are any faults in Jimmy Neutron, they're minor. I could have done without the Aaron Carter songs, but maybe that's what 4th graders are listening to these days? Better is the score by composer John Debney, and a mix between his work on Spy Kids and Star Trek the Next Generation, but much more entertaining than utilitarian. But minor grumblings aside, this is a marvelous flick....and make sure you stick around for the cast credits to roll.
Video: How Does The Disc Look? In a relatively rare move for Paramount, they've included both 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers. But given the film's short 82-minute runtime and a lack of space-hungry supplements, the overall image quality doesn't appear to suffer too greatly. This isn't a reference-quality presentation on the level of say a Toy Story or A Bug's Life, but it is pretty darn close. A direct-from-digital transfer, colors are rendered beautifully, complete with rich deep blacks and the purest of whites. The image is razor sharp with excellent detail and shadow delineation. Edginess is not a problem with the near lack of edge enhancement a breath of fresh air. The depth to the image is often breathtaking and does full justice to the masterful computer animation. As befitting a transfer with no film step in-between, the image is pristine and devoid of defects. This is a great transfer. Audio: How Does The Disc Sound? I figured the video would be great, but I wasn't expecting the magnitude of this soundtrack! There are three to choose from: English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks, and a French Dolby 2.0 surround dub. Recorded at 448kbps , the 5.1 mix is extraordinarily active utilizing all 6 channels throughout. The wide front soundfield features sorts of pans and sweeps from the fronts to the rears and side to side, and this is a very skillful mix. Despite the aggressive effects and music score, dialogue is still crisp and clear amidst all of the effects and volume levels close to perfect. The LFE channel is put to good use throughout the film, though never overly punchy nor over emphasized. Crank this one up! Also included are English subtitles and English Closed Captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? Not quite an "Ultra Boy Genius" collection, but a fair amount of extras round off an already fine disc. First up is The Making of Jimmy Neutron, a 16-minute peek behind the scenes that was much more interesting than I expected. Comprised of interview bits from the filmmakers and CGI artists plus making-of material and footage from the recording of the voice tracks, this is a nice if ordinary featurette, even if it leaves you wanting more. The rest of the supplements are made up of promotional items. We get two music videos, Aaron Carter's "Leave It Up To Me" and another a cover of the Kim Wilde tune "Kids in America" from the f teen female pop group No Secrets. There is a plethora of promotional spots, including seven interstitials running about a minute or so each and featuring Jimmy doing boy genius type activities. Amusing. Then there are 5 cliffhangers, which is basically a five-part serial promo. Last but not least we get two theatrical trailers in non-anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 5.1 surround. The first runs over two minutes and is not a bad trailer; the teaser, on the other hand, is one of the best trailers I've seen in awhile. It too runs over two minutes and is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen and 5.1, but includes original material that didn't end up in the film. Very groovy. DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC? In another rare move for Paramount these days, included are seven interactive games geared to the kiddies. While not quite at the level of a Shrek or what Disney typically puts on their upper-level releases, these are some simple if fun diversions. The included interface is also bright and easy to use, so plop the kids down in front of the computer save yourself a hour of baby-sitting fees. Parting Thoughts This is one of my new favorite animated films. The film has its flaws, but as far as entertainment value goes you'll get your money's worth. Smaller kids might be frightened by the aliens or the parental kidnappings, but overall this is fun for the entire family. At $30 Paramount has put together a superb video and audio presentation with a worthy extra or two. An easy recommend. |
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