SDCC 2017: Welcome To The Jungle! ‘Hey Arnold!’ Round-Table & Panel Recap!

Earlier last week at Comic-Con, not only did we see the return of Rocko’s Modern Life, but also Hey Arnold!  

After about 15 years, creator Craig Bartlett is finally being given the chance to make the ending to the show that he’s always wanted. Of course, before the big panel that was held on the 21st, I got the opportunity to sit down with some of the cast and crew of the film for a special Round-Table. I had the honor of talking to Craig Bartlett (Creator),Francesca Smith (Helga), and Anndi McAfee (Phoebe). All 3 were a joy to talk with and even had some fun things to say.

One of the first things I asked Craig was about a supposed leaked scene from the original Jungle Movie (which you can find right here). According to Craig, this “leaked scene” was actually one of the first animation tests they ever did for the film all the way back in the early 2000’s. “The scene never existed in any version of the film. It was just made as an animation test to present to Nick.” Bartlett said during the Round-Table. He went on to say that the current version of the film is not what the original version was 16 years ago. Bartlett told us that after having about 15 to think about it, he thinks he’s really cracked the story and feels very satisfied about the end product.

After that, I asked Francesca and Anndi about some of their favorite moments of the series.  They both agreed that some of their favorite moments were when both Helga and Phoebe’s friendships are tested to their breaking points. As for their favorite episodes, Anndi’s favorite is Preteen Screen, while Francesca & Craig really love Helga on the Couch.

After that, it was finally time for the main event! A giant crowd of eager fans walked into room 6A and were not disappointed during the following panel. Everyone from the old to new cast was there, including the original Arnold and Gerald (Toran Caudell & Jamil Walker Smith). The panel began with series composer Jim Lang taking to the stage and preforming a live rendition of the shows opening theme while everyone in the audience hummed and sang along to it. After that, they showed off some of the re-designed backgrounds including the boarding house at night and even Big Bob’s Beepers! (Yup!, still in the 90’s). They also talked to the new cast a bit as they didn’t know much about the series, but did understand how much it meant to a lot of people. After that, we finally got our first look at the film.

After everyone finished crying their eyes out, then came the Q&A and other fun facts. They talked about how the first table read for the film got everyone in one room and that it was a very emotional reunion as Francesca and Anndi finally got to read their lines together for the first time in almost 13 years. Craig was asked where he got the idea for Gerald’s 33 shirt. He responded: “I don’t know. It just seemed like a cool number.

Finally, the panel closed out with Craig finally hinting at the reveal of Arnold’s last name, and the mystery of the green eyed people. The biggest bombshell dropped was when he said that even though The Jungle Movie is set to wrap up the series, it also sets it up to continue to a new season of the show! The crowd went absolutely wild at the mention of this, and the cast told the audience that if we really want to see a new season, we’ll have to ask Nick and make sure the film get’s great ratings. Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie will release later this year on Nickelodeon.