Nickelodeon Taps ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ Team for ‘NickToons’ Animated Movie
Last year Nickelodeon announced plans to revive several of our favorite ’90s shows, starting with a special block of programming called “The Splat.” But that’s not all the network has been cooking up for nostalgic fans — they’ve also been developing a new film that will bring many of our favorite ’90s cartoon characters together on the big screen for one big, animated adventure, and the company has found the right creative team to tackle the ambitious project.
Deadline reports that Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess has been tapped to direct NickToons, which he’ll co-write with his wife and creative partner Jerusha Hess. The duo are also behind films like Nacho Libre, Gentlemen Broncos and the delayed comedy Masterminds, starring Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig.
NickToons is described only as Nickelodeon’s version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, with no other plot details reported at this time. Based on that description alone, it’s safe to assume that the film will combine classic animated characters with live-action actors / settings, which could make for a really great feature.
The film will incorporate beloved characters from shows like Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, Doug, Ahh! Real Monsters and more. Nickelodeon has a pretty big library of classic ’90s shows, which also includes Rocko’s Modern Life, The Angry Beavers, Hey Arnold!, KaBlam!, CatDog and The Wild Thornberrys. Characters from any (or all) of these shows could appear in the film.
Many of these shows have remained popular since their initial debut, which makes NickToons an almost guaranteed hit when it finally hits theaters. Hess is a solid pick for the film, given his affection for the ’90s and his quirky, often juvenile comedic sensibilities, and although his track record isn’t very consistent, there’s some interesting potential here.