Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is a fun kids’ movie. While it in no way breaks new ground – either storywise or from a technical standpoint – Jimmy Neutron is an animated film that isn’t afraid to admit that it was created primarily for children. Coming after the ultra-successful Shrek and the financial disappointment Final Fantasy, Jimmy Neutron’s kid-oriented fantasy is refreshingly honest.

Jimmy is, as the title suggests, a boy genius. A compulsive inventor with a homemade robot dog, Jimmy unwittingly contacts hostile aliens with his ingeniously built satellite. It would be mean-spirited to reveal the plot of the film further, but the strength of the film lies not in its clean plotting but in the relationships portrayed therein. The relationships between Jimmy, his parents, and his classmates are amazingly true-to-life and avoid the smartass overtones that have been far too prevalent after The Simpsons became popular. I’m grateful that director John A. Davis kept the insults at bay. Given the whiz-bang tone of Jimmy Neutron’s theatrical trailers, I was happily surprised that this was a film that relied just as strongly on heart as on neat visuals.

Not that there is anything wrong with the visuals! There are aliens that look as though they have popped out of transparent Silly Putty eggs, and schoolchildren who look like they could have hung out with Davey and Goliath after Sunday school. The overall look of the film is a bizarre 1950s retro mood, and while most of the pleasing visuals are derivative of other fantasy films (the intergalactic amusement park rides reminded me of the Swan spacecraft from the R-rated parody Flesh Gordon), they are sufficiently fresh in this context to provoke childlike wonder.

Ever since Aladdin (1993), there are pundits who believe that an animated film is a failure unless it appeals to an adult audience. This bizarre critical standard has led to an endless succession of annoying sitcom actors masquerading as voice talent, the inclusion of often inappropriate comedy, technological fetishism, and frequently disappointing box office results. Jimmy Neutron is an admittedly modest movie that does not strain the envelope, and would be impossible to imagine without the earlier breakthroughs made by Pixar. Yet, its essentially child-oriented philosophy is a more legitimate heir to Walt Disney than most current animated TV shows and movies. I can’t imagine many adults enjoying Jimmy Neutron without a child, but I can’t damn the film for that. This is a kiddie film that doesn’t pretend to be anything else.

Other NonAnime Reviews Star Wars Holiday Special Review The Emperor's New Groove Review Shrek Review Final Fantasy Review Rocky and Bullwinkle Movie Review

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