[PHONE RINGING]
Hello.
Hey, Arnold.
It's me.
Who?
Me, Gerald.
I can't believe it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
You sound completely different.
For 40 years, Nickelodeon has been one of the leaders
in kids entertainment.
Depending on what generation you ask,
you'll probably receive a different answer as to,
what was the network's best show?
One of the series that would undoubtedly
be in the running is--
Hey Arnold!
But what was the secret to Hey Arnold's success?
The show certainly had memorable characters
and hilarious writing, but the element
that made Hey Arnold! stand above the rest
was its unique approach to casting
by being one of the first cartoons
to use real child actors for its central cast.
You're a bold kid.
The character of Arnold was the brainchild of animator
and writer Craig Bartlett in a series of shorts on Pee-Wee's
Playhouse and Sesame Street.
After getting a staff job on Rugrats,
Bartlett shared some of his old shorts,
and this proto Arnold captured the attention
of the executives.
Leading Bartlett to begin brainstorming ideas
on how to build the character.
"We did a lot of talking about who Arnold is.
We came up with a reluctant hero who
keeps finding himself responsible for solving
problems, making the right choices,
doing the right thing."
I know you've done some near-miraculous things
in the past--
helped Pigeon Man and Stoop Kid and settled the teacher strike.
I mean, that's quite a resume.
When considering the ethos of Nickelodeon,
it's important to remember the channel was an edgier
alternative to the squeaky clean Disney corporate product.
Shows like Clarissa Explains It All and The Adventures
of Pete & Pete never talked down to their adolescent audiences
and provided a surreal, somewhat cynical, look on society
for the future millennials of the world,
Since we're going to be hanging out a lot
and I'm going to explain all the things that go on around here,
I think you should know a few things about me.
On the animated side of things, shows like Rocco's Modern Life
and Ren & Stimpy were similarly boundary
pushing with their unconventional animation styles
and absurdist humor.
Hey Arnold! would carry on the tradition of these shows
by providing a similar slice of life perspective
on the world while also carrying its share
of sharp, satirical humor.
While the show's writing and characters were always spot on,
it's the performances that truly brought the series to life.
Here's the deal.
I want every kid here a half an hour
early so we can do another run through.
Airing from 1996 to 2004, Hey Arnold!
took on a more grounded approach to kid's entertainment
following the day-to-day exploits
of a group of inner city kids.
In order to best capture this authenticity,
the producers would take a groundbreaking creative step
that would end up being influential
for future animated shows--
letting child actors play child characters.
None of us bite off chicken heads, Oh, except Curly.
And that was just the one time!
Craig Bartlett pointed to the use of actual child voice
actors in the classic Peanuts Holiday Special
as the driving creative inspiration
for his show's casting,
OK, Mr. Director, the cast is set,
Bartlett could recognize the difference
in the performances of the characters
when they were performed by kids rather than adults pretending
to be kids.
The way for us to make the show different from other cartoon
shows was to be kind of emotionally
realistic unlike the other shows, which are being
voiced by women playing kids.
Traditionally, many cartoon shows
would hire adult female voice actors
to play child characters.
The reason for this trend is obvious, but logical.
Characters in a cartoon show never age.
The entire main cast of Rugrats was entirely female voice
actors, including Nancy Cartwright--
the voice of Chuckie Finster--
who is also best known for playing Bart Simpson.
Aye, caramba.
Hiring actual children left the potential for a midseason voice
change due to the actors aging.
As Hey Arnold! casting director Joey Paul Jensen
explained in an interview--
There were always barriers to casting kids in animation
because there was a fear, we'd lose the audience
if you had to change a kid's voice.
Nickelodeon was initially hesitant about the idea,
but after hearing the performances of Jamil Walker
Smith as Gerald and Francesca Marie Smith as Helga,
they were quickly convinced that these authentic kid
performances were the best way forward for the series.
Jamil's performance perfectly captures the youthful energy
of Gerald and delivers his witty asides along
with the more tender moments of friendship with Arnold.
While Francesca's performance as Helga
is so layered with emotion, it's almost hard
to believe that she was only a kid when she played the role.
Helga's wild shifts from hard-edged bullying
to romantic pining were both comedic and emotionally
affecting.
Smith brought the character to life
in a way that could only come from a young actor who
could truly empathize with Helga's
irrational adolescent emotions.
I love you, Arnold!
I've always loved you, ever since I first laid eyes
on your stupid football head.
The characters may have been drawings on a page,
but the voice work made them feel
like real kids who could be the classmates
of the young audience members.
It's because of this believable voice work
that the show was able to tackle more challenging subjects
than the average kid show without feeling cloying
or insincere.
The season four episode "Helga on the Couch"
helps to deconstruct social stigmas around therapy
while taking a serious look at why
young kids might turn to bullying behavior
as a coping mechanism.
And of course, perhaps, one of the peaks of the series--
"Arnold's Christmas"-- provided a generation of kids
with a more nuanced and human portrayal
of the fallout of the Vietnam War
than any of our history classes ever would.
I had to make the most difficult decision of my life.
I knew if I gave my daughter to the soldier,
they would take care of her.
Of this, creative choice certainly had its challenges,
Unsurprisingly, some members of the younger cast
did experience vocal changes as they got older.
However, the writing staff always found creative ways
to handle these changes.
One of the most memorable examples of this
was the episode "Gerald's Tonsils" where Gerald struggles
with a case of tonsillitis just before a big choir performance.
This became the cover for Jamil Walker Smith's voice change
behind the scenes.
And Walker was able to continue playing
Gerald for the remainder of the series.
Your voice is a little different,
but you're still Gerald.
Yep, ain't nothing to it, but to do it.
I just had to be myself.
When faced with actors whose vocal changes were
so extreme they couldn't continue playing the character,
the team often found new parts for these actors to play.
The actor who played Arnold in season one, Toran Caudell,
would go on to play the bully Wolfgang while Arnold's voice
actor for seasons two and three, Phillip Van Dyke,
would eventually play the character Ludwig.
The series would unite the three Arnold actors together
in the episode "New Bully on the Block."
I'm in charge of you fourth grade wusses, now.
Hey, those are my fourth grade wusses,
put the football head down.
The series would be confronted with a major recasting
challenge when Hey Arnold! the Jungle Movie
was released years after the show's final season.
Actors Mason Vale Cotton and Benjamin Flores Jr.
were cast as Arnold and Gerald respectively.
In order to step into the shoes of these now iconic characters,
the actors both studied the episodes of the original series
to match their performances, providing a smooth transition
from the series to the film.
Despite these hurdles, Hey Arnold!
would set a new industry standard
that would be emulated by other hit shows.
Disney's Recess, which shared a few cast members
with Hey Arnold!, would also use young actors to great success.
This impact can be seen to this day with shows
like Adventure Time and Steven Universe
using younger voice actors that provide authenticity
to these roles.
The secret of Hey Arnold's success
was as simple as recognizing that even
in animation, a bit of realism can go a long way.
But what do you think?
Was there more to Hey, Arnold's success
than just the voice acting or did the performances enhance
the show for you, as well?
Let us know what you think in the comments,
and be sure to subscribe to Nerdstalgic.