Three classic Nickelodeon cartoons, Rocko’s Modern Life, Invader Zim, and Hey Arnold, will return to the children's channel for one-off specials.
Last week, Nickelodeon announced production was underway on a one-hour Rocko special entitled Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling, written and produced by series creator Joe Murray. The show's original voice actors will reprise the roles of characters like Rocko, Heffer, and Filbert, talking animals who navigate a surreal neighbourhood. A release date has not yet been announced.
The Rocko special will have a self-referential theme, according to Nickelodeon. “[The special] brings the characters back to Earth after being lost in outer space since 1996. Rocko has trouble accepting this 21st century modern life, while Heffer and Filburt embrace every aspect of new technology, social media and the endless diversity of food trucks. Rocko whole-heartedly believes that his nostalgia for the past can save him from the tortures of the modern world.”
Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, announced last year, will premiere in fall 2017. Creator Craig Bartlett will write and executive-produce. The two-hour film will “resolve unanswered questions and plotlines — including Arnold finally getting answers about the whereabouts of his missing parents.” It's the second feature-length Hey Arnold project after 2002's theatrically-released Hey Arnold!: The Movie, which premiered near the end of Arnold's five-season run.
The Invader ZIM TV movie was announced in April. It will follow ZIM, an inept and solitary invading alien, as he attempts to take over the earth. The show originally ran for two seasons in 2001-2002. Jhonen Vasquez, the show's creator, has returned to "reimagine" Invader Zim, Variety reports.