It's been just over twenty years since Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius hit theaters and nearly 18 since The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, the animated series based on the movie on Nickelodeon aired its final episode. As you know by now, it's never too long for Hollywood to revive a property for a reboot and in the ever-expanding world of streaming video, revivals are now more possible than ever.
In a video interview with The Able Gamer recorded in 2022, John A. Davis, the creator of the beloved Nickelodeon franchise, revealed that Nickelodeon was planning to reboot Jimmy Neutron around 2020, with Nickelodeon said to have been "very interested" in reviving the property, with the original crew, however, the project unfortunately fell apart. You can check out Davis' comments around the 31:38 mark in the video below:
Although we didn't get a reboot, the property has been a somewhat of a comeback, with Hugh and Jimmy being playing characters in the Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl franchise.
Created by John A. Davis and based on several Jimmy Neutron and Johnny Quasar shorts, Nickelodeon Movies, O Entertainment, DNA Productions and Paramount Pictures' Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius made its debut in theaters on December 21, 2001. Following its success, a spin-off series The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius premiered on July 20, 2002 and ran for 63 episodes over three seasons. The success of the film and TV series spawned another spin-off, Planet Sheen, as well as three crossovers with The Fairly OddParents under the name The Jimmy-Timmy Power Hour and a ride called Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Jimmy Neutron follows James "Jimmy" Isaac Neutron, Retroville's resident Boy Genius. Jimmy (Debi Derryberry) creates amazing inventions designed to make his life easier and more interesting--and when they work the way they're supposed to, they do just that! Which is rare. But for Jimmy, his robot dog Goddard and his pals Carl Wheezer (Rob Paulsen) and Sheen Estevez (Jeffrey Garcia), every short circuit is a new adventure!
From BuzzFeed:
8 Incredible "Jimmy Neutron" Stories From Stars Debi Derryberry And Carolyn Lawrence That’ll Make You Want To Rewatch The Series
The voices of Jimmy and Cindy look back on "Jimmy Neutron’s" journey from Oscar-nominated film to television classic.
It's hard to believe that almost 25 years ago, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius blasted its way into movie theaters.
I remember watching both the film and the show growing up, always excited to see Jimmy's latest inventions and the antics he and his friends would get into.
One of the most memorable duos was Jimmy Neutron and Cindy Vortex, voiced brilliantly by Debi Derryberry and Carolyn Lawrence. While the cast reunited for an American Cinematheque 25th anniversary screening of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, it was a perfect time to catch up with the stars who brought Jimmy and Cindy to life.
Before Jimmy Neutron he was called Johnny Quasar, and it all started on VHS.
Debi (Jimmy): We started out doing what they call interstitials, which are like these 10-minute little snippets. We did the voices, and then we received these VHS tapes. As I watched the tapes, I thought, "This is cool animation! I've never seen anything like that in my life. It's so high tech!"
Then they changed the name from Johnny Quasar to Jimmy Neutron and said we were doing a movie.
Carolyn (Cindy): I wasn't in the mix that early on; they hadn't yet cast Cindy for the movie. I was brought in to do a scratch track because they hadn't hired who they wanted.
They were super, super clear that I was just a temporary voice. But the more they listened to me while editing and working, I think they grew accustomed to hearing me as Cindy. That's my theory!
Debi: There's this camaraderie that forms between Cindy and Jimmy, and Carolyn was brilliant with the snarkiness she brought to that role. Carolyn and I have been close ever since. We can't move away from each other! We live within walking distance.
How Debi and Carolyn found Jimmy and Cindy’s voices:
Debi: I'm most comfortable speaking like a child. Speaking like a grown-up is more of an effort for me. Most of my work before Jimmy Neutron had been little girl voices.
When my agent sent me this audition for a little boy, I thought, "How am I going to do a little boy audition?" I don't have that gravel, or texture, as we call it in voiceover. Actors like Tara Strong [Timmy Turner in The Fairly OddParents] have that texture, but I don't have that naturally.
I went into the audition, and I thought, "I'll just try my little boy voice," where I kind of talk out of the side of my mouth, but I don't use texture, and it doesn't hurt. And that's the voice they picked!
Carolyn: Cindy was easy for me. I just fell right in. If the writing is really good, I can fall into a character, and I don't have to think about a voice. It just naturally happens because of the way something's written.
We also functioned so well as a group. Recording together was so fun — there was real magic between all of us.
Debi: While we were recording the movie, there's a scene where Jimmy is trying to turn a lump of coal into a diamond to give to his mother. I was a pre-med student, and I took a lot of chemistry classes. I knew that coal could turn into diamonds because it has this perfect structure.
I'm also a singer and a songwriter. I was in Nashville for three years pursuing country music, and now I do children's music. Well, at the time, this country song was in my head — John Anderson sings, "I'm just an old chunk of coal, but I'm gonna be a diamond someday." It's a really great song!
I told [director] John Davis about this song, and lo and behold, they licensed it and used it in the movie! So when you're watching that movie, and you see Jimmy flying with the coal, and you hear that song, that was my little addition.
Carolyn: I love that part! That's one of my favorite things about animation, those moments that have heart, those moments where you're like, "Oh my gosh, these animated characters actually started to make me cry!"
Debi: The music is such a big part of that. Charlie Brissette was one of the many contributors who just composed some brilliant stuff for the movie.
Carolyn: The movie also works so well because it was so forward-thinking in terms of technology. It was like the perfect marriage between technology and storyline.
I hope they know how lucky they are to have hired Debi, because she can pronounce any word. I was always amazed. I would think, "Thank God I never got this kind of role, because I can't pronounce anything!"
Debi: My dad was very unhappy that I didn't go to medical school — but I knew how to say the big words in Jimmy Neutron because I had studied them for many, many years.
Carolyn: What is still exciting to me is that we were the first movie ever announced in that category. Historically, we will forever be the first one ever announced, even though we didn't win! [Shrek won]
Debi: We didn't get to go to the awards show, but we did go to a very fancy dinner. It was at a fancy place down in Hollywood, and [former CEO of Paramount Pictures] Sherry Lansing threw the dinner for the nominees. I had never been somewhere that fancy.
I remember I had my back to the door, and my ex-husband said, "You know Paul McCartney walked in." I said, "No, he didn't. You're joking with me!" I turned around, and there was Paul McCartney with Heather Mills, and we all got a picture together.
Debi and Carolyn's favorite Jimmy Neutron episode is "Stranded."
Carolyn: Cindy's so sassy, right? I love that Jimmy and Cindy have a tender moment on the island in "Stranded." That was my favorite episode.
Debi: Me too! When people ask me my favorite episode, that's the one. The writers loved the intellectual competition between Cindy and Jimmy. That was the really fun part about recording together — they would just turn on all the mics and say, "Go."
I am not the best improvver in the room, but sometimes I'll come up with something and be very proud of myself. There was this sense of creativity that we felt. The editors and writers would take in what we would do, and sometimes we'd see it come back in a later episode.
Carolyn: I also love that you could always tell Cindy actually cared for Jimmy. It never felt too mean. It was always like this mix of competition and love.
Debi and Carolyn remember Jeff Garcia [Sheen], who sadly passed in December 2025.
Carolyn: I loved how much joy Jeff had in his performances. Anytime he did something that was obviously funny, he would chuckle to himself. I just thought it was the best thing in the world, the joy. It was infectious. He was so funny, without even trying at all. He would just walk in the room and be funny and brilliant.
Debi: He did such a great job. I remember Jeff had this tendency to come in a little late. One time I pulled him aside, with love, and I said, "Jeff, we are so lucky to have this cool voice-over gig and a series, and we need to show up and be there on time." Long story short, it didn't make a bit of difference! Jeff was Jeff, and when he showed up, he brought the funny.
Like Carolyn said, he would just start laughing, because he would come up with these things that you're like, "How did he think of that? Where did that come from?"
We would all just laugh together. We will miss him very much, and we wish his family all the love in the world.
What Jimmy Neutron means to Carolyn and Debi, 25 years later:
Debi: I feel like Jimmy is a part of me. If somebody asks me, "How would Jimmy Neutron react to this?" I feel like I can give a pretty frank answer. I think all the characters we play represent parts of ourselves.
I always hear from fans, "You were my childhood." I once did a convention in Huntsville, Alabama, where they have the space station. People came up to me and said, "You inspired me to go into space engineering technology," which I thought was really fascinating!
Carolyn: I like that Cindy is that assertive part of me that I'm not normally in real life. It was very fun to play her, and she was kind of my alter ego.
The show continues to have such a legacy. The fans are all grown up now, right? Most people remember just how smart the show was and what a joy it was as a kid to watch something that didn't speak down to them.
Debi: There aren't a lot of shows like that. If they ever bring Jimmy Neutron back, these parents who grew up with the show can now share it with their own children.
Well, time to re-watch Jimmy Neutron again! Thank you, Debi and Carolyn, for sharing your memories and for being such a big part of our childhoods.
Keep up with Debi and Carolyn at their official websites (Debi, Carolyn) and on Instagram (Debi, Carolyn).
Stream Jimmy Neutron on Paramount+.
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H/T: Special thanks to @NicktoonFan for the news!
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