Underrated Nickelodeon Original Movies That You'll Never Outgrow

Good Burger is based on a sketch from the Nickelodeon comedy series All That, and it stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. The pair play Dexter Reed and Ed: a couple of teen misfits who spend their time working at a burger joint that finds itself competing with a hamburger emporium located just across the street.

Good Burger was a commercial success upon release, but it wasn't favored by critics. Despite this, it resonates with Millennials who grew up watching All That, and it has become a cult classic.

The Wild Thornberrys was a successful original animated television series for Nickelodeon, so it's no wonder the studio greenlit a feature film to go along with it. The movie features the titular family as they explore the world. Eliza, now 12 years old, meets a shaman who gives her the power to talk to animals.

Of course, there's a catch, and revealing this new ability will cause her to lose it, which becomes problematic when a group of poachers make their way to an elephant herd, and it's up to Eliza to save them! The film was a massive hit when it was released, and like the show it's based upon, it's a cult classic beloved by Millennials who grew up watching it.

In Harriet the Spy, Michelle Trachtenberg (in her first feature film role) plays the titular heroine: a sixth-grader who wants nothing more than to be a spy! She records anything she sees that piques her interest in a journal she takes with her wherever she goes, and while this seems like a harmless activity at first, the journal's discovery upends Harriet's world. 

What starts as a path to her chosen profession soon becomes the thing that divides her from everyone else in her class, and her closest friends aren't happy with her private thoughts and observations. The film was a financial success upon release, and while it earned Rosie O'Donnell and Trachtenberg some awards, it's largely been forgotten.

Rugrats is one of those television series that resonates with a large audience consisting of children and adults. The kids who enjoyed it years ago still love seeing their favorite kiddos go on adventures, and that includes some feature films. In the second movie from the franchise, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, the Rugrats go to France!

The film focuses on Chuckie's attempt to find a new mom so his father won't marry a businesswoman who hates children. It's a fun and classic tale that features just as much heart as the series upon which it's based. The movie did well with critics and audiences, scoring an impressive $103 million at the box office.

If there's one thing Nickelodeon Studios does well, it's making movies based on its most popular television series. Hey Arnold! is one such series, and in 2002, Nickelodeon released Hey Arnold!: The Movie, and kids loved it. The film follows Arnold and his friends as they learn their neighborhood is set for destruction by a greedy developer.

The film was a financial success when it was released, but it didn't break the bank. It cost about $3 million to produce and netted over $15 million. That makes it a success, but not a great one. Still, it's one of those movies that fans of the Hey Arnold! TV series loved, so it's another cult classic among Millennials.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius was made before the television series, but the two were given the green light at Nickelodeon Studios simultaneously. The reason for this was so the animators could develop theatric quality animation models for The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, which was released the following year.

The TV series and film became incredibly popular products for Nickelodeon Studios, which developed the character into a franchise. There have been numerous video games, a spin-off series, and a simulator ride at Universal Studios Florida. The film is just as much fun to watch now as it was in 2001, and it remains one of the studio's most popular films to date.