Review - A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! (2011)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. Back at the start of the 2000's, Nickelodeon produced an animated series called The Fairly OddParents. The series told the story of a boy named Timmy Turner, who was tormented by his evil babysitter, Vicky, bullied by a bruiser named Francis, is targeted by his deranged teacher, Denzel Crocker, and essentially neglected by his dumbass parents. To help him with his life, he is given two fairy godparents names Cosmo and Wanda. The series itself, created by Butch Hartman, was very popular, and of course Nickelodeon would seek to produce a live-action project based on the series. To this end, they decided to have the movie set well after the events of the series, and see Timmy Turner as a grown man. Yes, you read that correctly.

         Airing on Nickelodeon in 2011, A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! would be set roughly a decade after the events of the cartoon, and would see Timmy Turner, now in his twenties, still attend Crocker's class, and still living with his parents. Why? Well, his unusual behavior is a means to keep his fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda, for as long as possible. And, yes, this would be around the same time that Cosmo and Wanda has their own baby, Poof. But, despite his intentions, everyone around him wants him to act his age, including his parents, and FairyWorld boss Jorgen von Strangle. 

       But, it's neither his parents nor Jorgen that starts to shift his desires, but someone from his past. As a kid, Timmy was often repulsed by, though often sympathetic towards, a girl named Tootie, who was Vicky's little sister and sported glasses, braces, and pigtails. However, she has come back home to Dimmsdale and is an absolute bombshell, and is an activist, trying to protect the town from a deranged oil baron named Hugh J. Magnate. No, seriously, that's the name of our villain. Hugh J. Magnate. This is a kids movie, all right. 

      Anyway, Timmy clearly is starting to have a genuine romantic attraction to Tootie, and does everything he can to court her. And, it goes really well, as the two grow closer and closer. And, the chemistry between the two is absolutely infectious, and is easily one of the high points of the movie. However, Cosmo and Wanda don't want to lose Timmy is he grows up, so they take on human form to try and secretly sabotage Timmy and Tootie's date. But, they realize that Timmy truly does want Tootie, and they stop. 

       Okay, so remember that jackass Magnate? Well, he teams up with Crocker and creates a machine to sap fairies of their energy and grant anyone their wish. And, of course, they nab Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof. And, what does Magnate use the wish machine for? A bottomless ball pit, and he sends Crocker into the pit. Okay, that's pretty funny. Anyway, Magnate also captures Tootie, prompting Timmy to try to rescue his fairies and Tootie. Realizing he can rescue everyone, but has to choose between love or magic, Timmy admits that it's time to grow up and kisses Tootie. Accepting adulthood, Timmy says goodbye to the fairies, and starts a new life with Tootie. But, not so fast, as the FairyWorld council has made up a brand new rule...one that applies exclusively to Timmy in recognition of his good deeds that helped save FairyWorld over the years. The new rule states that Timmy can keep his fairies, but only on the condition that he uses their magic to grant the wishes of others, which Timmy gladly accepts. So, with Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof in hand, Timmy and Tootie start a new charity enterprise together, and they go off around the world to grant the wishes of kids everywhere. Oh, Magnate ends up in a mental hospital, with his secretary taking over his company, and Crocker eventually gets out of the ball pit. 

      This is one of those movies made for a specific audience. Particularly, kids who were watching The Fairly OddParents in the year 2011. The story was very cartoonish, the villains especially so. Both Steven Weber as Magnate and David Lewis as Crocker were just extremely silly. It was great getting to hear the voices of Daran Norris, Susanne Blakeslee, and Tara Strong as Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof, and really need seeing Daran Norris on-screen as Timmy's father, alongside Teryl Rothery as Timmy's mother. I also liked Jason Alexander and Cheryl Hines as the human versions of Cosmo and Wanda. Their back-and-forth was hilarious, and it was great seeing these two comedic great working together. But, the two main standouts here are Drake Bell as Timmy and Daniella Monet as Tootie. Both bring a really good performance as these two characters, and their chemistry is simply outstanding. 

        Now, while I acknowledge that I am not the target audience for this movie, I will say that it's perfectly serviceable for said target audience of kids around ten to twelve years of age. Outside of that, sorry. Can't recommend this one. I'm giving A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! a rating of 2.75/5. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and just an early announcement, there was a yuletide sequel to this movie called A Fairly Odd Christmas. And, yes, I will be talking about it this holiday season during 12 Reviews of Christmas. Until then, stay tuned for my next review.