From the gritty misadventures of Jesse Pinkman in El Camino to the epic battles of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Netflix has conquered a wide variety of different franchises from different Networks. However, there are many titles they could further explore from Nickelodeon.
While the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was a fun entry to the franchise, Nickelodeon shows have even more to offer. Spongebob and Avatar: The Last Airbender are two titles that have already received blockbuster movies (to varying degrees of success), but there are plenty of other Nickelodeon titles that deserve a shot at either an animated continuation or a live-action version.
The Wild Thornberrys
The Wild Thornberrys features a family who makes wildlife documentaries. It stars the eccentric host Nigel and his daughter Eliza, who has the ability to communicate with animals. They're accompanied by the rest of their family, including a chimpanzee named Darwin.
While there has been one Wild Thornberrys movie, cleverly titled The Wild Thornberrys Movie, that film was released in 2002. It would be great to see a proper reboot in movie or TV form, but Netflix could do an especially great job with another film. Whether there's a time jump in Eliza's life and career or if it just follows a random family adventure, the Thornberrys need new content.
Back at the Barnyard
Back at the Barnyard was a TV series based on the movie Barnyard about a cow named Otis who runs a barnyard full of anthropomorphic animals who constantly party.
A sequel to Barnyard would be a fun exploration of where the animals' lives have gone since the end of Back at the Barnyard. Similar to another oddly similar concept in Toy Story, keeping their true nature a secret from humans is a big part of the barnyard animals' adventures. Having a human protagonist that discovers and interacts with Otis and the others might make for a fun sequel concept.
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
Ned's Declassified was one of Nickelodeon's best non-animated series. It starred the titular protagonist Ned Bigby as well as his friends Moze and Cookie in their attempt to survive middle school.
While the actors have far aged out of a high school sequel, there are a few directions that a Ned's Declassified movie could go. College or even "adulting" would both be possible options. Another would be to have the children of the original main characters be the stars of the movie in a next-gen take on the future of school survival guides.
Rugrats
Rugrats follows the misadventures of a group of babies trying to understand the adult world. As a result, the series features plenty of adult humor that made it all the funnier to its more mature audiences.
While the Rugrats reboot is currently on Paramount+, that wouldn't stop Netflix from acquiring rights to make a movie in the future. However, it may have to be in the distant future given the nature of contracts. Even still, the original Rugrats may not be the ideal series from the franchise to make into a movie. Instead, the sequel All Grown Up has far more compelling versions of the cast to make a film for.
My Life As A Teenage Robot
My Life As A Teenage Robot was one of the most underrated cartoons on Nickelodeon. It starred the female presenting robot X-J9, also known as Jenny, who wanted to live as a normal teenage girl despite her job as earth's protector.
Jenny's adventures with her friends Brad and Sheldon, as well as Brad's younger brother Tuck, would make for an excellent movie. There are still many things that can be settled in the My Life As A Teenage Robot world, including the other robots and any potential romances in the series. Whatever direction they'd take it, Jenny and Brad's adventures could use a reboot.
The Fairly OddParents
The Fairly OddParents follows Timmy Turner's adventures with his fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda. Together, they grant wishes that are arguably less than advisable and deal with the ensuing consequences.
Any new Fairly OddParents movie would need to of course feature two of the best 2000s cartoon villains of all time, Denzel Crocker and Vicky. There have been Fairly OddParents movies in the past, but it includes a live-action movie that was poorly received and a few TV movies like Channel Chasers. A sequel or a new film in the same universe would be a welcome inclusion to the series.
Hey Arnold!
Hey Arnold! follows the adventures of elementary schooler Arnold, who finds himself in a new environment with new unique friends. He also follows the oddly shaped head trend with other legendary cartoon protagonists like Phineas.
Netflix recently obtained the classic cartoon's latest movie, Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie, which premiered in 2017. Many fans have been begging for a reboot ever since the movie, but a continuation of the franchise via a sequel movie would also be a great idea. Alternatively, a live-action take on the cartoon with an older cast could be interesting. Either way, Hey Arnold! deserves a continuation in some form.
Spongebob Squarepants
While it's true that Spongebob Squarepants has received a wide variety of movies already, it truly is the series that keeps on giving. No Nickelodeon series is as popular as Spongebob, and it deserves all the movies it can get.
The 2020 film Sponge on the Run was produced by Paramount+, but it isn't out of the question for Netflix to eventually receive rights to a new movie. The series could, in particular, use a Patrick or Squidward-centered movie that sees Spongebob as a side character. The possibilities are endless with the world of Bikini Bottom.
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Jimmy Neutron was a fun cartoon that showed the glory of science and smarts in an era where scientist characters were generally villains or side characters. Instead, the boy genius himself was front and center to inspire kids.
The series has everything needed for a fantastic film adaptation. There are even some fun romance options and love triangles to still explore, especially if they choose to go with older versions of the cast in high school or college. Perhaps more than any other Nickelodeon series, it would be really interesting to see the future adventures of Jimmy and his friends after they've had more time to learn.
Danny Phantom
Danny Phantom has one of the best premises of any Nickelodeon show. A young boy with ghost powers who fights the ghosts that come through a strange ectoplasmic portal his parents created is among the top animated television concepts out there.
Whether it's via Netflix or Paramount+, Danny, Sam, and Tucker should certainly return for a reboot or a movie. The trio of characters still have plenty of adventures they could take on, and Danny and Sam never got to have much time on screen as a couple. It will be interesting to see how everyone's relationships and characters evolved over time, and what college looks like for the gang.