MovieChat Forums > Hey Arnold! (1996) Discussion > Terrible voice acting ruins the show

Terrible voice acting ruins the show

posted 8 years ago by Drebin31
2 replies | jump to latest

Re-runs of Hey Arnold currently play on TeenNick's late night programming block "The Splat." I'm 25 now, so these cartoons (Arnold, Rugrats, Doug, etc.) were what I grew up watching, and I've been enjoying revisiting them.

Except this one. The voice acting is so relentlessly shrill, whiny, monotonous, and loud it makes the show unbearable. Every sound out of Harold's mouth is like nails on a chalkboard. And Arnold is supposed to be the calm voice of reason amongst these screaming lunatics, but he just sounds like he's falling asleep. It completely distracts from whatever meaning or storytelling the show was using these characters for. (I do, however, applaud Francesca Marie Smith's awesome portrayal of Helga, the only vocal performance with any sort of depth or range).

Anyone else having this problem upon rewatching? How does the show hold up for you?

[–] Darwinskid 8 years ago

Er, Harold is supposed to be an obnoxious kid so it makes sense that he comes off as loud, whiny, and as you put it "like nails on a chalk board". Arnold is one of the few people on the show with common sense and is pretty mature for his age so he's not supposed to sound manic and in your face.

COOKIES AND MILK!-Ed

[–] SelenaQP 8 years ago

Agreed. 

Simply me.