Nickelodeon Creator Re-Imagines NickToons as Anime Characters

While the anime industry is hitting new heights that few could have imagined, Western animation continues to create interesting franchises to help expand on the medium. For cable television, one of the biggest umbrellas for original animated content was Nickelodeon’s NickToons line. Since the 1990s, the NickToons have introduced animation fans to countless franchises such as the Rugrats, Invader Zim, SpongeBob SquarePants, and too many others to count. While most of these series haven’t had anime adaptations, one classic Nickelodeon animator has recently changed this by remaking some beloved characters who became some of the biggest NickToons under the umbrella.

Butch Hartman, the creator of The Fairly OddParents, has transitioned from forging major Nickelodeon franchises to creating a successful YouTube channel. With almost one million subscribers, the animator will routinely share new videos where he will re-imagine Nicktoons. Whether it be imagining what Timmy Turner looks like as an adult or seeing what his characters might have done in crossovers that never took place, Hartman has found his niche. In a recent piece of art, Butch has imagined what The Fairly OddParents’ Timmy and Jimmy Neutro might have looked like if they were born in Japan, rather than with Paramount’s kid network. You can check out the art for yourself below.

Timmy Turner’s Unsure Future

When it comes to The Fairly Oddparents, Timmy Turner did not return alongside Wanda and Cosmo when the beloved animated characters returned thanks to Netflix. The Fairly Oddparents: A New Wish introduced a new protagonist, Hazel Wells, to keep the franchise moving, introducing a new CG-style to the series. The series released its latest season last year, and ever since, the streaming service has yet to confirm whether this sequel series will return for new episodes in the future. Earlier this year, showrunner Lindsay Katai confirmed that many of the creative minds for the series have started other projects, though Netflix has been tight-lipped in confirming the fate of the sequel.

Earlier this year, Hartman made waves by revealing quite a few tidbits regarding his beloved NickToon. To start, Butch discussed how he had initially pitched a crossover to Nickelodeon that would have brought his beloved characters to Bikini Bottom with a crossover between The Fairly Oddparents/SpongeBob SquarePants. In another video, Hartman revealed who he believed Timmy Turner would eventually settle down with, confirming that the former protagonist most likely would end up tying the knot with Tootie. Surprisingly, Timmy will return this year, though not in a way that you might have seen coming, as this summer will see the release of the video game, Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: Next! Bringing together quite a few classic animated characters from the NickToons’ roster, the video game crossovers have been a solid way of revisiting these figures from Paramount history.

What do you think of this anime take on Timmy Turner and Jimmy Neutron? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

Via Butch Hartman

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