'Legends Of The Hidden Temple' Trailer: Your '90s Childhood Obsession Is Back As A TV Movie
When I wrote about Nickelodeon's upcoming TV movie adaptation of Legends of the Hidden Temple, I joked that there would probably be a scene where the main characters hopelessly struggle to assemble the statue in the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, a tribute to the room in the original game show that seemed to baffle even the smartest kid contestants. And lo and behold, such a scene exists in the new trailer!
If you remember Legends of the Hidden Temple, congratulations: you are a '90s kid and everything from your childhood is next in line for a nostalgic revival (hello, Power Rangers). However, this new version is not a game show where kids participate in increasingly humiliating physical challenges to earn the chance to get traumatized by temple guards – it's a family adventure movie about three kids exploring an actual temple that is hidden...and we can safely assume that it will contain some legends.
The key word in that previous sentence is "family," because anyone who was holding out hope for a grim 'n' gritty Legends of the Temple reboot (who are you?) will be very disappointed by this footage. It's bright and cheery and cheesy and silly and goofy and a little cheap-looking. Then again, I'm not the target audience here. The viewership for this thing will be younger kids who already watch Nickelodeon and their parents, who may see this as an opportunity to bond with their spawn over something they loved when they were younger.
I'll give the trailer this much credit: approximately 40% of the footage here is somehow a reference to the original game show and that's undeniably impressive. There's a pendant valued by the dreaded temple guards! The Green Monkeys team name manifests literally as an actual green monkey! Host Kirk Fogg shows up playing himself! These aren't so much Easter eggs tucked away in the corners of the story as they are giant novelty Easter eggs planted in the middle of the frame with giant arrows pointing at them. As much as I hate to admit it, my '90s nostalgia was effectively (if briefly) ignited.
Dee Bradley Baker, the original voice of Olmec, will once again return to play that magical talking head. Transformers: The Last Knight victim Isabela Moner, Colin Critchley and Jet Jurgensmeyer play the lead kids. Here's the official synopsis:
The Legends of the Hidden Temple TV movie follows three siblings who break away from a lackluster tour in a jungle, finding themselves immersed in a high-stakes adventure comprised of obstacles that they must complete in order to escape alive. The TV movie will feature many elements from the original game show including: Olmec, a talking head who greets cast members Noah, Sadie and Dudley, and launches them on the adventure of a lifetime; The Steps of Knowledge, the entrance to the temple and launching pad for the mission; and appearances from a green monkey, red jaguar, and silver snakes, among others.
Legends of the Hidden Temple will debut this fall.