"A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner" is unfaithful to the original "Fairly OddParents" show for the most part, which I believe is much better than this film. Both the opening and closing credits state that it was directed and written by Butch Hartman, the show's creator, and co-written by Scott Fellows, who also worked on the show. However, I feel that I'm being misled. They broke "da rules" of their own creation, which doesn't make sense. As a result, this movie is likely non-canon to the show.
According to the source material, kids with fairy godparents get their fairies taken away when they turn 18, but in this movie, Timmy Turner is now 23 years old and still has his fairies. In the movie, kids don't lose their fairies until they receive their first kiss, regardless of age. Even when Timmy and Toodee share their first kiss at the end, Timmy is allowed to keep Cosmo and Wanda for some reason. Throughout most of the movie, Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof attempt to prevent Timmy from "growing up" and developing feelings for Toodee.
In the original show, it says in Da Rules that magic cannot be used to create or interfere with true love, and Cosmo and Wanda are aware of this; however, here they violate this rule by using magic to meddle with true love, making them hypocrites. Additionally, there are instances when the fairies do not disguise themselves while in public, and somebody could see them. The show clearly states that revealing the existence of fairy godparents causes them to get taken away forever. Despite this, Timmy still possesses his fairies and has developed an affection for Toodee, although he dislikes her in the show. He is also still in fifth grade, and Mr. Crocker remains his teacher for some reason.
Jorgen and Vicky barely resemble their cartoon versions. For some reason, Jorgen is portrayed by a live actor and has a realistic design, while Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof are in CGI, even though the former is also a fairy. The animated fairies look accurate to the cartoon, but they don't blend well with the live-action elements, and the special effects look fake.
In a flashback, Toodee appears in her child form and is played by the same actress, Daniella Monet, who portrays her adult counterpart. It would have made more sense to cast a child actress to play young Toodee, similar to how a kid actor was used for Timmy in his childhood photos. Additionally, the voices of Human Cosmo (Jason Alexander) and Human Wanda (Cheryl Hines) do not closely resemble their fairy forms' voices.
Unfortunately, several characters from the original show, such as Trixie, Sanjay, Elmer, and the Pixies, are absent, and there's no explanation as to what happened to them.
Overall, "The Fairly OddParents" does not translate well to live-action. I wish an animated theatrical movie for the series had been released instead, as it is surprisingly one of the few long-running Nicktoons without an animated movie adaptation. While the film is somewhat faithful to the source material-most characters maintain their likable personalities, and Daran Norris, Susanne Blakeslee, and Tara Strong reprise their roles as the voices of Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof respectively, with sets resembling the show's locations-I would rate it a 3 out of 10 because of these items.
Additionally, I found Toodee to be more likable in the movie than in the show, where I was not a fan of her character. The film gives her more depth, making her interactions feel genuinely appealing. It's interesting to see how adaptations can change our perspective of characters. While it's not one of the worst live-action adaptations of a cartoon, it certainly isn't one of the best either. I recommend watching "The Fairly OddParents" instead of "A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner."
