by Andrew FirrioloBuzzFeedBuzzFeed Staff It's hard to believe that almost 25 years ago, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius blasted its way into movie theaters. Nickelodeon / Via Everett Collection I remember watching both the film and the show growing up, always excited to see Jimmy's latest inventions and the antics he and his friends would get into.

One of the most memorable duos was Jimmy Neutron and Cindy Vortex, voiced brilliantly by Debi Derryberry and Carolyn Lawrence. While the cast reunited for an American Cinematheque 25th anniversary screening of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, it was a perfect time to catch up with the stars who brought Jimmy and Cindy to life. Ryan Hill / Via Debi Derryberry The cast of Jimmy Neutron at the American Cinematheque screening, January 2026. Before Jimmy Neutron he was called Johnny Quasar, and it all started on VHS. Debi Derryberry (Debi at the 2001 premiere of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius)Debi (Jimmy): We started out doing what they call interstitials, which are like these 10-minute little snippets. We did the voices, and then we received these VHS tapes. As I watched the tapes, I thought, "This is cool animation! I've never seen anything like that in my life. It's so high tech!" Then they changed the name from Johnny Quasar to Jimmy Neutron and said we were doing a movie.

Carolyn (Cindy): I wasn't in the mix that early on; they hadn't yet cast Cindy for the movie. I was brought in to do a scratch track because they hadn't hired who they wanted. They were super, super clear that I was just a temporary voice. But the more they listened to me while editing and working, I think they grew accustomed to hearing me as Cindy. That's my theory!Debi: There's this camaraderie that forms between Cindy and Jimmy, and Carolyn was brilliant with the snarkiness she brought to that role. Carolyn and I have been close ever since. We can't move away from each other! We live within walking distance. Vince Bucci / Via Getty Images Carolyn Lawrence at the 2001 premiere of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. How Debi and Carolyn found Jimmy and Cindy's voices: Paramount / Via Everett Collection Debi: I'm most comfortable speaking like a child. Speaking like a grown-up is more of an effort for me. Most of my work before Jimmy Neutron had been little girl voices. When my agent sent me this audition for a little boy, I thought, "How am I going to do a little boy audition?" I don't have that gravel, or texture, as we call it in voiceover. Actors like Tara Strong [Timmy Turner in The Fairly OddParents] have that texture, but I don't have that naturally. I went into the audition, and I thought, "I'll just try my little boy voice," where I kind of talk out of the side of my mouth, but I don't use texture, and it doesn't hurt. And that's the voice they picked!Carolyn: Cindy was easy for me. I just fell right in. If the writing is really good, I can fall into a character, and I don't have to think about a voice. It just naturally happens because of the way something's written. We also functioned so well as a group. Recording together was so fun - there was real magic between all of us. Debi's musical background inspired one of Jimmy Neutron's memorable scenes. Paramount / Via youtube.com Debi: While we were recording the movie, there's a scene where Jimmy is trying to turn a lump of coal into a diamond to give to his mother. I was a pre-med student, and I took a lot of chemistry classes. I knew that coal could turn into diamonds because it has this perfect structure. I'm also a singer and a songwriter. I was in Nashville for three years pursuing country music, and now I do children's music. Well, at the time, this country song was in my head - John Anderson sings, "I'm just an old chunk of coal, but I'm gonna be a diamond someday." It's a really great song!I told [director] John Davis about this song, and lo and behold, they licensed it and used it in the movie! So when you're watching that movie, and you see Jimmy flying with the coal, and you hear that song, that was my little addition. Debi and Carolyn love the movie scene where Cindy consoles Jimmy. Paramount / Via Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Carolyn: I love that part! That's one of my favorite things about animation, those moments that have heart, those moments where you're like, "Oh my gosh, these animated characters actually started to make me cry!" Debi: The music is such a big part of that. Charlie Brissette was one of the many contributors who just composed some brilliant stuff for the movie. Carolyn: The movie also works so well because it was so forward-thinking in terms of technology. It was like the perfect marriage between technology and storyline. I hope they know how lucky they are to have hired Debi, because she can pronounce any word. I was always amazed. I would think, "Thank God I never got this kind of role, because I can't pronounce anything!" Debi: My dad was very unhappy that I didn't go to medical school - but I knew how to say the big words in Jim