This week, Netflix released a reboot of the class we all wanted to attend, The Magic School Bus. So, as Ms. Frizzle says, “To the bus!”
The Magic School Bus Rides Again has one major difference amongst a variety of more minor ones: The Frizz is now Professor Frizzle, and has been replaced by her little sister in the classroom.
I’m much like Arnold, in the regard that I really hate change, so I was a little skeptical about this new Ms. Frizzle. However, as soon as that familiar, although revamped, theme song started playing, nostalgia kicked in quickly. My first impression was that somehow the graphical quality seems to have regressed, but this more “sketchy,” brightly colored cartoon is the norm for children shows nowadays.
The same kids are still all somehow still there, minus Phoebe who went back to her old school (which is probably for the best), and plus a few more kids. They seemed to have diversified the cast in this case.
They all still have the same personalities, the same jokes, and the same catch lines. However, and this could just be because I am 20 years old and watching The Magic School Bus, this new reboot seems slightly more geared for a younger audience than the previous show. Perhaps this is because kids are growing up even faster these days, and the previous audience would have already moved on to “bigger and better” cartoons or more adult tv shows.
The series has some pretty interesting and new scenarios the kids find themselves in, and many different lessons the kids learn, both academically and morally.
It was also interesting to see how they incorporated more advanced technology into this series, even adding newer aspects of younger Ms. Frizzle’s magic powers.
According to my research, other than that, not much more has changed about this classic series, and thankfully the original Frizz is still incorporated quite often.
Overall, I was a little disappointed with the reboot, but it’s very likely that could be attributed to the fact this show is geared towards children, not college students. Although, this series seems particularly focused on the younger generation than its predecessor. Regardless, it’ll probably still be a fun show to watch occasionally, but if you’re looking for the classic Magic School Bus, I’d suggest just watching the original and skipping over this one.
One other group who may want to pay special attention are Education majors. As Netflix continually defines new programing trends, this may be the first in a slew of original reboots of classic programs to come.
