'The Magic School Bus' is another one of those shows watched regularly as a kid but forgotten about for a while during teenagehood. Reliving all the fond memories over-time as a young adult re-watching various forgotten about family shows, many of them still hold up incredibly well and manage to be even better today. More so than not. Have always liked shows that entertain and educate, 'Sesame Street' being ground-breaking in this regard, and there were definitely memories of 'The Magic School Bus' doing both.
My very positive feelings on 'The Magic School Bus' had as a child still hold up brilliantly. It is not only as wonderful as remembered, it is perhaps even better with more to appreciate. It is one of the very few educational shows to have a perfect balance of entertainment value, cuteness and educating younger audiences in a tactful way. As a show on its own terms, 'The Magic School Bus' has a real magical charm to it that still stands the test of time.
Visually, 'The Magic School Bus' looks great. Have always loved the vibrant use of colours, the beautifully detailed and sometimes imaginative backgrounds and Mrs Frizzle's outfits. The varied settings are lovely to see and used very well. The music is dynamic with what goes on and never feels out of place in a too jaunty or too dark way, while the theme tune is catchy.
Even as a child, the writing struck me as very clever and it was clear that those responsible for the writing were having fun and had done their research. There are many genuinely hilarious moments throughout, as well as some cute but never too sentimental ones. All the stories are lively in pace and engage fully throughout, they also entertain and charm hugely. There is a lot of educational information, of the how to kind than the basic gist, here, delivered in a way that is easy to understand without any dumbing down or preachiness.
All the characters are fun and memorable and individual in personality, Mrs Frizzle really does make education fun and worth engaging with and in. The chemistry is endearing and always natural. The characters are portrayed ideally too, nobody sounds odd.
Concluding, still has its magic. 10/10.
