The Magic School Bus Rides Again

I think that what is getting lost a lot is that when shows are rebooted, it's done for a new audience, not the same old one.

As such, I'm basing my review on the audience for this new show: young kids whose parents and teachers have grown up watching the original.

My kids are 7 and 4. The elder one was initially exposed to Magic School Bus through her teacher showing the original series as a treat during the very rare "pajama day" at school. The younger one was only exposed to the original insofar as the older one wanted to watch *more* Magic School Bus.

They both love the reboot. They ask to watch it over the original, which the older loved, but which the younger hated because it was "too scary". The reason it was too scary? The kids in the original would be yelling in fear over something every two seconds. In the reboot, the children are on the whole more competent and calm, and overall freak out less. When they find themselves in trouble, they try to figure out solutions on their own before appealing to Ms. Frizzle for help. I can see how it's more appealing to young kids who have grown up being told that anyone can do science, and that unexpected events can be an opportunity to problem solve.

As for Ms. Frizzle? I happen to like that she's not a carbon copy of her big sister. Yes, sometimes her puns are very random, but I think it works to give her a personality of her own. Mckinnon doesn't quite disappear into the character as Tomlin did, but I think for my part it's because I was familiar with her voice beforehand, whereas I didn't know Tomlin before watching the original Magic School Bus. My kids have never heard of SNL, so they don't really have any way of recognizing McKinnon's voice, as it should be. To them, she's just "the new teacher".

If you have kids between 5-9, they'll probably enjoy it regardless of whether they love the original or not.

This is a poor remake of a classic. Voice work is disappointing, lessons are watered down. The characters are made to all be cookie cutter perfect instead of individuals. Sure different colors but their bodies are all the same and Ms. Friz is young and obnoxious. Miss the quirky wonderfulness.

Stick with the original.

It lacks the charm of the original shows. The science lessons seem watered down to squeeze in more wow factor and a little politicizing. The kids don't really figure out the lessons anymore but rather are just shown them while the teacher explains. The rest of the world in the show just accepts the magic bus as normal for some reason.

The new Miss Frizzle feels more random than witty. She still makes lots of puns though. The kids don't have personalities anymore. Instead each episode they pick a kid to be the main "lesson learner" that takes something to excess so they can learn about it. It might have something to do with their personality, or it might not.

The technology element they added in is pretty fun, I think the art is good compared to other modern CG cartoons, It's not too bad on it's own as a show. Miss Frizzle still does the Q&A at the end of the show, which is pretty fun.

I don't think it really compares to the original show though. Still I hope they make more and improve on their formula a little.

The Keisha and Tim I grew up with were dark skinned and black-haired. They were not mixed or fair skinned. Why the change? The educational quality of the show is ok, but this flaw stands out like a sore thumb. What gives?!

I do not understand how this can be bad, It's trying to teach children! I also really like the new Flash Animation. I watched the first two episodes the day it came out, and it turned out to be good! I watched another two episodes and it turned out to be really good! I'd give this 7 out of 10.