The Magic School Bus Rides Again

The show is great my kids love it but it does lack the bubbly charm of the fast talking teacher of the original! Seems to go at a much slower pace for the sink in effect but its a good show still. I love mckinnon so it's all good.

I watched the original Magic School Bus all the time when I was a kid, and... WHY did they flatten, remove, and add characters. In the original, each character had his/her distinct personality that played an important role in each episode, now every episode revolves around one character with the rest just there. Plus, why'd they change/remove Kiesha and Tim, two dark skinned character, and now have none. That seems like a step-down in diversity. WHY use Flash animations!!! They look so flat and boring, and to make up for that, they make all movements bouncy and unnatural. The old animation looked so nice, and the difficulty of true animation keeps weak ideas from ever being animated and released! I think the height of animation was the 90s, with shows like Magic School Bus, and Disney movies like Mulan and Tarzan. WHY are the lesson so bluntly obvious. This is a trend I see in new kid shows, and it kinda stinks. Rather than trying to fit a lesson INTO the story. (which requires decent writing) Kid show writers instead make a flashy, interesting story, and then just add 5 minutes of dry lessons into the show to explain it all. WHY does Netflix keep trying to dug at our nostalgic heart strings so we watch them? Netflix has been making a lot nostalgic tv-shows. Some of them just feel rushed, hoping that the classic name will save them.

Now, as much as I like the modernization of the show, it will seem very dated within a few years, compared to the original. I can only think of one episode from the original that is truly outdated, the computer one. But many episodes of the new one contain unnecessary ties to pop culture that will out date it quicker than you can say "why." 2/10

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.

I understand some people have their issues with this show but McKinnon and her energy she put in the Ms. Frizzle character is really good. I have always loved the magic school bus as a kid and as an adult I admit that I actually like this show as well. I say the kids have a good treat to watch if the adults don't mind McKinnon.

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?!