Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
“Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!” Apparently these inspirational words from the original Magic School Bus do not apply to its reboot, which released 13 new episodes on Netflix today.
A few weeks ago, the trailer for the Netflix original series The Magic School Bus Rides Again was released, and the internet was definitively not pleased. The teaser has twice as many dislikes as it has likes, and the comments, reaction videos, opinion articles, and tweets that have followed its reveal have been overwhelmingly negative.
The internet took the one minute and 33 seconds of available footage and decided that this educational series’ long-awaited revival was garbage. Some popular response videos include: “The Magic School Bus Reboot Looks Bad…” and “Could The Magic School Bus Rides Again Be The WORST Reboot Yet?”
Detractors have focused on two major complaints with what Netflix has shown viewers.
First, many note that the show’s animation appears to be a lazy flash-based style. The Washington Post writes, “Two decades later, however, that warmth has been painted over like an urban mural lost to a gleaming new condo development. The reboot has saddled its talent with the plastic facial expressions of a children’s Barbie or Bratz ad. It’s as if the artists have embalmed the soul of the show beneath the most plastic of pixels.” Damn, Washington Post, embalmed its soul? Did you forget this is a kid’s show?
The second major complaint is aimed at new character Fiona Frizzle (voiced by Kate McKinnon) who is set to replace the original Frizz (voiced by Lily Tomlin). A wide range of criticism has been hurled at Kate’s character, including this article from Entertainment Weekly that bemoans what she chooses to wear. “It looks like her sartorial creativity in the classroom is confined to her skirts only… Did this new, younger Ms. Frizzle not inherit her older sister’s penchant for crafting? Is she a J.Crew acolyte who only knows how to wear one statement piece at a time?” Meanwhile, AOL.com also watched the bite-sized trailer and accused the old Ms. Frizzle of getting a nose job. (Apparently not even animated professional women are free from criticism on their appearance?)
Of course it’s important to be critical of media, and remakes will always be divisive. (Look how well that Bill Nye reboot went over with the public.) But as I read a mountain of angry School Bus blog posts, an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. Why has this good-natured show already received an inordinate amount of judgement? How can this much vitriol be thrown at a creation before anyone has even seen it? The response to the new Magic School Bus is giving me horrifying flashbacks to last summer’s Ghostbusters. Remember how wonderfully civil the internet was when it reacted to that revival? No? Me either.
Most importantly of all, has the internet forgotten that this is a show for children? Revivals such as Twin Peaks, Fuller House, and Will and Grace are fair game for adult reactions because they were made for the same age of people who watched the first iterations. But in the case of The Magic School Bus, the new version is clearly not intended for its original 1994 audience. (That was 23 years ago. Many of those ’90s children now have school-aged children of their own.) Those of us that enjoyed the former series are always welcome to watch the newest version, but we have to recognize that it was not created with us in mind. The Magic School Bus Rides Again succeeds if seven-year-olds love the science adventures, not if a 30-something YouTuber approves of the animation style.
If for some reason The Magic School Bus Rides Again isn’t up to the standards of other modern children’s educational programs, then parents can decide to not show it to their children. Crisis averted.
However, this is not what is being debated by all these adults online. A vocal minority seems to be extremely concerned that the new series is actively ruining its childhood.
Hey, adults! Let’s talk. Are you really that concerned that the new Frizzle sister is going to “ruin” The Magic School Bus for you? Is she destroying all the old episodes of the ‘90s cartoon? Is she teaching you that the Earth is flat and that bugs aren’t real? Of course not. She’s a fictional teacher who, at best, will inspire a new generation of kids to start thinking about how the universe is amazing and complex. At worst, she will not be very engaging and kids won’t listen to her. Neither outcome will ruin your precious original Frizz.
You are an adult, and if you were raised on The Magic School Bus, then the original Ms. Frizzle must have taught you that new things are always worth a try, and there is always room for more ideas at the table. So, take a chance. Let the creators make a mistake or two. And step aside so a new generation of kids can get messy.
Cody Schmitz is a writer based in New York and Kansas. He doesn’t have a Twitter for some reason, but you can still find him at codyschmitz.com.
