‘The Magic School Bus’ is getting a reboot thanks to Netflix in the form of ‘The Magic School Bus 360’! Netflix and Scholastic Media have partnered up to bring this children’s science series back into our hearts and helping teach children the wonders of science on the small screen. As science is clearly important for anyone interested in science fiction, this is the perfect way to help bring up the youth of tomorrow with the wonder that set our own minds ablaze as children.
Instead of standard animation, ‘The Magic School Bus 360° will end up being a computer-generated reimagining of the original 1990s show. The series will launch with a 26 episode first season and hopefully continue far beyond that. Fans of the original will be happy to see that there will be a a modernized Ms. Frizzle and her students. According to the announcement of the show, just as in the original series. students will be learning while going through problem solving and touch on modern and upcoming technology such as: robotics, wearables and camera technology.
According to President of Scholastic Media, Deborah Forte:
“‘The Magic School Bus’ revolutionized kids’ television through a unique and powerful blend of entertainment and science information. We’re proud that it’s become an evergreen show that children and parents continue to watch together. Our new rendition The Magic School Bus 360° is a similarly compelling addition to the current landscape of children’s programming and on Netflix is bound to reach more families around the world than ever before who will now be able to watch the show anytime, anywhere they want.”
Forte isn’t just a figurehead for the company, she truly believes in the work Scholastic does as she is also the creator of ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’, ‘WordGirl’, ‘Goosebumps’, and the upcoming ‘Astroblast’.
Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix also added:
“Scholastic Media is a powerhouse creator and producer of top-quality programming for kids and families and its flagship series like The Magic School Bus, Clifford The Big Red Dog and Goosebumps have been huge hits on Netflix in all our territories. We’re thrilled to expand our relationships and to be the first-run home of The Magic School Bus 360°, introducing a whole new generation to Ms. Frizzle and her hijinks.”
The series will be directed by Chris Gilligan who has had a little experience with family friendly films himself having previously worked on ‘Robots’, ‘Ice Age the Meltdown’, ‘Horton Hears a Who’, ‘James and The Giant Peach’, and ‘Frankenweenie’. As a recent father myself, I personally am all for any new children’s programming that has a learning slant to it and hope that this series is not only a success but is brought back for many seasons to come. While Netflix is always on the apparent lookout to revive a series this is one I had not expected and am happy to see happen!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
