Buckle Up, "The Magic School Bus" Is Coming Back
Expect the best of modern science, a crazy celebrity cameo list and Ms. Frizzle, of course.
When "The Magic School Bus" first premiered in September 1994, Pluto was still considered a planet. Now, after nearly 20 years, the beloved children's show, adapted from the celebrated science book series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen, is coming back — with a few modern updates, big celebrity names and new age science, of course.
Netflix is in charge of the show's reboot (an emerging theme for the streaming giant, after the successful "Fuller House" revival in early 2016). It's no surprise that Ms. Frizzle, her gang of science enthusiasts and their time-traveling, gravity-defying yellow school bus is back in town —in its earlier days, the show was among the highest-rated children shows on PBS.
The revival was originally announced in 2014 and will, like its viewership, change with the times. With computer generated animation and and a top-of-the-line school bus, equipped with robotic and gadgets to accurately reflect modern technology, kids will get to experience science and technology as it relates to their time, Netflix's chief content officer told The New York Times. Ms. Frizzle's hair, however, will remain very much the same — fiery red and curly.
Producer Stu Stone, who also voiced Ralphie in the '90s show, claims that many original cast members have signed onto the project and that we should also expect a few top-secret celebrity cameos scattered throughout the series.
"There are tons of cameos planned. I know that there are big stars who want to be involved in this," he told TMZ. "And there's a whole generation of people who grew up on this series that want to be a part of it now that it's back."
Celebrity cameos have been a big part of the show since its inception. Swoosie Kurtz, Rosalind Chao, Edward James Olmos, Eartha Kitt, Carol Channing, Dolly Parton, Malcolm McDowell and Dan Marino all participated in "Magic School Bus" during its glory days. No cast names have been released — Netflix is keeping everything, premier date included under heavy wraps — but the revival, which was originally intended to debut in 2016, is certainly underway, Stone confirmed.
The show's revival comes at a time when STEM and computer science is at the forefront of discovery and, like its earlier episodes, is sure to enthrall a new generation of little learners — some things, after all, never change.
