Magic School Bus Rides Again Reveiw
Stay with the original!
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.
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Not bad, but doesn't really stand out to me anymore
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.
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A rushed carbon copy that never quite captures the charm of the original
Warning: Spoilers
I had high expectations for this re-invention one of my most beloved childhood edutainment series--and, unfortunately, they weren't able to meet them. The series tries very hard to capture the humour and wit of the original, the new episodes and story lines are fairly interesting and the updated Magic Bus is appropriately high-techy, but... everything seems less than it once was. Other reviews have pointed out the cheap animation, so I'll skip that and consider other problems.
Examples: Children's personalities - they were by and large flattened, they still retain traces of their former disposition (Keesha is bossy and not exactly a team player, DA obsesses over research, Ralphie likes to daydream), but their personal quirks sometimes come out when the episode calls upon them to be present. When they are not needed, they simply fade into the background. For example, Carlos' puns are few and far between, and when they do occur, they feel quite forced. On the contrary, Arnold's personality has been by and large reduced to being fearful and anxious.
Incidentally, Phoebe was replaced by a newcomer Jyoti, who's annoyingly Mary Sue-like: not only she's a great athlete and a great team player, but also a super-tech savvy kid who can always save the day when the rest of the class hasn't got a clue. In fact, it often feels like the rest of the class are just a sounding board for Jyoti's ideas.
Miss Valerie Frizzle was substituted by her sister, Fiona Felicity Frizzle, who feels like a cheap knock-off. Oh yes, she tries very hard to be hip, groovy and 'with the kids', but you can tell that she's struggling and doesn't have a whit of Lily Tomlin's je ne sais quoi. Tomlin's Frizzle was upbeat, quirky and witty, but also calm, mysterious and reassuring when necessary: McKinnon's Frizzle has the energy of a caffeine-overdosed insomniac: you feel as if she's SUPPOSED to be lively and have fun, but she can never quite work herself into the mood. I found myself waiting for the final section of each episode, when Tomlin's Frizzle would answer questions from the audience: she had a quiet charm about her that McKinnon utterly lacks.
Interestingly, you can even tell that the creators predicted the fans' outrage over Fiona's coming, so they addressed it in the first episode, when she is explicitly likened to an invasive species that sneakily wriggles her way into the classroom habitat. Fiona is shown to have some doubts about her role, she's not exactly familiar with the Bus and makes some mistakes during her first trip; most significantly, she recognizes the fact that Arnold doesn't like her and she implicitly manipulates him so that he's forced into accepting her. Here's also where the flat characterization comes into play: children seem all too accepting of this newcomer teacher, whereas they're at the age when any such change should be a quite dramatic event that takes getting used to.
Continuity errors: this series is supposed to take place after the school vacation, with all the children still remembering their last field trip. The original series was full of continuity nods: when kids visited places they've been before (like the bloodstream), they'd recognize it and point familiar features. In the new series, the class remember nothing of their previous field trips and have to re-learn parts of the material they've already seen. For instance, Ralphie wants to build a giant cheer-leading robot, even though he built a robot in the original series and found out first hand why it's not such a good idea. This is neither mentioned nor alluded too: it feels almost like the writer plagiarized the previous episode. Of course, all this could have been easily remedied by picking a new class of children unfamiliar with Ms Frizzle, but they writers took the easy way out--and it shows.
Sense of wonder: the original FELT like a magic bus simply because you couldn't always explain what it'd do. The new bus feels like a high- tech invention with all the wearables, flat screens and cameras, but it has very little magic of its own and almost no personality. We don't really see the bus think for itself-it's on a very tight leash, as Fiona Frizzle constantly handles a remote through which she controls its behavior. I found the Bus' moods and behaviors one of the best parts of the original: the new version Bus feels just like an ultra modern vehicle. By trying to be cutting edge, it'll probably become extremely dated in a few years, whereas the original has a timeless quality about it that still captures your imagination.
Writing: much weaker than before, story lines often feel forced and hastily cobbled together. For a show geared towards children, the pace is often break-neck and doesn't allow time for properly learning new concepts. I remember that the original had children repeat the word 'phytoplakton' several times so they'd learn the proper pronunciation: the new series introduces very complex words (such as medulla oblongata) in passing and expects the class to flawlessly reproduce them. It's as it the writers had to fill in their science quota per episode and they packed them full of references, not caring if they play well with the story.
In sum, I don't really recommend this new series: I still very fondly return to the original seasons and they never cease to fill me with the sense of wonder and glory of the sciences and natural world, whereas the new episodes make me feel... bored. Bored and restless.
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Whahooo
My whole childhood gets a new chance and I always wondered what it would be like to have two frizzles and now I know how much fun it is in fact I'm convinced that Fiona frizzle was getting her teachers degree while her older sister Valerie was still teaching the kids in the original series my childhood memories of wanting to have a teacher like that haven't even faded to this day even though I'm a 27 adult women please keep this show going strong because I can't stop watching the last episode of season 2 that's hinting there's more to come so as Mrs frizzle would say take chances make mistakes get messy and make that third season happen
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Magical!
I have been burned by reboots of favourite shows before (looking at you, guardian code...). By the end of the opening credits, I was sold on Magic School Bus Rides Again. The crew clearly loves the original. Then they hit us with a sweet plot twist!
The kids in this house will certainly be watching!
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Love it
Great reboot! Better then the old one, they took out the really annoying catchphrases.
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This was a good show!
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.
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My 7 Year Old Loves it!
I'm always pressing my youngest to watch educational programming if she's going to be planted in front of the TV. She watches the episodes multiple times and loves absorbing the information and then sharing with and educating unsuspecting adults.
Love the work by Kate McKinnon and guest stars.
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Just watch the original series.
Bring back the old show. Show it to a new audience. Done. The original was great. My three boys watched all the episodes, growing up, and yes, learned something but were innocently entertained, as well. Back before political correctness. Each character was unique and likable It didn't need remaking - unless you are simply providing 'work' for Hollywood.
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What happened to Keisha and Tim?!
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?!
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The 5 is me being nice
This Frizzel is a drizzle!!! The students are boring flat and dull. But we did use it to learn a few things.
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Review by Johnny H., Age 5
Warning: Spoilers
Review of Magic School Bus Rides Again, Season 1 Interview with Johnny H., age 5, long-time Magic School Bus fan
*How would you describe the new Miss Frizzle, the younger sister of the original Miss Frizzle? How is she different from the original Frizz? Are there any ways they are similar?
Johnny: She has a different voice than the original Miss Frizzle, and her hair is always down, but the original Miss Frizzle always had her hair up. They are similar because they both wear dresses with pictures that foreshadow what will happen in the next episode. They also both have red hair. She doesn't think danger is in sight. She doesn't talk about danger a lot. She's brave. And she always wants to go out in pitch black water where the pressure is the same at 5,000 elephants!
*There's also a new student in the science class—Jyoti. Do you think she's a good addition to the classroom? What do you like about her?
Johnny: Yes, I like her because she likes science a lot and she's good at solving problems. I also like her locket because it has all kinds of measuring gauges like GPS and a barometer an accelerometer and an altimeter and it also had a thermometer.
*Of all the episodes in this season, which episode was your favorite and why?
Johnny: MONSTER POWER!
*What happened in the episode?
Johnny: They go camping, and Arnold is scared the whole time of the Blot Monster coming. So he brings all these lights to keep on the whole time so the Blot Monster doesn't come.
*What do you like about this episode?
Johnny: It's funny, and I like that Arnold is the one who solves the problem because he is usually scared or worried.
*What was the funniest moments of the season?
Johnny: When Arnold says "This field trip just got 12% scarier" when they were traveling to the midnight zone in the ocean.
*What is the coolest new thing you've learned this season?
Johnny: I liked it when they described the zones of the ocean in the last episode starting with the Marianna Trench to the Abyssopelagic Zone to the Bathypelagic Zone to the Mesopelagic Zone to the Epipelagic Zone (the surface)
*What field trip haven't they taken or topic haven't they covered that you hope they'll take in the next season?
Johnny: I hope they'll go inside sound, and I hope someday they'll finally stay home, just like Arnold wants!
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Call 911.
This show should be put to death.
Why? Why does this exist?
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Entertaining, educational and nostalgic. Fun adventures. Great learning experiences.
Looking for an entertaining, educational and nostalgic TV series on DVD? Well, then the Magic School Bus Rides Again: All About Earth! is perfect for you. Although it is targeted toward a younger audience, I still found myself attentive and interested in the story lines. Each episode has a fun adventure, mixed with an enthusiastic learning experience. It reminds me of how much I liked reading the original The Magic School Bus books when I was younger.
In the four episodes on this DVD, "Pigs in the Wind," "Hides and Seeks," "The Tales Glaciers Tell," and "Tim and the Talking Trees," the characters learn about the Earth's patterns and ways of communicating and how it's important to take care of the Earth. They also learn about wind patterns, how animals camouflage, how oxygen and carbon is preserved in glaciers for thousands of years and how ecosystems communicate with each other. And they also see many sights from different time periods and places that make amazing field trips.
My favorite episode is "Hides and Seeks," especially when half of the kids get to travel to different geographic locations and study animals camouflaging to report back to the other half of the kids. We see animals in the environmental atmosphere blending in, and in contrast we see the kids in their game of hide and seek. This show is for younger audiences, but some of the concepts are explained too quickly for me to grasp and won't make sense to everyone. A few characters are pretty different from the book, which makes them unique in this TV show. The voicing of the characters is realistic and fitting for their personalities. Although there is some repetition in ideas and story lines, it isn't enough to make the show any less fun to watch. I would definitely watch this show in my free time just for fun.
One of the messages in this series is love the earth and to protect it. This inspires people to preserve the wildlife and habitats. We are also shown that you can always find fun in learning and it's easier to learn when you get an inside look and explore things on your own, instead of read about them in a textbook. Sometimes the kids in the show find themselves in a scary situation, but they are never in grave danger. Apart from some concepts being a little hard to understand this series is pretty kid friendly great for school-aged kids.
I give this DVD 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 6 to 13. Adults and teenagers may enjoy it too. Reviewed by Rosemary K., KIDS FIRST!
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Why
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
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90's kid- 2019 mom love this show
Why? Because my kid loves it! He is entertained by it. He is learning and I couldn't ask for anything better. I loved the original one, but that was my time. Let these little ones have their shows. Can't see how a show that is meant to educate be bad. truly hope a 3rd season is in the making.
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Lacks the charm of original.
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.
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It's great for a reboot
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.
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its good, but low enthusiasm and animation kills it.
Warning: Spoilers
First off is the theme song, probably the best thing about the show, it has a updated feel but still pays homage to the original, I absolute love it.
The voice acting was decent, most of the kids sounded like the originals, but the actor who plays Frizzle's sister is so unenthusiastic, its like she just wants to get it over with, the roll of Frizzle requires enthusiasm, something the actor who plays her lacks.
Animation is the worst part, it looks so flat and blocky compared to the original series. If you take a look at the original intro, the animation is so fluid, something the re-boot lacks extremely, it makes it so hard to watch.
The story line is OK though, it feels very reminiscent of the original while adding new aspects, something I think it really good.
If you enjoy the original "Magic School Bus" and are not bothered by Flash Animation, I recommend it.
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Excellent!
The energy Kate McKinnen puts into the role of the new teacher is amazing! Feels just as good as the old show. This is educational television that actually works. It also has ethical lessons that are just subtle enough that kids have to work them though on their own leading to better understanding and retention and the Carlos jokes are AWESOME! (like a bad dad joke)
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Magic School Bus: New Beginning, New Thrills, New Adventures
I remember watching the old series while eating breakfast, getting ready for another day of elementary school, and was excited during science class when the teacher turned down the lights, hit play and everyone watched the episode based on the subject we were learning.
It was great fun while it lasted, sad though that the series was over, the show no longer aired, though those who enjoyed the old series purchased the DVDs that were released in store, but after all these years, to see a trailer for the new series, the kid inside that grew up groomed down as I fell in love with the series once it was finally released on the 29th on Netflix.
As for my thoughts, I love the new animation, much better then the old cell animation with the old series. So much can be done now, new styles that could't be done before with the classic series. The class, love how each character was redesigned, maintaining the characteristics, skin and hair color to the previous series and the plots, technology, the creators went with the modern day then old school. The music, especially in the introduction really brought back memories, and I loved the new voice. The only negative thing I would have to say that could be done was at the end of the intro, show what the episode was going to be, the title, like with the old series. That is my only concern, but as for the plot itself, it definitely follows and flows the same way with the classic, especially at the end where Ms. Frizzle "Sr" answers questions the audience has, and even gives clues as to what the next episode would be.
I would defiantly say that with this new series, the new generation of young kinds that are anxious for learning, fun, and excitement will love this series like I do and will want to continue to watch and know what will happen next in the exciting adventures of "The Magic School Bus Rides Again.
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great rebooted but fans still dispointed yep
Warning: Spoilers
Frizzle valerie back with old students from Scholastic books example Florrie and Carmen and Greg and John and Alex and Shirley and Michaels , etc in 1986. I love Fiona and monkeys.
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Some remakes are good - not this one.
There is nothing so challenging as filling a competent person's shoes.
Though, some people don't care - or worse, don't know any better (see other SNL alum Jimmy Fallon).
It is clear that Lilly Tomlin is no longer with the show - the wit (and much of the education) is lost.
If you grew up with Adventure Time maybe you might like the show? But somehow it's less educational than that.
All the charm of the original series is as gone as Little Richard.
The second star is only of merit for honor off what the show SHOULD have been and once was.
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Awful Reboot
The magic school bus dies again. The worst animated Netflix show. Simply awful in every way. Voice acting awful, animation awful, writing awful. This is a disgrace to the original.
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Recaptured soul of original, Jyoti is better than Phoebe, Specials have better art style
Warning: Spoilers
9Story did a good job at recapturing the soul of the original series. And I'm glad Phoebe's gone, because she was a little annoying, and her replacement Jyoti overall seems better. The artstyle is kinda meh in the first and second seasons, having used boring flash, but when it comes to the specials (Season 3), they use a bit of CGI, which was the original goal of The Magic School Bus 360°. The Bus is in CGI now, and nobody's the same skin tone. My favorite episode of the series has got to be the one where Ms. Frizzle splits into three (The Frizz Connection), as we get to discover more of her character - as the funny, daring, (and sometimes serious) teacher. Also, in Season 2, there's a musical about feces, which is gold - er... brown gold as DA's uncle calls it in that episode. Overall, this is a solid continuation of the original series, and the Bus will forever ride again in my heart.
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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3869122/reviews
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