Seatbelts Everyone, The Magic School Bus Is Being Rebooted

By Nathan Young on June 11, 2014

The 1990’s brought us some classic PBS Kids shows. One show, Reading Rainbow, is currently running a Kickstarter campaign that has earned over $3.6 million dollars, you still can donate right now! Now, another classic PBS Kids show is making a come back, and it involves a yellow school bus that is magical, you know, The Magic School Bus! Remember the theme song to the classic cartoon?

The show was based on the books and premiered in 1994 and produced 52 episodes. In a small grade school, one class has a unique way of learning about the world with their teacher, Ms. Frizzle. To illustrate the science concepts they discuss, they always went on a field trip on the Magic School bus, a magic vehicle that can literally go anywhere and be anything as the class explores space, the arctic, the human body, in order to have a first hand experience of the principles of science. And yes, I wished the Magic School Bus was real as a kid, because the field trips I went on while I was in school were mostly boring. Concept art of the new series is below!

Netflix, who acquired Scholastic properties including this classic cartoon, is bringing back the school bus, and updating it to today’s science and technology. The cartoon will be called The Magic School Bus 360°, and it will have 26 episodes scheduled for a 2016 release. The new series will use CGI animation to feature a modernized Ms. Frizzle and an inventive high-tech bus. The new cartoon will also focus on modern tech innovations, including robotics and wearables. So the new version of Magic School Bus is going to take some chances, and get messy in the process. Animation and CGI have improved greatly since 1994, so I bet we are going to see some cool science animation in this series!

Netflix said the new series will help kids around the world discover the magic and value of exploration and innovation. And I look forward to seeing the Magic School Bus coming back, even if it’s on a streaming site like Netflix. So 90’s kids, which classic cartoon should be brought back next? And how long until we see an announcement of the classic PBS Kids show Wishbone coming back? Buckle up, seatbelts everyone!