Yeah…I really am doing this again. Hear me out.
So, I’ve been looking back at my review of The Magic School Bus Rides Again, which was the second part of a three-part post that was an attempt to unite the Magic School Bus fanbase back together in the aftermath of that show’s release. And I’ve noticed that it is one of the most viewed posts on the blog. While I couldn’t be happier, part of me also feels as though I was a bit too harsh on the series, even for its below-average quality. For one thing, I only reviewed the first season despite the fact that the second season had already been out at that time, but I had my reasons: that post was already long as it was, and I decided to review only the first seasons of both Rides Again and the original series just to not wait until forever to put out the posts and to just get an idea of each series.
But as it turns out, that may have been a bit unfair for Rides Again, because the second season really was an improvement over the first season that divided us in the first place. Not to mention three new television specials that came out since which were an even bigger improvement over the second season. All of this certainly deserves more attention than I have given it, even if I still can’t quite compare it to any of the seasons of the original series. Not only that, but the franchise is finally leaving Rides Again behind in favor of new projects, from a questionable new preschool series to a live-action film?!? It’s not all good news though, with both Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen having passed away. And of course, I’d like to give a heads up to obvious spoilers to the media.
So, I hate to break it to you, Arnold, but it’s time to go on yet another field trip! And it’s going to get pretty crazy too, because this post got pretty long in its own right. Without further ado, to the bus! 🚌 👩🏫 🦎
Revisiting Rides Again
In June 2019, I released Magic School Bus Edition of the Drawing Children’s Book Characters In My Style series, in which I declared that Rides Again had officially ended. Since the time I wrote that post, Netflix released three new television specials for the series: “Kids in Space”, “The Frizz Connection”, and “In the Zone”, which came out in August, October and December 2020 respectively. Before the specials were released, it seemed as though Scholastic and Netflix had truly ended the show, and yes, it did in fact end (though the Magic School Bus Wiki is referring to the specials as a third season, which is strange if you ask me).
But a major change to the specials actually made them welcome, and one that the show should’ve had from the beginning: an improved art style closer to that of the original series and the books. The characters’ outlines are absent, a Flash animation staple, and there is more detailed lighting and shading. Sure, it leaves much to be desired, but the producers didn’t have to do it at all, and the fact that they not only seem to be aware of fan complaints, but are acting on them, is a refreshing return to form for the franchise.
Before I talk more about the specials, I should probably talk more about the second season of Rides Again first. Although it was better than the first season, it’s too bad that by the time the second season was released, those who were too upset with the first trailer and the first season had long abandoned the show to care. For the purposes of post length and to avoid too many spoilers, I will only give brief reviews of each episode of the season:
- “The Land Before Tim” – This was actually a pretty decent episode with little flaws. Although Tim is as outgoing as he’s ever been, he’s also revealed to have a celebrity crush that makes him a little more nervous. Keesha also teases him for his crush in a couple of scenes, which was more faithful to both their characters. The way Fiona teaches the class about fossils was pretty cool as well.
- “Claw and Order” – A slightly worse episode than the previous, though still nothing too bad. Wanda’s still too empathetic, even if she’s fiercely defending a bird’s innocence. At least Fiona largely lets the class figure out the lesson on their own, with a trial that feels reminiscent of original series episode “In A Pickle”.
- “Ghost Farm” – This one was a little better! Wanda’s personality was far better in this one; she showed bravery while she and Ralphie investigated the ghost (for the most part). There was also a lot of emphasis on Arnold being scared of the ghost, though. And Fiona did a great job compensating for the bus’s busted tire when she couldn’t repair it.
- “Nothin’ But Net” – This is without a doubt one of the best episodes of not just Season 2, but the show as a whole! Its biggest strength is definitely something I had asked for in Season 1: to give Jyoti flaws, which are highlighted in her lack of complete knowledge of the Internet. The setup with Arnold getting stuck inside the Internet and the class trying to find him was perfect. And even the other students had moments that were true to their personalities, from Ralphie recounting an experience with Morse code to Carlos helping Jyoti. Though it figures that the one episode that Rides Again was created for – to update the franchise – is one of the better written episodes.
- “I Spy with My Animal Eyes” – A decent if misleading episode. Fiona and the class shrink to bring their escaped rat back to the classroom, only for Fiona to make the rat grow as they revert to their normal size before the episode tricks the viewer into thinking that she let Arnold turn the rat invisible, supposedly wreaking chaos on the city. Fortunately, its later revealed that this never happened to the rat and Fiona tricked the class to help them learn a lesson, which saves the episode. Also, I liked how pragmatic Keesha was in this one. I also found Fiona’s mention of her past mistakes as a magician at the end fascinating, to say the least.
- “Ready, Set, Fail!” – This is definitely one of the better episodes of Season 2, even if it is similarly misleading like the previous episode but done in an even better way. It’s almost amazing how it covers several of the first season’s flaws at once. Fiona fails to get the Bus to reach a planet and makes the class build a range rover for them to get to the planet instead, except they keep struggling to build it. There is a serious emphasis on Jyoti’s capacity to fail, even as she insists that she doesn’t fail, which subverts the flawlessness she had in the first season, which was really great! It’s later revealed that Fiona intentionally made the Bus not work as part of a plan she made with Valerie to teach the kids what it is like to fail, which saved her character in the episode! This and the previous episode began to make me realize that a much better way to write Fiona is to merely give her the illusion of screwing up, finally making her work in the same way as Valerie while still being her own character. Ralphie also had a well written arc, going from being a slacker to having a serious drive to learn.
- “The Good, The Bad and the Gnocchi” – A more subpar but not bad episode compared to the previous episode. For one thing, the field trip happens outside school, though it was cool to see Carlos’s younger brother Mikey again. It was neat to see Fiona letting the class figure out the lesson on their own to an even bigger extent than she did in “Claw and Order”, though that’s probably because school wasn’t even in session. And it was refreshing to see Liz get more screentime, however rigid her movements still remain.
- “Send In the Clouds” – This one was just okay. Its biggest problem is that it leans too heavily into the empathy they gave Wanda in the show. Wanda has a bit too much of an obsession with clouds and behaves a lot more like Phoebe would, though it still helps play into Jyoti’s flaws and helps the class realize the beauty of the sky. Also, the realistic appearance of the clouds in the episode is a nice break from the show’s cheaper art style.
- “Ralphie and the Flying Tennellis” – Another okay episode. I thought that Ralphie’s struggle to learn was well written, though I found the inclusion of Matthew “Math” Matthews perplexing, a Willy Wonka parody that has to help Fiona with the lesson. While I get that math is its own subject seperate from science, and I think that the idea of a math teacher version of Ms. Frizzle is fascinating, I also wonder why Fiona needed help since math is merely the topic of an episode in a show about science. At least his name is clever.
- “Tim and the Talking Trees” – A more subpar episode compared to the previous episode. I feel like Keesha would be more likely to rebuke Tim’s claim that trees can talk than Ralphie. Wanda should’ve gotten in front of everyone when they saw the bear. And Fiona seemed to be unaware that Ralphie was in trouble. Either way, she seemed pretty confident she could get him out of his dilemma.
- “Waste Not, Want Not” – This one was…interesting to say the least. Having the class sing musical numbers helps distract from a more unsettling lesson about converting waste into fertilizer. I’d even argue it’s a rare good use of bathroom humor not written by Dav Pilkey, at least until a moment when the waste briefly ends up on everyone (wish I was kidding). Arnold’s interest in rock bands also felt a bit out of character for him, though it could be a reference to his love for rocks.
- “Janet’s Mystery Gene” – There’s a lot of things I like and don’t like about this episode. It’s good to see Janet again, and overall, it’s a better episode than “Pigs in the Wind”. Janet’s antagonistic nature is what actually drives the plot forward, a creative way of playing with her personality. The episode appears to give a scientific explanation behind the Frizzles’ ability to transform the kids into animals, which I thought was interesting, even if I doubt you could transform people into animals in real life via DNA manipulation (though Valerie addresses this in the producer segment). Also, how did Janet not notice that she was being transformed before Carlos told her?!?
- “Making Magic” – I was hoping this episode would end the series with a bang, but it unfortunately has flaws right out of the gate. It was cool to see Principal Ruhle again, though it’s weird that his skin tone is as dark as it is in the original series while Keesha’s and Tim’s skin tones aren’t. (Yes, I did not forget.) Ruhle nearly figures out the secret of the Magic School Bus (after already being aware of the secret in original series episode “Cracks A Yolk”!), but the first thing he should have noticed was that the class was wearing their swimsuits in the school, which doesn’t pay off at the end either. Fiona also did little to help the class hide the secret. I did like how Arnold finally embraced Fiona’s field trips, though it would’ve been better if he went on a path to embracing the field trips throughout the episode, or even the whole season.
But back to the specials. I’m not going to lie; I ended up being more impressed with the animation style of “Kids in Space” than I expected to be. The first thing that surprised me, even amazed me, was a 3-D animated version of the Bus as a spaceship, along with the really cool way it was first shown. These 3-D elements actually mesh really well with the improved art style (which probably otherwise wouldn’t). This is the franchise’s first use of 3-D animation, likely making the specials the closest Rides Again has gotten to the original computer animated plans for 360 Degrees. The animation has other great moments as well, such as a scene in which Ralphie makes a very expressive facial expression that actually rivals those in the original series.
As for the plot, the way certain events were handled was pretty neat, such as a subtly placed backstory of how the class was able to board the International Space Station. The educational elements were sprinkled in bits throughout the story rather than as a series of explanations, making them feel less rigid than in the show itself. Keesha’s personality was very close to that in the original series, which pleasantly surprised me. And although it appeared at first that Fiona wasn’t aware of the incident that broke out in the space station, it was later revealed that she was aware and took a backseat to let the kids figure out how to get out of their dilemma yet again. Needless to say, I was actually enjoying watching this, compared to the show itself in which even parts of Season 2 felt like a chore to watch.
As for “The Frizz Connection”, I was just as impressed with the plot as I was for “Kids in Space”! I liked how the story began in the middle before it is explained how the field trip started. Ralphie has a slightly modified outfit, something that I was surprised to see happen. But it sadly isn’t any closer to the books and the original series, which just makes me wonder why they changed it at all. But the biggest standout was by far an incident that causes Fiona to split into three different versions of herself based on the different aspects of her personality. Fascinatingly, this allows us to do a character study of Fiona in a way that I could have never anticipated in my review of the first season of the show itself. The first version of Fiona represents her silliness and insanity, the second version represents her courage and drive for adventure, and the third version represents her more serious, cautious side.
The first version has a hairstyle that’s actually frizzy and should have definitely been the hairstyle for regular Fiona in my opinion. But it’s the third version of Fiona that I find most fascinating. This is the aspect of Fiona that I feel like she suppressed in Season 1, while making the silly and insane version of herself dominant. This likely led to her making the mistakes she made in Season 1 that Valerie wouldn’t have. These different versions of Fiona get separated, and the class has to find a way to bring them back together before Fiona disappears forever. I’m sure you’re already thinking that I hoped they failed so Valerie could come back, even if that was never going to happen. But at this point, Fiona’s character had improved so much from Season 2 that I was actually rooting for them to win. This also makes me wonder what Valerie’s split versions would look like. Also, I loved how Arnold took on a leadership role in response to the third version of Fiona being too cautious for even him, which was really great!
As for “In the Zone”, I actually thought it wasn’t as good as the other two specials, but it’s still better than Season 2. I liked how Maven was the Frizzle relative that became the musician that Valerie didn’t become in order to be a teacher, but other than that, the beginning was not as interesting. Its biggest issue is that Fiona actually makes a massive mistake. The class follows Maven on a world tour as it becomes 11 p.m. in different places around the world on New Year’s Eve. But it’s revealed that on every New Year’s Eve, the Bus installs an update for its magical abilities that makes it weaker and malfunction during the installation, which begins around 11 p.m. and ends at midnight. Not only that, but any magic that was used before the update cannot be reversed after the update, and the Bus accidentally uses tons of magic as it malfunctions. It’s implied that Fiona completely forgot about all of this prior to the class’s plans to follow Maven, which was a big screw-up on her end.
The situation does lead to a lot of stakes as the class tries to literally buy the Bus more time to finish installing the update, but the setup needed to be written better. At least the plot enables us to see a much broader demonstration of the Bus’s powers and abilities, while also making the Bus the most expressive it’s been in Rides Again. And a scene in which Arnold becomes Captain Rock Man was a great callback to the episode “The Battle for Rock Mountain”, which was one of the best episodes of Season 1 (Even if Arnold spent a bit too much time boasting about that transformation). The best part was a surprisingly heartfelt scene about the Bus’s fate, though the scene makes it act as though Valerie and Fiona can’t build another Bus, which was explicitly stated in the Season 1 episode “Three in One”. (There’s also “R. U.” Humerus from original series episode “Flexes Its Muscles”.) Or maybe it’s the relationship the class has with this specific Bus that matters. Overall, the specials were a surprisingly great sendoff for Rides Again, which isn’t a bad fate for a show that started out with leaving such a bad taste in the mouths of many fans.
A Magic School Bus Preschool Series?!?
In March 2024, it was announced that Scholastic purchased 9 Story Media, one of the production companies for Rides Again, for $186 million. If you remember Part Three of my post attempting to unite the fanbase back together, I came to the conclusion that 9 Story Media was responsible for the poorer quality of Rides Again compared to the original series. So, the fact that Scholastic actually decided to not only keep 9 Story around but buy them outright obviously does not bode well for its future adaptations.
Later that month, Caitlin Friedman, SVP & GM of Scholastic Entertainment, and Natalie Osborne, 9 Story Media Group’s chief strategy officer, were interviewed by Kidscreen regarding this new partnership between the two companies, in which it was revealed that one new project in the early stages of development was a CG-animated iteration of The Magic School Bus, which would be the first time the franchise has been completely done in CG. The statements were made when Friedman was asked if 9 Story will still be doing its own original and third-party work:
We already have things in the pipeline together. So there are some things on our slate that we already know we’re going to jump in on. We’re looking at new Clifford episodes. We’re working on a project called Sixteen Souls, a live-action series based on a book out of Scholastic UK. We need to really dive into our development slate because we have about 89 projects together. So we’re going to have to set some priorities and really figure out what we want to do first. But at the very top of that list is that new Magic School Bus.
At that point, it actually sounded relatively promising, even if wasn’t an update for the live-action Magic School Bus film. A new CG-animated iteration sounded similar to the original plans for 360 Degrees, and although it wasn’t confirmed that it was a hard reboot, it presented an opportunity to make one as part of Scholastic’s effort to clean the blemish on this franchise that Rides Again created. But by October 2024, it was announced that the series was aimed at preschoolers and was titled The Magic School Bus: Mighty Explorers, which will feature the return of the Bus, who now talks and is named Albie, as well as Liz, Ms. Frizzle, and new six-year-old kid “explorers” named Lily, Wyatt, and Benny.
Unsurprisingly, this announcement was not positively received by fans, and for good reason. Although it is in fact a hard reboot, Mighty Explorers sets multiple precedents for the franchise that aren’t really that good. Rides Again already felt like it was aimed towards slightly younger kids in its tone despite the franchise being traditionally aimed towards upper elementary school kids; Mighty Explorers only doubles down on this shift towards even younger kids. Although other non-speaking characters like Liz have spoken before in the video games, the Bus never has, and Liz speaking wasn’t accurate to the books either. Nor has the Bus been given a name like “Albie”. None of the original classmates are appearing, and they aren’t even specified to be classmates, questioning whether this version of Ms. Frizzle will even be a first-grade teacher. It’s also unclear whether this version will be Valerie, Fiona or possibly even a new Frizzle. And if it is Valerie, there’s also whether Lily Tomlin will be willing to voice the character a third time or face the wrath of those who demand nothing less.
At the same time, a case can be made for a series aimed at preschoolers; this is an adaptation of a picture book series that we’re talking about, after all. It’s pretty obvious that Mighty Explorers was not created with older fans in mind, even more so than Rides Again was. And who knows? Maybe Mighty Explorers ends up being one of 9 Story’s better efforts, being closer in quality to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Wild Kratts than Rides Again. Not to mention that there is already a certain other project that was announced that doesn’t make this project as infuriating as it would have otherwise been…
A Magic School Bus Live-Action Film!
In June 2020, not too long after the Animorphs film was announced, it was reported that Universal Pictures and Scholastic Entertainment are developing a live-action/animated hybrid Magic School Bus film. It was not only confirmed that Elizabeth Banks would be starring as Ms. Frizzle, but she would also be serving as a producer through Brownstone Productions, her own company, along with Marc Platt, through his own Marc Platt Productions.
Other confirmed producers include Max Handelman for Brownstone, Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman for Scholastic Entertainment, and Adam Siegel for Marc Platt Productions. Brownstone’s Alison Small will also executive produce. Ryan Christians from Marc Platt Productions will also oversee production with Sara Scott and Lexi Barta from Universal. Regarding the project, Lucchese seemed pretty passionate about what will certainly be a whole new kind of field trip for this franchise:
We are delighted to bring to life the iconic Ms. Frizzle and her zest for knowledge and adventure in a fresh new way that inspires the next generation of kids to explore science and supports the dedicated teachers who help make science real and accessible for young learners every day.
It certainly was an unexpected announcement, even for those that imagined a live-action iteration of the franchise like myself. It’s one of those ideas that you love to think about, but can’t fathom ever happening. But here we are, and it may very well be what cleans the blemish on this franchise that Rides Again created. With that being said, the list of names is promising if imperfect. Banks is actually casted pretty well as a younger Ms. Frizzle; a redheaded actor didn’t look too feasible as even redheaded cosplayers often use wigs. As for her filmography, Banks is relatively prolific with much diversity in her movie roles, having been in both children’s and adult films, and both action and comedy films. She even played a Scholastic character before as Effie Trinket in the Hunger Games movies, so she’s technically not going into this role entirely inexperienced.
Platt’s involvement is very promising, as two of his films have not only been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, but among the many films he produced include many of the Disney live-action remakes, which also adapt animation to live-action. Say what you will about how they are often poorly translated, but from a purely visual standpoint, there are often pretty good. As for Brownstone Productions itself however, there is nothing to write home about, at least in terms of good children’s films. Perhaps worse, Lucchese and Friedman were executive and associate producers on Rides Again, respectively, who now share producer status with those from Brownstone and Platt. However, given the small roles they had on the show, perhaps their greater involvement on the film won’t be too concerning. I also personally wouldn’t have given Universal the rights to The Magic School Bus, given their historic mistreatment of Dr. Seuss’s own picture books. But maybe that’s just paranoia and we’ll be lucky if the film is saved from any studio interference.
Now, In Part Three of my post attempting to unite the fanbase back together, I stated that a film adaptation would hinder the formulaic approach to the books. At the same time, a live-action TV show obviously would have been a more expensive endeavor, so this team will have to get creative to give us a satisfying film. Will they go the route of the upcoming Magic Tree House film and adapt only one book in the series to prevent it from getting cluttered, probably At the Waterworks? Will they go the route of the first Goosebumps film and have the students learn that they and their science teacher are children’s book characters, before the Magic School Bus manuscripts go out of control? Or will they surprise us with something entirely new?
Whatever they do, I have a wish list for the things they must do to make this a great, or at least a good, movie in my eyes, and restore this franchise to perfection. If anyone who is involved is reading this, let the rest of the team know: I want a faithful homage to the books, influence from the original animated series, and VERY little influence from Rides Again, as in the very few parts of that show that actually worked. Give me book-accurate character designs for Valerie and the class, and most importantly, book-accurate personalities for the characters. I want Arnold to be more than just fearful and paranoid again, and for Wanda to be a spunky tomboy again. I want Carlos to care about technology again, and for Dorothy Ann to balance out her use of books and technology. I want Ralphie’s willingness for science to return, and for Keesha to have a balance between her down-to-earth cynicism in the original series and her kindness in Rides Again. I BEG YOU to make Phoebe come back to Walkerville, her new old school, and for Tim to stay as interesting as he has been in Rides Again.
Give me an expressive Bus and Liz that don’t fall too close to the uncanny valley (with the Bus in particular arguably being what makes or breaks the first trailer). If you wish (and I’m down for it), give me a Jyoti closer to the one in the second season of Rides Again, one with a story of how she struggles to build awesome devices (including Naniben) and learn martial arts. If you wish (and I’m somewhat down for it), give me a Fiona training under Valerie’s tutelage that hopes to be just like her sister, with a convincing character arc stretched out over potential sequels that will make her teaching Valerie’s class believable down the line. Give me a Goldie with a similar treatment to the Bus and Liz who is originally owned by Fiona. Give me a live-action version of the animated series’ intros and producer’s segments, somewhere, somehow into the movie. And perhaps most importantly, give me equal attention to the education and the entertainment.
Is all of this too much to ask? Maybe. But perhaps this wish list wouldn’t be so long if Rides Again wasn’t the misfire it was. Still, I’m cautiously optimistic of my chances of getting at least half of my wishes granted, and if that happens, the chances of the film righting the wrongs done to this franchise are pretty good. If not for the fans, the least Scholastic and Universal could do is make it a movie that Cole and Degen would be proud of. Speaking of which…
Remembering Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
It’s surreal to think that when I first talked about Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen in Part One of my post attempting to unite the fanbase back together, both of them were still alive. Of course, that is sadly no longer the case. In July 2020, Cole died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a type of lung disease. Her death happened at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, which made me wonder if it played any role in her passing when I first heard the news, but that’s just speculation. Either way, it was a big loss for the world of children’s books, as described by Scholastic chairman, president and CEO Dick Robinson:
Joanna Cole had the perfect touch for blending science and story. Joanna’s books, packed with equal parts humor and information, made science both easy to understand and fun for the hundreds of millions of children around the world who read her books and watched the award-winning television series.
At the time of her death, Cole and Degen finished The Magic School Bus Explores Human Evolution, the thirteenth and final book in the book series, which was released in June 2021. Cole also lived to see the announcement of the live-action film a month before, which should certainly be dedicated to her and Degen. The Rides Again specials were also all dedicated to Cole, with “Kids in Space” first being released a month after.
In November 2024, Degen died of pancreatic cancer. He lived to see the announcement of Mighty Explorers, which led to some fans making dark jokes that the announcement was what killed him. Although Degen never gave a public opinion on Mighty Explorers, it should certainly be dedicated to him. He received a just as deserving eulogy from Scholastic Press VP, Publisher and editorial director David Levithan:
I will miss Bruce’s stories about the old days and how he’d unfurl them over a long lunch. I will miss the twinkle in his eye as he road-tested a new joke for Arnold or planned a new outfit for Ms. Frizzle. But hopefully I won’t miss the joy of it all, because that’s what I plan to hold on to — and what generation after generation of young readers will get to experience whenever they hop on board.
It’s still hard to believe that we now live in a world in which no new Magic School Bus books will be released, even if the newer books were coming out less frequently than the earlier books were. Not to mention the fact that we’ll now always wonder if the original creators of this franchise would have agreed or disagreed with future decisions that may not be well received, whether it’s for Mighty Explorers, the live-action film, or whatever comes next. One thing is for sure: anyone who is involved with the franchise from here on out should do everything they possibly can to take chances, make mistakes, and never get too messy, as Cole and Degen would have. They deserve nothing less.
Wow, the field trip is over? Good news for Arnold, bad news for the rest of us! I might review Mighty Explorers when it comes out; it depends on how interested I am in it. But I am definitely reviewing the live-action film when that comes out, even if Mighty Explorers will probably be out first. Regardless, this is far from the last field trip we’ll be going on, and until then, I will be waiting on the curb until this bus comes back around once more.
Until then, stay enlightened, educated and entertained, folks! 🚌 👩🏫 🦎
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