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Not all fans are onboard with new 'Magic School Bus' trailer

Kate McKinnon takes the steering wheel from Lily Tomlin's original Ms. Frizzle, but the animation style isn't making the grade with some fans.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, generational studies. Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
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Gael Cooper
2 min read

Ms. Frizzle is back on the bus -- but not all her fans are ready to go back to school.

More on 'Magic School Bus'

The classic 1990s educational cartoon "Magic School Bus" is getting a Netflix reboot, with Kate McKinnon voicing the zany schoolbus driver (originally played by Lily Tomlin) who takes her kids on magical science field trips. 

Netflix released a trailer for "The Magic School Bus Rides Again" on Tuesday, featuring Tomlin's original Ms. Frizzle (now Professor Frizzle) turning over the bus keys to McKinnon's version, portrayed as the original's younger sister. 

While many fans who commented on social media seemed fine with McKinnon's casting (and with the new Lin-Manuel Miranda sung-and-penned theme song), the show's overall look was blasted in YouTube comments. 

The trailer was briefly pulled from Netflix's YouTube channel on Tuesday, but is now back up. Netflix didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 

(Note: Comments on the original trailer can no longer be seen. Some quotes below are from screenshots taken by CNET before the video was removed).

"Holy crap this animation looks absolutely terrible," wrote user FancyLlamas. They all have the exact same face with different hair. Oh well, everyone probably knew this wasn't gonna be as good as the original." 

"The animation is waaaaaay too cheap," wrote user Jesus Ramirez Romo. "Like made in Flash."

"I love Kate but sigh the animation," user S.I.V. wrote. "Why do people prefer this kind of animation style?! What's wrong with the old animation? Please don't screw this up Netflix like you did with Bill Nye. Just hope the animation is the only bad thing about this."

magicschoolbuscollage

Classic "Magic School Bus" animation on the left, the new look on the right.

 TLC/Video screenshot by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, CNET

Fans left similar comments on the new upload -- and some smelled conspiracy.

"Netflix deleted the first upload of the video cause the downvote ratio was over 50 percent and complaints about the animation," wrote user SpiritSoulRecords.

But others are still ready to hop on the bus. Wrote user Idaad01, "Ahhh this looks so authentic to my childhood."

"The Magic School Bus Rides Again" on Netflix on Sept. 29.

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