Way back in October 2013, we told you that Vancouver-based animation firm Rainmaker was planning on reviving the cult classic ReBoot – and now, binomes, it’s actually happening. The project has been pulled from the clutches of the Nulls, and us Users will be granted a glorious 26 episodes in Mainframe. Alphanumeric!
At the Banff World Media Festival yesterday, Corus Entertainment announced they had greenlit the new series, ReBoot: The Guardian Code, with 26 new episodes that will be a mix of live-action and animation distributed worldwide by TWC/Dimension. “The new ReBoot will feature the same action and comedy mix viewers loved in the original series,” said Corus Kids content director Jamie Piekarz, “but with an updated technological universe that will fascinate a new generation of kids,” and will somehow be multi-platform.
We already knew that The Guardian Code will attempt to resolve the show’s season four cliffhanger, and that all the major characters from the original series will feature in more than just cameo roles (though some of the minor characters might be just cameos to deal with older tech-jargon”). But now we also know that the new series is about (emphasis our own):
four teens (Austin, Parker, Grey and Tamra) who discover that they’re next-gen Guardians with a mission to save the world, by defending it in cyberspace. The Internet revolutionized the world, but it also left it vulnerable to attack. With the help of VERA, the last surviving cyberbeing from the original Guardian Program, our heroes stream into cyberspace where they use their awesome code-based powers to battle viruses that have been unleashed by a ruthless hacker. Known only as the Sourcerer, he seeks to rule the world by controlling cyberspace. Original fans of the show will be happy to hear that Megabyte will be back and he’s getting a major upgrade. ReBoot will showcase leading edge technologies and bring coding into the mainstream for kids.
When Austin, Parker, Grey and Tamra are not trying to stop viruses from overloading a nuclear power station, or remotely opening a dam to flood a city, or playing Criss Cross Crash Hour with a city’s transportation grid, our heroes are being typical teens: arguing with their parents over curfews; dealing with crushes; or trying to avoid getting suspended for skipping class when they’re really on a cyber mission to save the world!
According to Rainmaker president Michael Heffron, the show “will deliver mass appeal with a technology focus, empowering kids with the tools and confidence to chart their own course in a world that is increasingly dependent on and powered by technological knowledge.”
For those of you unfamiliar with ReBoot, the show originally aired from 1994 to 2001, and was the world’s first-ever half-hour fully-CGI animated series. Set inside a computer, ReBoot followed the adventures of Bob (a Guardian), and siblings Enzo and Dot Matrix, as they attempt to both defeat games uploaded by the mysterious User, and fight off evil in the form of twin viruses Megabyte and Hexadecimal.
As time went on, the series got pretty intense, ultimately ending on a terrible cliffhanger where Megabyte had taken control of Mainframe. Obviously, ReBoot was incredibly important and groundbreaking for animated television – but it was also just a really good show.
I don’t want to be dramatic about this, but I’m crying actual tears of joy about this. Now go watch “Wizards, Warriors, and a Word from our Sponsors,” and listen to this series summary on repeat:
UPDATE: Guys. Guys. GUYS.
(via HuffPo Canada)
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