Mattel has announced a new animated version of the slightly unsettling children’s television series Barney & Friends, which originally aired from 1992 until 2010. It’s shocking to think about, but today’s children of former Barney viewers may be of an age where they can enjoy the reboot.
Meanwhile, last year Netflix began airing a new version of “Teletubbies,” and later this year Disney+ will air a revival of the 1990s Fox Kids X-Men cartoon. Of course, these are just a few instances; these days, even children’s television series that was once hugely successful are getting new adaptations.
Yet, if we’re honest with ourselves, we have to confess that some of these revisions are quite fantastic, even better than the ones they replaced. Standards in animation have (usually) risen, and viewers of older generations who were up on 30-minute toy advertisements may be startled to learn that today’s best shows don’t try quite as hard to sell merchandise to youngsters.
Thus, there are some great choices if you want to introduce your children to the entertainment you enjoyed when you were their age.
Here, we’re steering clear of shows that require much background information, as the goal is for youngsters to be able to get in with minimal preparation. We’re also ignoring the grim reboot genre in favour of more traditional children’s programming.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
The new She-Ra series deviates from the original’s adventure-of-the-week format while retaining the show’s spirit of exploration. Princesses of Power is a well-crafted fantasy adventure that appeals to a wide range of ages and audiences by highlighting the value of teamwork and adopted family.
Where to Watch: Netflix
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Even though it’s aimed at tweens, the Kevin Smith reboot series is directed at those of us who grew up on the He-Man of decades past, so we’ll pass on it even though it looks like a lot of fun. However, this new series updates the Mattel franchise with cutting-edge CG animation and plenty of action, while also emphasizing teamwork and family in ways that make it suitable for slightly younger children who lack inherent He-nostalgia.
Where to Watch: Netflix
The Proud Family: Louder & Prouder
Although it may seem like a continuation at first glance, Louder & Prouder is more of a hybrid between a reboot and a revival. None of the characters has been drastically altered, the voice actors have all returned, and the animation style is instantly recognizable (if given a polish).
However, the show seamlessly transports Penny and her family into the present day, maintaining the show’s original family-friendly themes while adding in 21st-century complications like smartphones.
While the television landscape for suburban Black families hasn’t improved much since the original series aired, the new show delves deeper into the Black culture, introduces characters with autism, and tackles queer themes, all while keeping the snappy charm that parents will remember and love from the original.
Where to Watch: Disney
DuckTales
The new DuckTales has all the excitement and humour of the old series, plus some serialisation and surprising character growth (for a show about ducks). It argues convincingly that starting over is sometimes necessary.
Carmen Sandiego
Modern Carmen Sandiego is a thief, which is OK, maybe not the best role model; however, she steals cultural artefacts and returns them to their rightful owners to stop the villainous organisation V.I.L.E. from acquiring them. So, it’s not like she’s wasting her talents here. The villains are foiled by the heroes’ cultural and geographical expertise, and lessons are subtly interwoven into the action-packed plots.
The Baby-Sitters Club
The original 1990 adaptation of Baby-Sitters Club has a huge place in the memories of children of the time thanks to years of reruns on Disney and Nickelodeon, but the updated version only lasted for two seasons and 18 episodes (based, of course, on the novel series that runs to a couple of hundred volumes).
Very few current shows are written specifically for tween girls, and even fewer treat their young characters with the respect they deserve, not patronising them or taking them down the darker paths that often characterise teen dramas.
Blue’s Clues & You!
The extended pauses in the original Blue’s Clues that were used to ask questions and give kids time to think about and respond to those questions were a groundbreaking innovation. The new show does essentially the same thing, and that’s fantastic, especially in a world with even more distractions than there were in the 1996–2006 run of the original series.
Thunderbirds Are Go!
Perhaps you caught an episode of Thunderbirds when you were a kid, either the original series from the 1960s or the slightly reworked versions from the 1990s on Fox Kids in the United States. Thunderbirds Are Go! is a worthy successor to that series, regardless of whether or not it retains the marionettes that gave the original its distinctive appeal.
The computer animation here pays tribute to that style, using detailed textures and the occasional jerky, puppet-style movement to show that the animators here know their source material. There is plenty of action, but the show also places a premium on family (in the broadest sense), with most episodes revolving around the Tracys rescuing innocent bystanders.
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