It's a great day to be a '90s kid.
In addition to the exciting news that Disney will be rebooting DuckTales in 2017, Netflix also announced today that it's bringing back a couple of beloved cartoons from your childhood, Inspector Gadget and Danger Mouse. You should have immediately heard this in your head after reading that.
Inspector Gadget first premiered on TV as an animated series in 1983, but it played on in syndication for years after that. The cartoon followed the titular character, a bionic detective whose metal arms could grow in length when necessary and whose hat turned into a propeller to take him flying wherever he needed to go as he foiled the dastardly plans of the evil Dr. Claw with his niece Penny and her dog Brain. Inspector Gadget got the live-action treatment with a bad 1999 film starring Matthew Broderick in the title role and an even worse sequel in 2003 starring that guy from 3rd Rock from the Sun, French Stewart. When Inspector Gadget premieres on Netflix in March, the series will basically be up to its old tricks, but this time in CGI animation.
If you think Netflix is appealing to your nostalgia with this move, you'd be correct. The online movie and TV-streaming platform is banking on attracting new, younger audiences with this reboot and those who are old enough to have watched the original series as well.
"It's one of those shows where we're able to hit a few different audiences," Netflix's VP of Global Independent Content Erik Barmack told USA Today, which first reported the news. "We think that kids are going to love the show ... but it's also going to get some co-viewing because there is a generation of parents who grew up on the original."
Also on tap for Netflix is a reboot of Danger Mouse, a British animated series that aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from 1982 to 1992. No, this show does not follow the adventures of one-half of Gnarls Barkley. It's about a suave rodent secret agent that keeps the world from complete disaster. Stephen Fry will lend his voice to the character of Colonel K, so when Danger Mouse arrives next summer, it should be a good time.
In addition to these reboots, Netflix has given the go-ahead to three new series aimed at younger audiences. These include Some Assembly Required, a hit Canadian comedy about young toymakers, Bottersnikes & Gumbles, an animated series about how the titular creatures get along while living together, and SUPER 4, which features PLAYMOBIL figures fighting bad guys and having fun.
Netflix previously announced reboots of other beloved kids' shows, including The Magic School Bus, Care Bears and Popples. So basically, expect your nostalgia to be through the roof in the coming months.
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