Seat belts, everyone: we’ve got some exciting news you’ll want to strap in for.
As a ’90s kid, I grew on some of the best animated kids shows history has to offer, including PBS’ The Magic School Bus, a peak edutainment show all about a zany teacher — Ms. Frizzle — who took her class on amazing field trips, like shrinking down small enough to explore the human body, or heading to the vast unknown corners of space. Most of us didn’t want to wake up to get ready for school, but if Ms. Frizzle was the one teaching, then we’d be up in a heartbeat.
The Magic School Bus could make any topic exciting, and as I kid I always hoped that one day I’d be able to hop aboard and explore the world with Ms. Frizzle. Well, that never quite happened, but we are getting a live-action Magic School Bus movie, which is close enough, right?
Starring as Ms. Frizzle is none other than Elizabeth Banks, who’s played everything from Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games to feminist activist Jill Ruckelshaus in Mrs. America to the lead in the upcoming horror flick The Invisible Woman. She has the range.
When Netflix brought the series and had Kate McKinnon playing Ms. Frizzle’s sister Fiona, I thought it was an acceptable alternative. But Elizabeth Banks as the Ms. Frizzle? Really hit the nail on the head with that one. I can already see it! In fact, if you listen to the original theme song from the ’90s, the original Ms. Frizzle’s voice (Lily Tomlin) can be mistaken for Banks.
According to The Wrap, the upcoming film will use a combo of live-action and animation, which sounds perfect, with Banks also on board as a producer. There’s not much more we know than that, but honestly, I am stoked as a ’90s kid can be.
Now, if we can just get a live-action Arthur going…
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h/t AV Club