ReBoot

I confess, I am a Reboot junky. I have no clue why I like this show, considering that I'm opposed to the over-used element of CGI in animation today, yet something about Reboot keeps my attention. When I first started watching, I was still in Elementary school and I liked being able to name all the movies the show was doing parodies of. A few years passed and I forgot about it, until the re-runs aired on Cartoon Network. Then, the plot/new episodes became more dramatic and I couldn't stop watching! The characters are likable and the battle between virus and guardians is a great hook. Someone once said, "Reboot is what Tron should have been".

Recently I rediscovered ReBoot while I cleaned my house. It had been my favourite television program when I was younger, and I was eager to watch the tape full of recorded episodes that I had just found.

I discovered, while watching it, that ReBoot is not merely any old children's show.

It's set in a computer system called Mainframe, and the heroes of the show (called Sprites) battles computer viruses, games (sent by "the user") and other things that you would find in a computer.

This is a truly excellent show. It was the first series to be completely computer animated and the most cutting edge technology available at the time was used.

The thing I love about ReBoot is that the entire plot of the series is so original. Clearly the producers let their imaginations run wild, while still using true computer facts within the story. As the fun-loving computer geek that I am, I absolutely loved the computer jargon sprinkled into in each episode. And all the parodies they've done - from the X-Files to Pirates of Penzance - are fantastic and funny.

Although the first and second seasons were restricted by ABC ratings, the third season was definitely darker, and the plots more in-depth.

Reboot has come along way since 1994, and it's a shame that it's all over. I would've loved to see where they picked up after the two telemovies left off.

All in all, ReBoot is a pioneer for computer animation. Absolutely classic TV.

Reboot was simply an epic.

The first notorious GCI animated series, deserves nothing more than that. However, Reboot showed a great plot and great characters, not to mention excellent timing for comedic relief from each character throughout each show.

Each season the series developed and evolved into newer and deeper episodes. The third season, really contrasted against the more simplistic approach of the first one.

If you were to watch any episode try one from the beginning, I believe these are the best. It is evident that a lot of time was placed into the story and characters. I mean what a great idea: Inside a computer, with game cubes falling and two viruses, one intellectual and the other chaotic also to cause problems for the citizens of mainframe.

In the end, Reboot didn't gain the success as overly popular titles like the simpsons. Probably because it was aimed to a lower age group, but I think even adults would enjoy this show.

Like I said before, series in the future aiming for this genre will have to compare themselves to Reboot. I mean, Beasties did, and that was great also.... but that's another story all together.

ReBoot takes place in the city of Mainframe, representing the inside of a computer. The characters' speech reflects this with words and expressions like: random (crazy), basic (stupid), deleted or nullified (killed), and there was a time Enzo realized he should've "copied and pasted the truth"! Characters include binomes (citizens shaped like numbers, usually 1s and 0s), sprites (more human-like) and viruses (usually villains).

It features many inside jokes and references from Indiana Jones to Sailor Moon. In one episode, after the disappearance of several people, Fax Modem and Data Nully come to investigate (Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from The X-Files. Gillian Anderson actually voiced the latter). There is also a brief scene of Modem deciding between postcards for Los Angeles and Vancouver, mirroring David Duchovny's involvement in moving X-Files production from Vancouver to L.A. (ReBoot is produced by Vancouver's Mainframe Entertainment). Another local reference was a truck with "Two Small Sprites with Big CPUs" printed on the side. I'm told there is a local Vancouver moving company called "Two Small Men with Big Hearts".

An important part of the show is the games, which appear as cubes dropped from above by "the user". If characters enter these games to play against the user, losing means deletion for them and damage for the city. Genres in the games reflect the wide range of real-life video games and spoof everything from Mad Max to Evil Dead ("Malicious Corpses") to Austin Powers!

I particularly enjoyed the references to "BS'nP" that showed up a few times. This is a facetious acronym for ABC's "Broadcast Standards & Practices". Examples include Enzo firing a rocket launcher only to find it fires an inflatable raft with "BSnP approved" stamped on the side; and the Small Town Binomes (Village People) performing "Living with BSnP" ("It's fun to play in the non-violent way!"). Originally seen on ABC and YTV, it was cancelled by the former after the 2nd season. YTV continued to air the show (still does as of this writing!) and, being free from ABC's BS&P censorship, ReBoot could now deal with more mature themes. This was an improvement in the eyes of many. Following a hiatus, the 3rd season also showed a dramatic change in the graphical quality (more detail, shadows, etc.), due to advances in technology.

Another long hiatus followed the 3rd season but ReBoot came back with two feature-length movies: Daemon Rising and My Two Bobs (or 8 new episodes). The second ended with a cliff-hanger so I'm hopeful we haven't seen the last of ReBoot.

Reboot is REALLY the best TV series. Beast Wars had a decent story line and setting through the entire series, but individual episodes had lots to be desired; ill conceived concoction of questionable outings that I am certain I have have seen before.

Yet with Reboot you dont know what you get.

Also it's filled with In-jokes and puns. Characters with names like "Dot Matrix." References to pop-culture ;there is a guy dressed like "Where's Waldo", one like Indiana Jones and once a woman who resembled a certain pregnant female sherrif from Brainard, North Dekota.

Hillarious.

But the series also have a dark side which becomes prominent during the third season. It is not as sophisticated as Beast Machines, Action Man or other MAINFRAME prodcutions, but is still great, even though it's showing its age.