I loved the original Barney and Friends series when I was younger, but I'm now neutral to it. I initially wasn't planning to watch the reboot, Barney's World, but I found myself intrigued by a few brief clips on YouTube before it aired. After watching those clips, I decided to check out some full episodes, and I'm guessing I've watched around 11 or 12 of them so far. I must admit that the reboot is better than the original series; it's one of the few reboots that improve upon the source material. If you like or dislike the original Barney or hate/dislike the reboot, I respect your taste.
Unlike the original series, Barney's World is in CGI, which gives the characters more movements and facial expressions. To name a few examples, BJ can spin while riding his scooter and do other neat tricks with it (please don't correct me about his name. More about that later), Barney can now do flips, and the two said characters and Baby Bop can now smile, frown, droop their eyelids, twitch their eyebrows, and more. Plus, Barney can now bounce on his tail like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh and Wubbzy from Wow Wow Wubbzy, which gives him additional talent and makes me like his reboot portrayal even more. Because the main trio were originally costumed characters, they could only express their feelings through their voices and body movements, lacking facial expressions other than perpetual smiles.
As a side note, I've heard a few people say that the purple dinosaur's design from the original series was creepy (even long before the reboot was announced). Some of those same people have said that he looks less frightening now because he's currently animated. Personally, I don't find the classic Barney creepy; however, it is valid to acknowledge that his earliest design from the late 1980s was unsettling.
Barney has a new voice that sounds nothing like his old one. Instead, he sounds exactly like Ord from Dragon Tales, and both characters sound a lot like Patrick from SpongeBob, which makes me like his voice even more than I ever imagined. Some people say that his original voice sounded dopey, and I agree. As for his new voice, I've heard similar-sounding cartoon voices far too many times to be annoyed by it. I know a lot of people have acknowledged that Barney sounds like Ord, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. Interestingly, I already noticed that before I heard anyone bring it up.
Unlike the original series, the characters in this version don't sing about nearly everything they do or see every five minutes or so. Instead, there are only 1 to 2 songs per episode, much to my amazement. While most of the songs are originals, four songs from the source material are back: "Everyone Is Special," "The Clean Up Song," "I Love You," and "The Dino Dance." "The Dino Dance" is my favorite song from the entire Barney franchise, and "Everyone Is Special" is another one of my favorites, so I'm glad both have returned.
The original version of "The Clean Up Song" is my least favorite Barney song because it repeats the same lyrics over and over again and has no other lyrics. In contrast, the new version features more lyrics and doesn't rely on repetition as much, which makes me appreciate it more.
"I Love You" has been renamed "I Love You, I Love Me Too," and most of the words have been changed. Plus, it's not sung at the end of every episode, only some. The song's message emphasizes that loving yourself is just as important as loving others, which I believe is a positive and valuable message. The background music sounds similar to music from old video games, which makes me like it even more.
Like most good shows, Barney's World is not without its flaws, and some changes have occurred that are not entirely justifiable. Here's what I dislike about it:
1) BJ has been renamed Billy for some reason. There are rumors that this change was made because BJ has become a commonly used acronym for an inappropriate slang term that I probably shouldn't use, but I don't believe that's the case. If I remember correctly, I heard he was renamed to make it more evident that he was named after the creator's father, though I could be mistaken.
2) BJ and Baby Bop are now fully naked most of the time, and I have to admit they look bare without their usual accessories. However, they do sometimes wear other items, like bike helmets and goblin costumes, which I think suit them better than being without anything at all.
3) Speaking of BJ and Baby Bop, they seem to be underutilized in the series. They primarily serve as comic relief and have significantly less screen time than Barney and the children. Unfortunately, we know very little about their reboot incarnations. I hope we learn more about them as the series progresses.
4) In the first episode, Barney briefly goes off-character when he says it's good to help friends, pets, friends' pets, and pets' friends. David then points out, "You forgot family, Barney." It's surprising that Barney would forget to mention family, as that's not what you would expect from his character.
5) There isn't a new full version of "The Dino Dance." Only a brief snippet of it is sung in the episode "Barney's Birthday." Maybe a full version will be sung in the future. Who knows?
