Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
Ms. Fiona Frizzle is always up for a field trip, as long as that field trip includes the Magic School Bus, an extraordinary education, amazing adventures and valuable life lessons. Her students from Walkerville Elementary, on the other hand? Well, they occasionally need some convincing.
Most of them—from feisty Keesha to crazy Carlos, might sometimes worry about the adventures the Magic School Bus could carry them to. But Arnold, one of the school’s most anxious students, is particularly leery of Ms. Frizz’s wild trips.
See, according to Arnold, there’s always something that could go wrong. And the best, most logical course of action is to stay away from dangerous situations to avoid any sort of mishap. So, when Arnold chooses to go on a field trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to see hot air balloons on his birthday, the entire class is a bit surprised. But Arnold’s done his research. What could possibly happen?
The answer is anything and everything.
What begins as a nice cruise turns into a catastrophic disaster when lightning strikes. All the sudden, the Magic School Bus-turned hot air balloon is split into three different hot air balloons all across the globe, with a different group of students on each.
And, strangest of all, Ms. Frizzle has been split into thirds: each part of her eccentric personality on a different ride. The only thing that can help them find their way safely back to North America is teamwork, science and a little motorbus magic.
I always wanted to be one of Ms. Frizzle’s students with the ability to tag along on epic field trips where learning was an immersive, hands-on experience. And if you grew up, like I did, with the original mid-90s PBS show, The Magic School Bus, or the books of the same name, Netflix’s re-imagining of the series gives you the chance to share the experience with your kids.
The Magic School Bus Rides Again: The Frizz Connection, is a 46-minute, stand-alone episode from the more traditional series spin-off, The Magic School Bus Rides Again. The Netflix franchise features one big change: a new teacher. Yes, she’s still a Frizzle, but she’s Ms. Frizzle’s younger sister, a Ms. Fiona Frizzle.
But that’s really where the differences end. Ms. Fiona Frizzle is wacky, fun-loving and adventurous and, just like her sister, she pushes her students out of their comfort zones for the sake of education. They may hop in the magic school bus and magically dart off to Peru to learn about Incan ruins. Or fly in the air to track wind currents. Or shrink to learn about molecules and atoms. Whatever the situation, you best believe the students from Walkerville Elementary will be learning. And your kids will too during this fun, wholesome, educational escapade.
Ms. Frizzle and the gang plan to take a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico per Arnold’s birthday request, but things go awry when lightning splits the bus, and Ms. Frizzle, into three pieces across the globe.
A scary storm and turbulence scare the kids. An animated, shirtless surfer sits on his surfboard. After a lightning storm, Ms. Frizzle’s body parts occasionally disappear. Ms. Frizzle sits on a whoopee cushion and the kids laugh.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
