Reboot, retelling, remake. These terms are all used fairly interchangeably within media to describe a story or film done over again; preferably in a fresh, unique way. Going on forum boards one can find many discussions on which movie got the pleasure of being the first reboot. Some say Godzilla (the original film premiered in 1954, then at least in 1984, and 2000 although there are 36 films total) others say Tarzan(1918). Recently, we have seen revivals of older cult classics with modern spins such as all the new additions to the StarWars Universe as well as Jumanji and Jurassic Park. And while it is nice to have cult classics spruced up a bit and brought back into the mainstream it seems as if recently the media has been overrun by these types of stories to the point where it is difficult for new stories to be told.
Most of the media getting remakes have a large fanbase already, thus retelling plays on nostalgia or the cult following is so strong that fans will watch it regardless of the quality because they want to show support. This seems to be the view of the corporations in charge of budgeting, but viewers seem to want fresh stories and are tired of all the remakes. The most recent instance of this was with the news of Cartoon Network Studios being shut down/merging with Warner Brothers Studios. While it is still too early to tell what this looks like, many consumers are worried that this means a slow in original content produced and a heavier focus on current catalog, such as the PowerPuff Girls Reboot. Brian Miller, former GM of Cartoon Network Studios tweeted out “RIP CNS” in response to the news, but do you hold the same sentiment? Do you enjoy reboots, think we need more, or believe that one and done is the way to go?
April O'Neil