Netflix announced Wednesday that it planned to reboot Inspector Gadget and four other shows, while Disney is rebooting the ’80s and ’90s classic DuckTales, bringing Christmas morning early for the nostalgics out there.
The streaming network has already shown an interest in creating content specifically for its younger viewers by announcing the original series F Is for Family and Ever After High and a reboot of The Magic School Bus, and it’s doubling down with the five newest shows on its lineup.
Inspector Gadget—which was a beloved ’80 children’s cartoon (later a live-action movie starring Matthew Broderick) based around a bionic private detective, his keen-eyed niece, and their anthropomorphic dog—is by far the most recognizable name on the list. The series will land on Netflix in the U.S. in March 2015 and will expand to other territories where the service is available at a later date.
EXCLUSIVE: @Netflix orders a reboot of 'Inspector Gadget' http://t.co/Y2iELTlBoz pic.twitter.com/OVUv8AODhW
— USA TODAY Life (@usatodaylife) February 25, 2015
It’s also planning to reboot Danger Mouse, a British show about a secret agent mouse, which will debut in spring 2016.
Along with Inspector Gadget and Danger Mouse, Netflix is bringing three other shows to its audience. Some Assembly Required, coming this summer, follows a teenage toy company owner who hires a group of friends to make new toys and is already popular in Canada. Bottersnikes & Gumbles is an animated show based on the book series coming next spring, and Super 4 is a CGI series inspired by Playmobil and does not yet have a release date.
“We’ve seen great characters and rich storytelling work for a global audience time and time again,” Erik Barmack, Netflix Vice President of Global Independent Content, said in the release. “That’s why we’re proud to be working with some of the industry’s best producers and animators on these shows and we can’t wait for kids and families all over the world to get to know these stories.”
On the TV front, Disney’s DuckTales reboot will bring Scrooge McDuck and his grandnephews back together. It’s coming to Disney XD, which already airs animated shows like Star Wars Rebels and Gravity Falls, in 2017. And before you worry, a whole slew of minor characters are set to return as well for a brand new generation of viewers.
“DuckTales has a special place in Disney’s TV animation history, it drew its inspiration from Disney Legend Carl Barks’ comic books and through its storytelling and artistic showmanship, set an enduring standard for animated entertainment that connects with both kids and adults,” Marc Buhaj, Disney XD’s senior vice president of programming, said in a statement. “Our new series will bring that same energy and adventurous spirit to a new generation.”
You better get comfy. You’ve got a lot of TV to look forward to in the next year.
H/T Mashable, USA Today | Photo via Marco Paköeningrat/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)