Muppet Babies reboot - ~this is where i come to cry~

Muppet Baaaaaabies, we'll make our dreams come true!

I still remember the theme song. I loved the original Muppet Babies series from the 1980s. When I heard there was a remake, of course I rolled my eyes as I do with most remakes. Why do they keep churning out reboots of classic cartoons? I had no intention of watching it until I had Lucas. He loves this show. I decided to watch some episodes with him to see if it's as good or even better than the original.

Let's start with the pros:

1) They kept most of the main characters. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, Animal, and Nanny ("Miss Nanny" in the reboot). However, gone are Rolf the dog and those twins that wear glasses, Skeeter and Scooter (didn't like them anyway).

2) Some of the other Muppets make cameo appearences. Statler and Waldorf (my favorites), Swedish Chef, Rizzo the rat, Bunson, and Beaker have all made appearances. Statler and Waldorf are actually neighbors in this one.

3) The voice acting is better. I went back and watched an episode of the original and the voice acting....is annoying. Gonzo sounds like if Huey, Dewey, and Louie had strep throat (the late Russi Taylor voices both). Rolf sounds like Nelson Muntz. The reboot has good voice talent like Dee Bradley Baker, Ben Diskin, and Eric Bauza.

4) The characters look better. I'm not keen on the 3D animation, but the Muppet Babies have a cleaner look. Animal is no longer crawling and isn't dressed like a literal baby. He walks on twos and wears regular clothes. Miss Piggy looks kind of creepy in the original. She looks much better here.

5) They still hide Nanny's face. I like that they stick with not showing her face.

Now, for the cons:

1) It's soooooo bright! I know this is a weird thing to nitpick about, but it's true. It's actually true for a lot of children's programming nowadays, especially shows that are CGI. Why do they have to be so bright?! I get it. Kids love colorful, shiny things and I'm in the wrong demographic for this show. However, I feel like I have to wear sunglasses when I watch this.

2) Summer. So they added a new Muppet baby. She's a penguin named Summer. I really shouldn't consider her a "con" because she's not that bad. She's better than Scooter and Skeeter. I hate they ditched Rowlf because he was my favorite on the original series. She's okay. She's also just kind of "there". She's more down to Earth than Miss Piggy though, so that's something I guess.

3) Kermit is whiny. I don't remember Kermit being so damn whiny in the orginal series or ever. Maybe they needed to make him more relatable. I don't know, but I don't like it.

4) LOUD. This is another thing I'm noticing about today's kiddie shows. They're super bright and super loud! I don't think this show ever stops to take a breather.

Now, here are just some observations I made about both the original and the reboot:

1) The reboot uses the same song, but changes the words around some and is shorter. It's not bad at all.

2) Why was Animal younger than the rest on the original? He crawls and talks baby talk where as he's like a toddler on the reboot. Weird.

3) What the fuck were Scooter and Skeeter and is Gonzo some sort of space chicken?

4) The original is WEIRD AS FUCK. Oh man, I never realized how far out this show was! The opening shows the babies acting out famous scenes from popular films such as Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones.

The episode I watched had so much stock footage! Hell, it even showed Miss Piggy watching the Lon Cheney version of Phantom of the Opera! WTF. This thing is like a fever dream! The reboot has no pop culture references and no stock footage. It's obviously aimed more for toddlers as the original was more for older kids who might would get the references.

What do I think of the reboot? Is it better or worse?

I'm going to say that the reboot is actually somewhat better. Not 100% better, but somewhat. It's for a much younger audience, so it'll become grating after a few episodes. That's expected. I also am not crazy about the CGI. However, the characters have a crisp, cleaner look. The voices are way better. They still stuck with obscuring Nanny's face. It doesn't feel like you just dropped acid and decided to watch the Muppets. It's one of the better reboots of a classic cartoon I must say.

Don't get me wrong, I still have fondness for the original. I grew up with it. The reboot is just refreshing and gives beloved characters a modern twist.