Magic School Bus (film)

Magic School Bus (also titled The Magic School Bus: The Movie in other countries) is a 2011 computer-animated children's adventure comedy fantasy film directed by Steve Waterman and produced by Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen based on a story by David Skelly, and is based on the children's educational television series The Magic School Bus and the books by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. It stars the voices of Lily Tomlin, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Lisa Yamanaka, Danny Tamberelli, Daniel DeSanto, Tara Meyer, Erica Luttrell, Maia Filar, Stuart Stone, Amos Crawley, Max Beckford and Andre Ottley-Lorant.

Production on a theatrical Magic School Bus film was originally conceived in 2001, with it planned to be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. However, the film was abandoned in 2002, and was left until 2008, when Paramount Pictures would acquire the rights to the film. Production lasted from August 28, 2008 and ended on June 18, 2011.

Produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Buddy Studios, with animation provided by Reel FX Creative Studios, the film was released theatrically on August 4, 2011 in the United States by Paramount Pictures. It received mixed reviews, with critics praising its cast, animation, musical score by John Debney and its source material, but criticized the plot, visual effects and overall message. It was a box office success, grossing $840 million against its $100 million budget. A direct-to-streaming sequel, titled Magic School Bus 2: The Bus Rides Once More, was released on Buddy+ in 2020.

Plot
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Cast
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Prior development
In 2001, Walt Disney Pictures approached the creators of the book, Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen, with plans of making a theatrical film. The creators agreed on a film deal and the production began at Rough Draft Studios' South Korean division in Seoul, with Don Bluth and Gary Goldman taking the helm of directing the film.

In 2002, when the animation was nearing completion, the film was in discussions on if the film should keep going in production, but one employee at Walt Disney Pictures said that they should "stop progression on the film", due to a mysterious "budget constraint".

Paramount Pictures acquisition
In 2008, when all hope seemed lost, an acquisition deal was initiated. The company in question who initiated the acquisition was Paramount Pictures, and its family film division, Nickelodeon Movies, in-term a division of the Nickelodeon company. It was also co-acquired by the South Australian production studio, Buddy Studios, who would supervise in production.

Development
The development on the film began in mid-2008. The film was originally going to be 2D animated at Rough Draft. However, the team enlisted the help of Reel FX Creative Studios, an American animation and visual effects studio based in Dallas, Texas. The company had then provided CGI material of characters from the Magic School Bus television series, including the bus itself. Delighted, Joanna Cole agreed on a CGI-based production of the franchise.

David Skelly, a screenwriter for Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Cars (2006), served as screenwriter for the film. The storyboarding process began on August 28, 2008 and wrapped up on January 12, 2010.

Casting
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Animation
Animation and visual effects were held at Reel FX Creative Studios in Dallas, Texas.

Music
The music for Magic School Bus was composed by American composer John Debney. Additionally, Peter Lurye, the composer for the songs in the original series, and Little Richard, the performer of Ride on the Magic School Bus, also composed songs for the film. The soundtrack album was released through Interscope Records on August 1, 2011.

Release
Magic School Bus was originally scheduled for a July 2003 release when it was being produced by Walt Disney Pictures. However, once the project was in turnaround and given to Paramount Pictures, the release date was pushed back. The film had its premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on July 28, 2011 and was theatrically released in the United States on August 4, 2011. It was rated G for General Audiences by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

Home media
Magic School Bus was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 8, 2011. They both included behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive outtakes, an audio commentary with director Steve Waterman and actor Lily Tomlin, and included the three promotional trailers.

Box office
Magic School Bus grossed $241.4 million in the United States and Canada and $598.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $840 million against its $100 million production budget. It became the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2011 behind Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides and the highest-grossing animated film of 2011, overtaking DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda 2.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomates, 57% of 294 critics' reviews were positive, with an average rating of 6.15/10. Its critical consensus reads: "It may be a fun science adventure on the bus for some kids, but Magic School Bus dismays to entertain some fans of the classic series that it fails in most angles with its CGI, but is a breath of fresh air after being absent from the open world for several years." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore assigned the film a grade "B+" on its scale of A+ to F.

Trivia
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