"Saturday Night Live" and "Ghostbusters" star Kate McKinnon will be voicing the beloved animated teacher Ms. Frizzle in Netflix's "Magic School Bus" reboot. She replaces Lily Tomlin.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Netflix announced McKinnon's casting in "Magic School Bus" at its press event in New York City. They first announced the reimagining in 2014 with 26 episodes made using CG instead of the traditional animation. However, this modernized version of the popular animated series will be called "The Magic School Bus Rides Again."
McKinnon is the perfect spiritual successor for the character Ms. Frizzle, taking the reins from another ingenious sketch comic, Lily Tomlin. Tomlin had voiced the character in the original "Magic School Bus" and won an Emmy for her performance with several Emmy nominations earned for the series, Variety reported. She is currently starring in Netflix's "Grace & Frankie" opposite Jane Fonda.
Much like the original, Ms. Frizzle is also known as "The Frizz" and will be seen taking her class of elementary school students on a series of wild field trips in "The Magic School Bus Rides Again." She often did double duty as both the class' highly knowledgeable teacher and the driver of the magic school bus.
The animated series "Magic School Bus" originally ran from 1994 to 1997 for four seasons on PBS, making this update only the latest in a long line of Netflix-engineered exercises in nostalgia. It was based on the Scholastic book series of the same name that focuses on a batch of inquisitive kids, who will get the chance to explore everything from the inside of the human body to under the sea. Little Richard performed its theme song "Ride on the Magic School Bus."
McKinnon has spent the new year developing new characters on "Saturday Night Live," including the recent debut of her excellent Betsy DeVos impression. She is also building on the success of her breakout performance in "Ghostbusters." She recently confirmed to play the main part of a magical lunch lady in Amblin Entertainment's "The Lunch Witch."
A premiere date of "The Magic School Bus Rides Again" has not been announced, while other casting details are unavailable.
Watch the video about Kate McKinnon to voice Ms. Frizzle in Netflix's "Magic School Bus":
