REPORT PROPOSAL - DEFINING A REBOOT
I think going forward, it is important for me to define the term "reboot" that I will be using in relation to my report proposal.
The term "reboot" is thrown around online a lot, but there's often a misconception of the term, confusing it for other terms used for fictional works.
Examples of reboots in film would be The Mummy (1999, a reboot of the 1932 film), Child's Play (2019, a reboot of the Child's Play / Chucky series) and Charlie's Angels (2019). In video games, reboots include God of War (2018, a reboot of the God of War series), Doom 3 (2004, a reboot of the Doom series) and DmC: Devil May Cry (2013, a reboot of the Devil May Cry series). For my research report, I'm looking at animated TV reboots, of which there is an abundance of now more than ever.
Examples of animated TV reboots include:
These series all aired some time after their predecessor ended, choosing not to continue the stories of them and starting again from scratch. In some cases, like Teen Titans GO! and Thundercats Roar, they take a different approach to the originals, opting for different tones and genres.
There are two terms that "reboot" is incorrectly used as a synonym for: a continuation and a remake.
A remake is when a piece of work is completely copied and recreated, not in an attempt to tell new stories, but to tell the same story all over again. Examples in film include The Lion King (2019, a remake of the 1994 The Lion King), Aladdin (2019, a remake of the 1992 Aladdin), and Little Shop of Horrors (1986, a remake of the 1960 Little Shop of Horrors). In games, these include Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver (2010, remakes of 1999's Pokemon Gold & Silver), Halo 2 Anniversary (2014, as part of the Halo: Master Chief Collection and a remake of 2004's Halo 2) and Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020, a remake of the 1997 Final Fantasy VII).
Remakes are not common in animated TV, and as of writing this, I have yet to find a direct remake series.
A continuation is when a piece of work seeks to expand on a pre-existing world or story, taking place within that same universe. A lot of the time, these continuations aim to appeal to the audience who grew up with the originals, often times making the stories and tone more mature. In film, continuations include Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999, a prequel released 16 years after the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008, a sequel released 19 years after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and Bill and Ted Face the Music (2020, a sequel released 29 years after Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey). In games, continuations include Doom (2016, a sequel released 19 years after Doom 64), Shenmue III (2019, a sequel released 18 years after Shenmue II) and Metroid Prime 4 (TBD, a sequel released over 13 years after Metroid Prime 3: Corruption).
Continuations are rare in animated TV, but not impossible. These include:
Also commonly mistaken as reboots are adaptations. An adaptation is where an existing piece of work is adapted for a different medium; the most common examples of this are book adaptations and comic book adaptations. In films, these include Avengers: Infinity War (2018, an adaptation of 1993's The Infinity Gauntlet), Emma. (2020, an adaptation of 1815's Emma) and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001, an adaptation of the 1997 book of the same name). In games, these include The Witcher (2007, an adaptation of the Witcher book series), Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009, an adaptation of Civil War) and
Adaptations of books into animated shows aren't common, and I have yet to find one. However, there are many adaptations of comic books into animated shows. These include:
The term "reboot" is thrown around online a lot, but there's often a misconception of the term, confusing it for other terms used for fictional works.
"...[T]o restart an entertainment universe that has already been previously established, and begin with a new story line and/or timeline that disregards the original writer’s previously established history, thus making it obsolete and void." ~ Thomas R. Willits' definition of a reboot, "To Reboot or Not to Reboot: What is the Solution?"Essentially, a reboot is when you take a concept, world or story that has already been explored, and create a new storyline with those elements that completely ignores what has been said before, attempting to forge a new path.
Examples of reboots in film would be The Mummy (1999, a reboot of the 1932 film), Child's Play (2019, a reboot of the Child's Play / Chucky series) and Charlie's Angels (2019). In video games, reboots include God of War (2018, a reboot of the God of War series), Doom 3 (2004, a reboot of the Doom series) and DmC: Devil May Cry (2013, a reboot of the Devil May Cry series). For my research report, I'm looking at animated TV reboots, of which there is an abundance of now more than ever.
Examples of animated TV reboots include:
- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018, rebooted from the 1985 She-Ra: Princess of Power)
- Ben 10 (2016, rebooted from the 2005 Ben 10)
- Ducktales (2017, rebooted from the 1987 Ducktales)
- The Powerpuff Girls (2016, rebooted from the 1998 The Powerpuff Girls)
- Teen Titans GO! (2013, rebooted from the 2003 Teen Titans)
- Thundercats (2011, rebooted from the 1985 Thundercats)
- Thundercats Roar (2020, also rebooted from the 1985 Thundercats)
These series all aired some time after their predecessor ended, choosing not to continue the stories of them and starting again from scratch. In some cases, like Teen Titans GO! and Thundercats Roar, they take a different approach to the originals, opting for different tones and genres.
There are two terms that "reboot" is incorrectly used as a synonym for: a continuation and a remake.
A remake is when a piece of work is completely copied and recreated, not in an attempt to tell new stories, but to tell the same story all over again. Examples in film include The Lion King (2019, a remake of the 1994 The Lion King), Aladdin (2019, a remake of the 1992 Aladdin), and Little Shop of Horrors (1986, a remake of the 1960 Little Shop of Horrors). In games, these include Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver (2010, remakes of 1999's Pokemon Gold & Silver), Halo 2 Anniversary (2014, as part of the Halo: Master Chief Collection and a remake of 2004's Halo 2) and Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020, a remake of the 1997 Final Fantasy VII).
Remakes are not common in animated TV, and as of writing this, I have yet to find a direct remake series.
A continuation is when a piece of work seeks to expand on a pre-existing world or story, taking place within that same universe. A lot of the time, these continuations aim to appeal to the audience who grew up with the originals, often times making the stories and tone more mature. In film, continuations include Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999, a prequel released 16 years after the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008, a sequel released 19 years after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and Bill and Ted Face the Music (2020, a sequel released 29 years after Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey). In games, continuations include Doom (2016, a sequel released 19 years after Doom 64), Shenmue III (2019, a sequel released 18 years after Shenmue II) and Metroid Prime 4 (TBD, a sequel released over 13 years after Metroid Prime 3: Corruption).
Continuations are rare in animated TV, but not impossible. These include:
- Ben 10: Alien Force (2008, a continuation of 2005's Ben 10)
- Ben 10: Omniverse (2012, a continuation of 2008's Ben 10: Alien Force)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 (2020, the final instalment of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series after a 6 year hiatus)
- Samurai Jack season 5 (2017, a continuation of Samurai Jack after a 13 year hiatus)
- Steven Universe Future (2019, a continuation of 2014's Steven Universe)
Also commonly mistaken as reboots are adaptations. An adaptation is where an existing piece of work is adapted for a different medium; the most common examples of this are book adaptations and comic book adaptations. In films, these include Avengers: Infinity War (2018, an adaptation of 1993's The Infinity Gauntlet), Emma. (2020, an adaptation of 1815's Emma) and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001, an adaptation of the 1997 book of the same name). In games, these include The Witcher (2007, an adaptation of the Witcher book series), Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009, an adaptation of Civil War) and
Adaptations of books into animated shows aren't common, and I have yet to find one. However, there are many adaptations of comic books into animated shows. These include:
- Batman the Animated Series
- The Spectacular Spider-Man
- Ultimate Spider-Man
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
- Avengers Assemble
- Justice League Unlimited
- Batman Beyond
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Getting back to the main point at hand, while there are many misconceptions about what a reboot is, my research report is going to focus on series that restarts a previously made piece of media after it has ended. This means that, for a show to qualify as a reboot for me, it must have come out after it's predecessor ended, and must not continue the storyline of it. It must be starting from scratch, and have nearly nothing to do with the original (outside of the absolute necessities to get started.
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