I don't think she should be a full blown adult either. The thing is she is a product of a time when it was okay for older kids to watch a show about a character that is younger than them. But those same kids today would say "aw that's for babies!" if the characters are too young. Just look at Strawberry Shortcake for example. The characters stayed about the same age as they were in the 80's but the median age of the viewers got younger.
I again will say I think Hallmark was headed in the right direction with the story but the quality of the web animations ruined it. Do you think the new MLP cartoon would be as popular as it is if it was crappy quality animation despite the well written stories?
Should RB mature with its audience?
Should RB mature with its audience?
I think this could go either way. On the one hand, I do appreciate the innocence and atmosphere of the original cartoon. I like the adventures of both the cartoon and the books/records.
However, that being said...
I think if it was WRITTEN WELL, it could be developed into a very intriguing action-fantasy series. When I was a child "Beginning of Rainbowland" creeped me out because there were the darker undertones. I think you could potentially take it to a lot of different levels. Personally, I would have loved to see the Color Kids get more of an important role, one that they hinted at in "beginning" with all 7 kids being needed for the colors.
I also like the idea of the kids aging a little. Again, I think pretty much any angle could work if it was written well. I like aging the kids in my fanfiction to include little romantic angles or to allow for a darker storyline that people might consider too intense for characters that look so young.
So, in short answer, I guess I am leaning more towards the maturing with the audience, however, I fully support keeping it the same age as the original as well. For me, it isn't so much a worry about whether they SHOULD mature but more a concern on if it can be written well.
My ideal one would be a mix. Start them at the same age as the original with the same basic ideals and then gradually mature/darken the storylines so it evolves. I think that would work best
Iris
However, that being said...
I think if it was WRITTEN WELL, it could be developed into a very intriguing action-fantasy series. When I was a child "Beginning of Rainbowland" creeped me out because there were the darker undertones. I think you could potentially take it to a lot of different levels. Personally, I would have loved to see the Color Kids get more of an important role, one that they hinted at in "beginning" with all 7 kids being needed for the colors.
I also like the idea of the kids aging a little. Again, I think pretty much any angle could work if it was written well. I like aging the kids in my fanfiction to include little romantic angles or to allow for a darker storyline that people might consider too intense for characters that look so young.
So, in short answer, I guess I am leaning more towards the maturing with the audience, however, I fully support keeping it the same age as the original as well. For me, it isn't so much a worry about whether they SHOULD mature but more a concern on if it can be written well.
My ideal one would be a mix. Start them at the same age as the original with the same basic ideals and then gradually mature/darken the storylines so it evolves. I think that would work best
Iris
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Katiezyx19@gmail.com
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Should RB mature with its audience?
I generally agree with what's been being said so far- The Hallmark web animations creep me out, and I think a chunk of Rainbow Brite's original charm was the style in which it was animated.
I am also for Rainbow Brite maturing with the audience. That being said, I don't think she should be a full blown adult, because I think that's alienating to everyone. I think the story works best if she and the color kids have the young, heroic thing going on, so I'm not entirely opposed to them staying literal 'kids,' however, I always wanted to write/read retellings where she and the gang are teenagers, which I think could work well if it was done as an action-fantasy sort of deal.
The Beginning of Rainbowland also struck me as something with surprisingly adult undertones and as a foundation that would work well as a platform for a series of RB books, or even a live action television show. It left a lot of questions that would be fascinating for answer, such as -Where did Wisp/RB come from? Is she the only one of her kind? I agree, I'd definitely like one that elaborated more on the color kids, their purpose in the world, and their relationships with each other as well as with Rainbow. I'd also like to learn the origin of Murky and Lurky. I know there's a lot of speculation as to whether or not Lurky is a mutated sprite, and while that seems a little Lord of the Rings to me, I think it's definitely an interesting observation as to how far the series can stretch in terms of being both light and dark.
I think that RB can have a much broader audience, I think the problem is that a lot of people have forgotten exactly what it is since the 80s, or associate it with things like Strawberry Shortcake, which wouldn't benefit so much from an edgier retelling. Whenever I attempt to discuss it seriously with any of my friends, I also have to go back and try to show them the first episode, or read them the plot premise from the Wikipedia page, but after that they seem intrigued. (Or show them clips of Stormy being awesome- I would LOVE for their to be an entire season of a RB show that focuses on their friendship/nemesis relationship, sort of like Faith and Buffy in Buffy, if any of you have seen that, but you probably get what I mean) So basically, I think it could potentially reach an older audience if some of its themes were more fuller explored.
Long post, so I'll stop for now! But discussion great topic to post!
I am also for Rainbow Brite maturing with the audience. That being said, I don't think she should be a full blown adult, because I think that's alienating to everyone. I think the story works best if she and the color kids have the young, heroic thing going on, so I'm not entirely opposed to them staying literal 'kids,' however, I always wanted to write/read retellings where she and the gang are teenagers, which I think could work well if it was done as an action-fantasy sort of deal.
The Beginning of Rainbowland also struck me as something with surprisingly adult undertones and as a foundation that would work well as a platform for a series of RB books, or even a live action television show. It left a lot of questions that would be fascinating for answer, such as -Where did Wisp/RB come from? Is she the only one of her kind? I agree, I'd definitely like one that elaborated more on the color kids, their purpose in the world, and their relationships with each other as well as with Rainbow. I'd also like to learn the origin of Murky and Lurky. I know there's a lot of speculation as to whether or not Lurky is a mutated sprite, and while that seems a little Lord of the Rings to me, I think it's definitely an interesting observation as to how far the series can stretch in terms of being both light and dark.
I think that RB can have a much broader audience, I think the problem is that a lot of people have forgotten exactly what it is since the 80s, or associate it with things like Strawberry Shortcake, which wouldn't benefit so much from an edgier retelling. Whenever I attempt to discuss it seriously with any of my friends, I also have to go back and try to show them the first episode, or read them the plot premise from the Wikipedia page, but after that they seem intrigued. (Or show them clips of Stormy being awesome- I would LOVE for their to be an entire season of a RB show that focuses on their friendship/nemesis relationship, sort of like Faith and Buffy in Buffy, if any of you have seen that, but you probably get what I mean) So basically, I think it could potentially reach an older audience if some of its themes were more fuller explored.
Long post, so I'll stop for now! But discussion great topic to post!
Should RB mature with its audience?
I think its important to remember though that those shows ran 20+ seasons because they worked and the audiences liked them the way they were. Rainbow Brite hasn't "worked" in quiet sometime in a mainstream way. I too would LOVE it if the original cartoon just picked up where it left off and kept going, but it just isn't likely to happen. Kids today are much different than we were as children and I think the property has to adapt to that. I think its a give and take and you don't want to change so much that its unrecognizable, but adapt enough so its desirable to a more current audience.Clinozoisite wrote:I'm in the other camp on this topic; I don't think RB should mature with her audience.
I think the original nature of the show was sweetness and innocence. We lose a lot of that as adults, so the entire nature of the show would have to change. It would lose some of the qualities which originally drew me to it.
Some shows have managed to run for 20+ seasons without aging their characters (The Simpsons stands out in this regard), so I don't see why Rainbow Brite should have to age any. I believe if Hallmark were to allow a studio to release a new TV series, it could be done faithfully to the original and still draw an audience.
For me if I HAD to see this done in a new style I'd love to see a 14-16 year old RB in more of an anime style. I know lots of fans hate that idea though... honestly though for the most part I'd just like whatever they do next to succeed. The best way for the property to live on is for it to become a success again.
I think He-man fans had a bit of a wake up with the 2002 revamp crashed. I think a lot of fans agree that as long as they have collector type things based off the original they are fine with the idea of a new toon that caters more to a modern kid audience that might not appeal to them personally. I think that would be a great way to do RB. Have a new toon and toyline geared towards todays kids and then have a collector line running along side it. Thundercats is doing that now too and its been very successful.
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Clinozoisite
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Should RB mature with its audience?
I think a lot of this has to do with Hallmark's terrible licensing plans, rather than any fault of the original series. I mean, look at My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It is basically a kids show, but it has an insanely large adult following. Other than a slight change in art style and a few darker undertones (most not nearly as dark as The Beginning of Rainbowland), the show is *very* reminiscent of the 80s cartoon. And people love it. My friend's 6-year-old girl is a huge fan, but so is my best friend from high school (who is 29 and male).Patreek wrote:I think its important to remember though that those shows ran 20+ seasons because they worked and the audiences liked them the way they were. Rainbow Brite hasn't "worked" in quiet sometime in a mainstream way.
*shrugs*
I'm just saying that if done right, it IS possible to have a new rendition of an older series without having to seriously change the over-all nature of the show.
Should RB mature with its audience?
I think the style of storylines the original had would still do fine since a lot of them had darker undertones. It is the age of the characters that would make the difference. In My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic the main characters are of an undetermined age but they are clearly not young children since there are also younger characters. While I guess they could do something similar to Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Bitty Adventures I don't think it would have as much a following since other than kids at heart like myself, only little kids want to watch a show about little kids. Ponies seem to be immune to that kind of projecting for some reason.
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Tom-sprite
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Should RB mature with its audience?
Definitely not ! I was totally shocked when I saw the aged versions of RB and thought that it looks wrong and totally cheap.
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Charles Xavier
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Should RB mature with its audience?
When I say 'mature', I don't necessarily mean that in a physical sense, but maybe more mentally. The Toy Story trilogy's a perfect example of that when you think about it.Tom-sprite wrote:Definitely not ! I was totally shocked when I saw the aged versions of RB and thought that it looks wrong and totally cheap.
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Tom-sprite
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Should RB mature with its audience?
Ahh OK ... I know what u mean ... well in this case I d say yes ! ;-)
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Charles Xavier
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Should RB mature with its audience?
I remember mentioning before, but I've sometimes love to envision RB and Stormy's relationship on par with Goku and Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z.Katiezyx19@gmail.com wrote:(Or show them clips of Stormy being awesome- I would LOVE for their to be an entire season of a RB show that focuses on their friendship/nemesis relationship, sort of like Faith and Buffy in Buffy, if any of you have seen that, but you probably get what I mean) So basically, I think it could potentially reach an older audience if some of its themes were more fuller explored.