Netflix has been doing an outstanding job mining old titles and projects and relaunching them on their streaming service. On January 18, they will launch yet another classic title remake in Carmen Sandiego.
The New Age
Carmen Sandiego looks to be a young adult or older teenager in this remake, but in reality her franchise is 34 years old. She started as a villain in an educational game. You answered trivia questions over all sorts of topics in an attempt to hunt down the master thief and capture her.
The franchise has seen several versions of the game and cartoons released over its lifetime. Netflix is now releasing a cartoon that is once again, altering the franchise.
Carmen used to be the head of V.I.L.E., a criminal organization that stole landmarks, national parks, monuments, you name it. In the latest Netflix version, Carmen is instead a young criminal intent on taking
V.I.L.E. down from the inside by out-thieving the thieves.
The animation style looks good for its type. It is in the popular form that follows the likes of Kin Possible and other popular kids shows of today. I have never been a fan of this type on animation, but the colors look rich and the movement looks pretty good.
In this run Carmen will be voiced by Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) and Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things (Mike Wheeler) will voice Player, which may be a nod to the role gamers would take in the old games. Netflix has also said there will be a live action version of Carmen Sandiego coming soon in which Carmen will again be played by Gina Rodriguez.
Will It Live Up To Its Predecessors?
The true quality of this show remains to be seen. This title used to represent education. That has been stripped down to simply be another kids entertainment franchise with no real stand out. If this turns out to be simply a clone of shows like Kim Possible, it will be a shame. So much more could have been done with it.
I am also not a huge fan of the PC/taming down of the material, which the trailer beats us over the head with. Carmen is a master thief, but of course we can’t have thieves in today’s world so she has to be a good little girl fighting evil instead. Even if it does abandon its roots, it looks to still be a solid cartoon to check out. The writing and dialogue in the trailer seemed nice and sharp. Carmen appears to have a quick wit about her. It just won’t be as special as it could have been.
And of course Lets not forget that it really needs this for its opening soundtrack:
