Recess: The Next Bell–Modern Disney In A Nutshell part 1

Full disclosure before we start. I didn’t really get into Disney’s Recess. I’ve seen a few episodes and I know the basic premise: a group of kids try to have fun despite the strict rules of the principal and one of the teachers. Both sides at times have a good point. The playground at recess, where most of the show takes place, has a silly assortment of cliques from the supposed king, to the kids who like to dig, to the “feral” kindergarteners. The show aired on ABC for six seasons, as part of both Disney’s “One Saturday Morning” block (as well as UPN’s “One Two” block) and ABC Kids. I thought it was okay, but not really my thing.

Still, the adventures of TJ, Spinelli, Vince, Gus, Gretchen, and Mikey were quite popular. Six is a lot of seasons for Saturday morning shows, and it had fans internationally. So it’s not surprising that series creators Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere (apparently that IS his last name) would want to do a “next generation” type show. It worked for Star Trek and Saved By The Bell, so why not? Lost Media Busters on X-Twitter apparently found the pitch bible for Recess: Next Bell, and while the original post appears to be taken down for whatever reason, I don’t see any notations that they learned it was fake, so at least for now we’re going on the assumption that this was a real attempt to go back to Third Street School for new adventures with new kids. Even if it isn’t, everything wrong with modern Disney kids shows and writing in general even among acquired properties like Star Wars and Marvel is on display in this pitch, and I’m kind of surprised the same creators worked on it, because my limited exposure says this doesn’t make any sense. I’m hoping any big Recess fans in the readership can explain some of this since this does not look like a good showing for these characters or their replacements.

BIBLE FOR RECESS: NEXT BELL
Germain/Ansolabehere 6/3/2022
RE-BIB – 2022 Rewrite-002 .docx 6/3/2022

THE HISTORY OF IT ALL…
Back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Recess was…
–The highest rated show on ABC’s One Saturday Morning, running for 127 episodes…
–An international hit in Britain, Spain, France, Germany, Japan, and around the world
(In Spain they called it La Banda Del Patio, in France it was La Cour De Recre!)…
–A Disney Channel staple for many years…
–The source of spinoffs, including books, direct-to-videos, a feature film…

AND NOW WE ARE GOING TO REBOOT IT!!!

But we want to do more than simply come up with new stories for the same characters at the same old school – as if 20 years had passed and nothing had changed. We want to think of this new Recess in the same way Gene Rodenberry thought about Star Trek when he rebooted his 1960’s classic into Star Trek: The Next Generation in the 1980’s. We want both to embrace the original series, but also create something new for a contemporary audience!
And that new show is called Recess: Next Bell!

I get what they were going for with the name, but “Next Bell” just feels a bit weak to me. Not terrible, but I hope it was a work in progress.

Recess: Next Bell is designed as a NEW SHOW for a NEW ERA! This show features a whole new group of kids – just as fun as TJ and his gang, but updated for today’s audience. At the same time, characters from the original show are still around, too, but they’re older now – about the age of our kids’ parents. In fact, (spoiler alert) we are going to discover that some of them ARE the parents of the new gang.

SO…WHO’S THE AUDIENCE?

For years we’ve been hearing from our old fans, asking us when we’re going to make a new Recess. We see them at Comic-Con dressed up as our characters. They send us links to live-action versions they’ve made of our original credit sequence, starring themselves cosplaying our characters. Some fans even made an unauthorized live action-movie!

I did find evidence of this, from a live-action remake of the intro to something I didn’t look into called Third Street from 2019. Thanks to Disney+ this show is getting new fans. I guess the writers either didn’t think the story was over, they saw something new they could do in this universe, or they thought they’d get more royalties with a new show.

By now, some of the older fans have even had kids of their own, and they watch the original Recess together – which we love because ultimately, Recess was always intended for kids. It’s about kids, from a kid’s point of view. In fact, we originally wrote the show to appeal to our own kids, who were 8 or 9 when it premiered – which is why Recess always felt personal to us. (Coincidentally, Joe had a late-in-life son who just turned 9…so it’s personal to him once again!)

So, based on our own experience, we were sure there was an appetite for a new Recess. But we had no idea how big that appetite was until we tested the original show with various research groups – and everything we’d been hearing and thinking turned out to be true. All three audiences loved it!

I do like when parents can share something they loved as a kid with their own kids, though I wish they were more open to it working the other way as well. They talk about wanting to make a show for all three audiences: new kids, kids who grew up with the show, and parents who want to share the show with their kids…not sure how that’s three, but this is when the red flags start flying.

THEMES – THEN & NOW

The original Recess was the story of six brave fourth graders, all very different, who banded together to survive the crazy world of elementary school – navigating between big kids, savage kindergartners, mean girls, bullies, and an authoritarian administration. It was about sticking together no matter what, fighting the man, finding a rational balance between conformity and individuality, and getting through tough times with….A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS! And we know these time-tested themes are just as relevant in 2023.

In today’s world of Global Warming, Me Too, Black Lives Matter, and LGBT+ rights, modern kids are craving heroes who look like them, have the same issues, and are willing to take action. They need, and want, role models who stand up for their friends, figure out what’s right and wrong, and defend the little guy – getting into “good trouble,” in the words of John Lewis – to make the world a better place.

Notice I highlighted that first part. It’s the usual “modern audiences” talking points. While I doubt nine year olds care about “#MeToo”, they are buried with BLM and LGBT+ stuff a lot. The former is divisive and the later will feature heavily with two of the original characters. It’s getting harder and harder to stay out of the sociopolitical discussion when today’s storytellers are buried in it, but we’re about to see the same old stereotypes pretending to be “representation”, and things that in my generation wouldn’t have been thought twice about be screwed up two generations later (I’m old, though nobody believes I’m 50 when the look at me–at least I finally made 30 to someone) since the reasons for those additions have changed. I’ll explain as we go on.

The pitch explains that the school is all high-tech now, which would be nice if actual schools did that, but the funding never seems to be there. It’s possible, I guess. Miss Finster, one of the antagonists, has retired, while the principal, Peter Prickley, passed away out of respect for the late Dabney Coleman, who passed away last month…wait, no. Unless Coleman retired, and points for not replacing him, he was still alive to play the role when the pitch was produced two years ago. This could be a sign of something fishy as to the validity of this pitch bible, but they haven’t disavowed it as of this writing. Randal Weems, the stoolie who “worked” for Miss Finster, is now principal, I guess to keep at least one of the same antagonists because otherwise I’m not sure that was his goal. Again, I only watched a few episodes.

THE MAGICAL-REAL PLAYGROUND

Just like the original show, Recess: Next Bell will utilize the technique of “magical realism” to show the world as kids see it (an idea borrowed from the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in which things are sometimes exaggerated just a step past the possible, showing life not as it actually is, but as it feels). For example:
* when a kid kicks a ball really hard, we’ll cut to outer space where we see it leave the atmosphere, and knock an antenna off the international space station.
* if a couple kids are trying to dig to Australia… they’ll actually get there, popping out on the other side.
* if you hear a story about a second grader getting taken away by aliens, that’s probably what really happened.
Magical Realism takes full advantage of the animation medium to tell stories, and we use it not only to exaggerate events, but characters too. So at recess, you might meet kids like:

This is pretty much how the old show operated, but I don’t know many kids who would call school, even recess, “magical”. Granted, going by my experience it absolutely wasn’t, but that’s a whole other topic. The “sand kids” and kindergarteners are back, but the “Ashleys” are now replaced by the Madisons, only now they include “boys and non-binary kids as well. They still torment the playground with snarky judgment and rumor mongering, but now they have new weapons: Twitter, SnapChat and Tiktok!” I’m surprised that boys were let into the girl group given how untrue to life that is even when the girls demand to be part of the boy groups. As for non-binary…these are kids! Are we really that confused about gender? Look, I’ll even buy trans to a point, but “non-binary” makes no sense to me, and my theory it’s based on a warped understanding of what “boy” and “girl” actually means, but I’m trying really hard to stick to the storytelling.

I think the dodgeball kids were in the original, or maybe it was kickball? The “STEM kids” are new and at least make sense in the 2020s. I’m guessing the new leads will tap them to help with some scheme or maybe one of the new leads is part of that group. Gretchen, from what I can tell, might have been. There’s also “The Great Wise Willy”, the “keeper of the lore”, and probably where the new kids will learn more about the older kids since only one of them is a descendant of the original cast. So let’s meet our new fourth graders, who we’re told are “…reflecting what modern kids are going through today. More diverse, more in tune with the internet age, but still in many ways like our old gang – tough, loyal, willing to stand up for the little guy and take on “the man” – but mostly out to HAVE FUN….” The problem being no modern character is ever like the old gang because being more diverse is more important to modern creators.

I don’t know why some pictures are in black and white and others in color.

RUBY – THE FEARLESS LEADER (center): The daughter of Spinelli and Vince from the old Recess gang (keep that in mind for part 2 of this pitch review), Ruby is a super confident, bi-racial kid. As leader of the new Recess gang, Ruby gets her strength and toughness from her mom, and her sense of style and cool from her dad. Like Princess Leia, or Tatum O’Neill in Bad News Bears, Ruby may look cute but she’s tough as nails, with tons of energy and chutzpah, always willing to take on “The Man.” When she wants something, she goes for it – consequences be damned. Upbeat and self-assured, Ruby is straight-talking, fearless, and super loyal. She’s always there for her pals and she doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

Like Tom Sawyer (or TJ Detweiler), Ruby is a hero who likes to have FUN. Other kids might say they’re bored, but never Ruby – even if it means trying things everyone else thinks are crazy – like putting ice cream on a chili dog. But mostly she loves FREEDOM! Ruby does NOT like to be tied down or controlled by others. She hates it when teachers or bigger kids think they can tell her what to do – especially when it doesn’t make any sense! “Why should the teachers get to decide who has to stay after school? Isn’t this a democracy?!” And she also hates seeing other kids being corralled by those who are more powerful. “Those poor first graders, having to spend their whole recess cleaning up that wall. They didn’t mess it up!” “True – WE did!” “Which is ANOTHER reason we have to help ‘em!”

There was a time when you could have a woman lead and nobody would care. I wouldn’t. Astra from Space Sentinels and Isis on Freedom Force (as well as her own live-action show, The Secrets Of Isis) were good commanders. Plastic Man had a female boss on his show. Princess Ariel was the brains of her team with Thundarr and Ookla. Jen was a good commander under the circumstances for the Time Force Power Rangers. However, with so many “girlboss” leaders done not for the sake of the story but some quota-driven “representation” pandering (the word I want is escaping me), it’s hard to see a girl in charge as not being just for the representation rather than actually being good at it. She could be. Every now and then a good girl leader in a kids show or even adult show works, but only when “modern audiences” are not the goal, but the actual potential audience of a work.

But Ruby has one heroic flaw. Although she’s clear minded and sure of herself, especially when she gets morally outraged, Ruby is not a subtle problem-solver. She has a tendency to charge like a bull at obstacles in her way – a strategy that sometimes works, but often doesn’t. And when the chips are down, Ruby needs the help of someone who understands the sneaky ways of the world, how to be a sidewinder rather than a bull in a china shop. Fortunately, she knows just the guy: her best bud since kindergarten… Montijo.

So she need to be reined in when something more strategic is required. That COULD work if done right…which modern writers struggle with because they’re too afraid to make the girl struggle lest they be called “sexist” instead of “doing the same thing they would do with a male character”.

MONTIJO – THE CLASS CLOWN (far right–just not politically): A funny, boy’s boy, Latino Kid – the Sundance to Ruby’s Butch, the Grace to her Will. A smooth talker and practical joker, Montijo is always looking for the sideways solution to a tricky problem, which makes him the perfect balance to Ruby’s direct action.
Ruby and Montijo have been best friends since kindergarten. From the moment their teacher put them down for a nap – and they both snuck off to the toy box – each recognized a kindred spirit. Both hungered for fun and adventure, both hated being controlled, and both LOVED their freedom (in Ruby’s case it’s an obsession, with Montijo it’s a preference.)

I’m not against the multiracial characters. The old show had primarily white characters, and a little diversity isn’t a bad thing, depending on how they’re all treated. I want to see kids who don’t care about the race war, but since BLM has been mentioned and looking at what they did to The Proud Family I’m not placing bets on it.

Although Montijo’s always up for a new adventure, he doesn’t want to be foolhardy about it. He prefers to avoid jumping into the fray if he doesn’t see an upside. But Ruby can’t help it – especially if someone else is in need. When she proposes one of her reckless crusades, Montijo will often try to talk her out of it, but he’s so clever he can’t help but propose a cunning scheme to achieve it. Often, Montijo finds himself in the middle of one of Ruby’s missions despite his misgivings.

Montijo’s secret weapon is his innate intuition – he just “gets” how other people think. Like when the gang run across the principal’s secret cookie stash, Ruby’s about to swipe the big one on top when Montijo holds her back. “Wait a minute, Rubes. Skim some off the side of the pile. That way, he’ll never know they’re missing. We could keep it going for years!”

So I guess his character flaw is not being able to say no to Ruby’s latest scheme but is still able to tone her down and help the mission succeed. I guess that works, but we’d have to see it in practice.

PARNELLI – THE DAREDEVIL (mid left): A fearless dude with a dream of jumping Third Street School with a rocket powered bike and a plywood ramp – all for the adulation of his YouTube fans – Parnelli is the embodiment of American can-do spirit. With his blissful, open smile, and his easy-going, slow-talking drawl, Parnelli seems like a daredevil Matthew McConaughey type who nothing fazes, even though he usually has a limb or two in a cast from one of his crazy stunts. Fearing neither pain nor death, Parnelli is the guy the gang always turns to when they need someone to smash through a brick wall.

While some kids think Parnelli’s a fool, the gang know there’s more to him. Often he’s the kid who articulates the deeper themes of an episode, or accidentally hits on them; the one who makes the big patriotic speech that spurs others on – even if (like John Belushi in Animal House or Reverend Jim in Taxi) they may ignore him. Until Ruby says “You know, what? I think Parnelli’s got a point!” To which the daredevil responds, “I do?”

Cliched, but one of those lovable cliches. Not much else to say about him.

SIMONE – THE MASTER OF DISGUISE (far left, possibly politically given Disney today: 3rd Street School’s Drama Queen – always making big over-the-top emotional proclamations – is also their Queen of Drama – a kid who is seriously into theater. A Chinese-American girl who was adopted by a couple of Jewish Broadway fans, Simone has been into acting and costumes since she was a toddler. As a result, she’s also become an expert in stage make-up and disguises – a skill which comes in handy when the gang need to sneak past Principal Weems.

Whenever Ruby and Montijo need to create a diversion, they turn to Simone. She can make Parnelli look like she fractured her clavicle – complete with fake blood. When Montijo needs an excuse for his latest absence, she can deliver his ancient grandmother to the office (OR at least Montijo in an old dress and a white wig, with almost-believable age lines Sharpie’d onto his face!)

Is that a typo? I thought Parnelli was a boy? Or would he/she be “gender fluid” given earlier statements?

EVERETT – THE BRAINS (take a guess, he’s the only one left): A quiet African-American kid who dresses for utility, and seems to know a little about everything when it comes to science, engineering, and gadgetry, Everett is great at designing high tech tools to help execute Ruby’s plans. Although he’s the quietest member of the gang, dresses a bit oddly, and doesn’t smile much (since he’s on the Autistic spectrum), Ruby and the gang know that he’s an essential member of the team. Usually listening quietly as they debate a problem, Everett will often chime in with the perfect solution to every problem – right when things seem at their direst.

Need a catapult to launch Ruby into Miss Finster’s third-floor office, or a steam-powered bike to propel Parnelli over the school’s main building? Everett can design one. In fact, that’s what he’s just been sketching in his little notebook. When Ruby asks, “Why didn’t you tell us about this earlier?” Everett just shrugs, “You didn’t ask me.”

I thought you said Miss Finster retired? Of course the autistic kid is a supergenius with questionable people skills.

At the end of a big mission, Montijo often turns to Everett with a smile, “If it weren’t for you, we never would have gotten Ruby out of that.” “I will always help you guys,” replies Everett with a flat expression, “you’re my best friends.” “Thanks, man!” says Montijo, putting his hand on Everett’s shoulder. “But please take your hand away. I don’t like to be touched.”

Credit it where it’s due. The new kids don’t sound bad, and it’s only modern Disney reputation and that of Hollywood kids TV in general these days that are cause for concern. The flags are there, but this is going long. So check out part two tomorrow and see where the real problems are…what they want to do with the original cast will make you wonder if these are the same creators.