The Barney franchise is going to be relaunched and will feature an entirely new look for the lovable dinosaur. First appearing in Barney and the Backyard Gang in 1988, Barney has since become a fixture in kids' education for decades with his sons, dances, and lessons. Yet, while his legacy remains, the successor show Barney & Friends went off the air in 2010, leaving the character waiting for the chance for a relaunch.
That relaunch has finally come, and Barney has received a massive CGI upgrade in preparation. Check it out (via Variety) below:
In the coming years, Barney the Dinosaur will also begin to stretch across mediums with Barney appearing in movies, TV shows, and YouTube content, while Mattel returns to pushing out Barney toys. A new animated series will be premiering in 2024 and revolving around the friendly purple dinosaur.
How Other Children's Shows Are Being Revived
Barney isn't the only franchise making a comeback, as many other children's shows are being revived as both animated shows and live-action productions. While most are being made for standard child audiences, Winnie the Pooh has been brought to life in a horror movie, in which Pooh is far from his huggable self and instead stars as a starving slasher villain. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey has become a box office success already, spelling a grim future for gentle children's franchises.
Of course, not every show is taking the same route, and many are following a similar path to Barney. Animaniacs has already returned for a full-length animated show that is gearing up to release a series-ending season 3 on February 17. 22 years after going off the air, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are still educating kids everywhere.
Yet Animaniacs isn't alone, as Tom and Jerry, Rugrats, Gremlins, Reading Rainbow, The Smurfs, and The Snoopy Show have all made comebacks in recent years. In this case, it's no surprise that the show will be returning after the success of the Peacock's unsettling Barney documentary series, which explores the history of the big purple dinosaur. Whatever the future of Barney looks like, the character will be returning and sporting a brand-new look along the way.
Source: Variety