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Frizzle of the Future |
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- "Class, please welcome your new science teacher, and my little sister: Ms. Fiona Felicity Frizzle."
- —Professor Frizzle
Frizzle of the Future is a Rides Again episode about invasive species. It premiered on September 29, 2017 as the first episode of the fifth season and the series premiere of The Magic School Bus Rides Again.
The episode guest-stars Will Arnett as a Galápagos park ranger named Galápagos Gil.
Episode descriptions[]
- Netflix: Change is good for everyone except Arnold, who's worried that a new teacher—Ms. Frizzle's younger sister—will alter the class' ecosystem.
- The Complete First Season: Arnold is alarmed to discover that the beloved Ms. Frizzle has been promoted and her younger sister is taking over the class. His worries come true when a simple field trip results in the Galapagos Islands being overrun by invasive bunnies. Can Arnold save the islands, and will he ever learn to appreciate his new teacher?
Plot[]
Episode[]
A whole school year and summer break have passed since the fourth season. Arnold is excited that everything has stayed the same since last year, and nothing has changed except Phoebe's return to her old school and that a new student, Jyoti, has enrolled in Ms. Frizzle's class. Arnold welcomes Jyoti to Walkerville Elementary School and gives her a tour of the Frizzle classroom. After knowing that everyone has a job to do in the class, Jyoti compares it to a balanced ecosystem. Dorothy Ann uses her research to tell the class what an ecosystem is, only for Ralphie to interrupt her by defining the word, which he said he learned from his mom, who called an old pizza box he left under his bed the "world's smelliest biome". Jyoti wonders where she'll fit in in the class ecosystem, and Arnold says that she'll just have to find out. He lets her have Phoebe's old seat. After the warm welcome, the Bus arrives, which means Ms. Frizzle is about to enter the room in 14.2 seconds. Arnold dusts off the spot on the Frizz's desk on where a mug that the class made for her is always put and counts down the seconds until their teacher enters. When they get to one, Ms. Frizzle enters the room—but it's not the actual Frizz. The new Ms. Frizzle says hello to the class and calls each person by name (even though they haven't met yet). Soon, the Frizz whom the class is used to enters the room and tells them that the person who came in the room before her was her sister, Fiona and that she is not going to be at Walker Elementary this year (as she mentioned in "Works Out" that she was retiring). She is now a research professor with a Ph.D., who travels the world and goes on adventures on the Magic Motorbike. Fiona Frizzle grabs her crazy-growing Crescit leiunium frizzlaeia vine and puts it on the place where the Professor's mug is, which makes Arnold worry that the ecosystem won't be balanced because of this new teacher, and because of this, he takes the vine off the desk and heads outside to the Bus for a field trip with the rest of the class.
Outside, the Frizz tells everyone that Fiona will be replacing her this year, and, as a research professor, she'll be traveling all sorts of places. This makes the class worry—they can't take chances, make mistakes, or get messy without her. Fiona is excited that she gets to be the new teacher and heads to the Bus and tells it to "do its stuff". The Bus doesn't respond, which means that Professor Frizzle forgot something—she didn't hand the keys to her sister. After Fiona receives the keys, everyone gets on the Bus for a field trip. Arnold notices that his seat on the Bus is different, and it is closer to the driver's seat than the handicap door at the back. The kids put on their seatbelts as the new Friz pulls the lever that activates the Bus' Mesmerglobber, the machine that controls the Bus' transformations. New to this, Fiona is fascinated by all the modes the Bus has and proceeds to activate the plane mode.
The class arrives on the Galápagos Islands. Arnold proceeds to get out of the Bus, which he should have regretted doing, as the Bus landed atop a very tall hill. Arnold falls off the Bus, and Ms. Frizzle uses the hydraulic Wedginator arm to pull him back on. Carlos then mentions that this new Frizz might not have parking skills. The cliff cracks, which sends the Bus falling. Fiona Frizzle activates the Bus' Levitation Linkage and lands it to safety. Ms. Frizzle then decides to look around the islands, so she pulls out a brand new remote control--this year's replacement for the Portashrinker--and heads out.
On the islands, Ms. Frizzle recognizes one of her old-time friends, Galápagos Gil, who gives the class a tour of the Galápagos. He notes that the ecosystem here has a perfect balance, with everything fitting in. Tim tells Ms. Frizzle that the original Frizz would enhance her old trips with magic. So, Ms. Frizzle grabs the Bus Remote and turns Carlos into a turtle and Wanda into a Galápagos finch, and, like the Frizz always does, gives the rest of the students' special eyewear that allows them to see something related to the topic. The goggles show arrows that point to connections in the ecosystem. Ms. Frizzle then takes the class' goggles and turns Carlos and Wanda human again.
Tim asks Gil if he is worried about the ecosystem getting out of balance, and Gil says yes. That's why he inspects everything and everyone for anything so no new plants or animals get into the islands. Tim notes that he has to look at everything really close up, which gives Ms. Frizzle an idea. She uses the Portashrinker feature to shrink the kids and Galápagos Gil and has them examine a hiking boot for invasive species. Arnold finds one—a gypsy moth who's laying eggs. Dorothy Ann tells the kids that this is an invasive species, and shows them on her FrizzTab the things these moths can do to the trees on the Galápagos Islands.
The class and Galápagos Gil return to normal size, and Arnold tells Ralphie that the new teacher might be an invasive species. Ralphie replies that it's okay and that she's got a sense of humor. Arnold still doesn't agree and thinks that she is plotting to threaten the class ecosystem as the class knows it. He heads to the Bus and grabs his backpack with the C. L. frizzlæia vine inside and sets it on a tortoise's shell. This causes the plant's pot to break and the plant to grow throughout the islands.
Meanwhile, back at school, Arnold tells the professor that her sister is threatening the class ecosystem and that she needs to come back. The Frizz compares her sister to a honeybee and tells Arnold that a honeybee was once an invasive species, but later fit right in and gave us what we know today as honey! Arnold still doesn't agree, so the Frizz suggests using magic, which just so happens to be a trip to the Frizzle classroom 30 years in the future.
In the 2047 classroom, the Bus ends up in a display case with the other Bus transformations from episodes of The Magic School Bus Rides Again. The students who are enrolled here are the children of the current class. Wanda Jr. mentions a crisis in the Galápagos, which makes Arnold recall the time when the class left the islands and when he put the pot on the turtle. The class heads to the Galápagos and notices a horde of bunnies and the C. L. frizzlæia plant. Soon, a man appears, who just so happens to be the son of Gil, Galápagos Gil II. Gil II tells the class that the bunnies have been eating the plants since the plant threw off the ecosystem. Dorothy Ann says the plant is non-native, and Ms. Frizzle says that it's her special vine that always, must stay in a pot. Having known that she caused this because she brought the plant to school, she feels like she has been an invasive species and calls Valerie, asking her to come back. Arnold asks to talk to the professor in private (the Bus Remote teleports him to the professor's location in the regular timeline) and he tells her that the plant was his fault and that he caused the biggest change in the history of the world. Arnold then tells the Professor that the best way to stop an invasive species is to stop the invasion, so Arnold returns to the Galápagos islands, and the kids travel back in time to fix the mess.
Back in 2017[1], Arnold notices the C. L. frizzlæia plant pot fall off of the turtle shell and the plant starts growing. Soon, Arnold starts grabbing hold of the plant to get it to stop, getting him and Jyoti, as well as everybody else tangled within the vines. While fighting it, Arnold and Jyoti each take on the plant individually while everybody else fights it together as a group. Luckily, Ms. Frizzle has an extra pot and seals the plant within it, returning it to it's normal state. The problem is solved.
Back in the present day, Arnold is okay that he has a new teacher, Jyoti invents a device that tracks the plant's motion, so the class knows when it comes out of the pot, and Arnold thanks Jyoti for helping him and his class, plus, saving his life.
Producer segment[]
- Hosted by Valerie Frizzle and Goldie
- Caller: Arnold (VA: Miles Koseleci-Vieira)
- PhD gag: (not in the producer segment): "Actually, you can call me Professor Frizzle PhD, the first of many changes this year."
Transcript[]
Read the transcript for Frizzle of the Future here.
Gallery[]
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| The gallery for Frizzle of the Future can be viewed here. |
Appearances[]
Debuts[]
- Fiona Frizzle
- Jyoti Kaur
- Goldie
- The Magic Motorbike
- Crescit leiunium frizzlaeia
Main[]
- Valerie Frizzle
- Liz Ard
- The Magic School Bus
- Keesha Franklin
- Dorothy Ann Hudson
- Wanda Li
- Arnold Perlstein
- Carlos Ramón
- Ralphie Tennelli
- Tim Wright
Guest[]
- Galapagos Gil I and II
Is This the Magic School Bus?[]
- Valerie Frizzle (host)
- Goldie
- The Magic Motorbike
- Arnold Perlstein (caller)
- Keesha Franklin
Minor characters[]
- Security guard
- Man with boot
- Invasive rabbits
- Background characters (The Magic School Bus Rides Again)
Galápagos Crisis timeline[]
- Ms. Frizzle's relative
- Keesha Franklin, Jr.
- Dorothy Ann Hudson, Jr.
- Wanda Li, Jr. - Lynsey Pham
- Jyoti Kaur, Jr.
- Arnold Perlstein, Jr.
- Carlos Ramón, Jr.
- Ralphie Tennelli, Jr.
- Tim Wright, Jr.
Cameos/Mentioned[]
- Phoebe Terese - mentioned by Arnold
- Dr. Tennelli - mentioned by Ralphie
Field trip information[]
Theming[]
Ms. Frizzle[]
Ms. Frizzle’s main outfit.
- Skirt color: Sky blue
- Pattern: Ferns, vines, and various flowers
- Necklace: A flower
Locations visited[]
- Galápagos Islands
- 2047 Galápagos Islands
- 2047 Walkerville
Bus transformations used[]
Other MagicWare used[]
- Bus Remote - first use
- Portable Shrinkerscope (Porta-Shrinker) - first use as part of the Bus Remote
- Levitation Linkage
- Warp Drive
- Passenger transformation
- MagBatt - first on-screen charge
Passenger outfits and transformations[]
- Rock-climbing uniforms
- Ecosystem goggles
- Galápagos tortoise (Carlos only)
- Galápagos finch (Wanda only)
Catchphrases[]
“Wahoo!”[]
Ms. Frizzle (after the Bus finishes charging): WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! |
“____ing!”/Jyoti’s one-word remarks[]
Arnold: Come on, Jyoti! Welcome to your first day; I’ll show you around. Jyoti: Exciting! |
Ms. Fiona Frizzle does her first pull of the Mesmerglober lever. The Bus starts transforming. Jyoti: Surprising. |
Jyoti: Magical! Majorly, majorly magical! Arnold: Sure, 'til you Get Eaten or "get baked into a pie". |
“At my old school…”[]
This is the final use of this catchphrase in release order.
Jyoti: So what about me? Where do I fit in? Arnold: Dunno yet, but I bet we’ll find that out before the day’s over. Here, you can have Phoebe’s old seat. She went back to her old school. |
“According to my research…”[]
Jyoti: Cool! It’s like you have your own balanced ecosystem. Dorothy Ann: According to my research, you’re right. An ecosystem is… Ralphie: Yep. A community of plants and animals, all with a role to play. Dorothy Ann: How did you know? Ralphie: An old pizza box I left under my bed. My mom called it the world’s most smelliest biome. |
Ms. Frizzle: And, DA, according to your research, you must realize... Her and Dorothy Ann: It's a whole different Frizzle! |
Carlos: Where are we, anyway? Dorothy Ann: According to my research, we're on the Galápagos Islands. |
“Ms. Frizzle!”[]
Arnold: In three, two, one! That's weird. One second late. Ms. Fiona Frizzle rappels on a rope and enters the classroom through the open ceiling window. Everyone: Ms. Frizzle! |
Everyone (when Professor Frizzle enters): Ms. Frizzle! |
“I knew I should have stayed home today.”[]
Arnold: Hi, Ms. Fr(gasp)! (realizes it's Fiona, then rubs his glasses) You're not Ms. Frizzle! Ms. Frizzle: Oh, but I am, Arnold. And may I just say I'm so glad you didn't stay home today. |
“Professor Frizzle, PhD!”[]
Professor Frizzle: Actually, you can now call me Professor Frizzle, PhD. The first of many changes this year. |
“To the Bus!”[]
Professor Frizzle: So much to do today, kids! To the Bus! |
Ms. Frizzle: To the Bus, Arnold? Arnold: To the Bus! |
“Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!”[]
Professor Frizzle: As a research professor, I'll be traveling the universe, traversing the ages, exploring quantum realities. Your basic fact-finding flummerididdle. Tim: But what about us? We need to be taking chances! Keesha: And making mistakes! Wanda: And getting messy! Professor Frizzle: Oh don't you worry; you'll get plenty of that. |
“Bus, do your stuff!”[]
Ms. Frizzle: Bus, do your stuff! The Bus's headlights blink. It doesn't detect Fiona's voice, so it doesn't do its stuff. Ms. Frizzle: Something's missing. Wait! Professor Frizzle: Fiona, the keys. She hands her sister the Bus's keys. |
Ms. Frizzle: Bus, undo your stuff! The Bus warps back to Walkerville with the Warp Drive. |
“Come along, class!”[]
Ms. Frizzle now has the keys. Ms. Frizzle: Whoa! Thanks, sis! The Bus honks. Ms. Frizzle: Come along, everyone! |
“Seatbelts, everyone!”[]
Arnold: Even my seat is different! After I got it all worked in and everything. Ms. Frizzle: Seatbelts, everyone! |
“They know each other?”[]
Gil I: Fiiiiiiona! How ya doin', gal? Ms. Frizzle: Ahaha! Galápagos Gil! What's up, bear man? Keesha: They know each other? |
“As I always say…”[]
Ms. Frizzle: You know, as my great aunt Claire Voyant used to say, “I knew you were going to say that.” She smelled like onions in the worst possible way. (turns on the Bus Remote) |
Major events[]
- Ms. Valerie Frizzle is revealed to have been promoted to Professor Frizzle, as she foreshadowed in “Works Out”. She hires her sister to teach the class and take care of Liz during her research expeditions with her pet tamarin, Goldie, on a motorbike that uses MagicWare.
- Phoebe is revealed to have transferred back to her old school.
- Jyoti enrolls in Ms. Frizzle’s class.
Cast[]
Class[]
- Kate McKinnon as Ms. Frizzle
- Lily Tomlin as Professor Frizzle
- Miles Koseleci-Vieira as Arnold
- Leke Maceda-Rustecki as Carlos
- Gabby Clarke as Dorothy Ann
- Birva Pandya as Jyoti
- Mikaela Blake as Keesha
- Matthew Mintz as Ralphie
- Kaden Stephen as Tim
- Lynsey Pham as Wanda and her daughter
Guest[]
- Will Arnett as Galapagos Gil and his son
Availability[]
Physical media[]
- DVD:
- The Complete First Season (Scholastic Entertainment) (2019) — Disc 1, Episode 1
- Blast Off! (2020) — Episode 1
- Season One (N Circle) (2021) — Disc 1, Episode 1
- VHS: This episode is not available on this format in any region.
Digital-copy outlets[]
- iTunes: Season 1, Episode 1 (production Season 1)
- Amazon: Season 1, Episode 1 (aired Season 1)
- Vudu: Season 1, Episode 1 (production Season 1)
- YouTube Movies/Google Play: Season 1, Episode 1 (production season 1)
- Microsoft Movies and TV: Season 1, Episode 1 (aired Season 1)
Trivia[]
General[]
- During the transition to The Magic School Bus Rides Again, a few things were removed and changed.
- Instead of Nelvana, Rides Again is be co-produced by 9 Story (another Canadian company), and later in Season 7, it will be co-produced by Brown Bag Films.
- Professor Frizzle replaces the Producer in producer segments.
- This episode's producer segment is the first with no "Is This the Magic School Bus?" intro.
- Professor Valerie Frizzle, PhD. retires from being a teacher. After hiring her sister, she and Goldie replace the producers, Liz, and guest characters in "Is This the Magic School Bus?".
- Characters played by guest stars would host ITTMSB again alongside Liz in "Kids in Space" (Commander Hadfield) and "In the Zone" (Maven).
- Jyoti is enrolled at WES after Phoebe transfers back to Phoebe's Old School.
- Professor Valerie Frizzle, PhD. retires from being a teacher. After hiring her sister, she and Goldie replace the producers, Liz, and guest characters in "Is This the Magic School Bus?".
- This is the first episode with Jyoti’s running gag: her one-word remarks.
- Will Arnett is the second season-premiere guest star in a row after Wynonna Judd from the last season.
- This episode is the only one in Rides Again in which the Levitation Linkage (the Bus’ native anti-gravity setting and an alternative to the Mesmerglober for flight) is used. It is also the only time this feature is used at normal size (as the Levitation Linkage has almost always exclusively been used with the Shrinkerscope—as shown in “For Lunch,” “Makes a Stink,” and “Gets Charged”). This feature is also given an effect for the first time—the Bus inverts its wheels Mario Kart-style when it goes airborne.
- This is the second episode in which the producer segment is hosted by a Frizzle.
- This is the first episode to air in the 2010s and the 21st century.
- This is the first time Arnold and Jyoti sit next to each other in the same seat on the Magic School Bus. The second and third are The Tales Glaciers Tell and Ready, Set, Fail!.
- This is the first episode in 1080p and the first in 16:9. This is also the first episode not to have interlaced frame rates.
- Coincidentally, Season 4 of The Magic School Bus and Season 1 of The Magic School Bus Rides Again both aired and streamed in the eighth year of their decades (1997 and 2017).
- This episode is implied to be foreshadowed in "Works Out", as Professor Frizzle says "There'll be no next time for me, Garth; I'm retiring."
- This is the first episode since the original series' holiday special not to have a title focusing on the Bus. This is probably due to the series' title, The Magic School Bus Rides Again.
- Dorothy Ann stresses the first syllable of "research" as of this series, as she has a new voice actor, Gabby Clarke, who pronounces it that way.
- We get to see inside the Bus while it is transforming for the first time.
- This is the first episode in which a guest character voiced by a guest star is under the influence of the Shrinkerscope, and the second one who knows that the Bus is magic (the first being Katrina Eloise "Murph" Murphy from The Magic School Bus: Holiday Special).
- When the kids are in their suits on the hiking boot, the Cellinator (which is revealed later in "Carlos Gets the Sneezes") is on their belts. This is seen on their MSB suits throughout the entire series, and they wear the same MSB suits when they are shrunk, underwater, or in space instead of wearing different ones.
- In the display case in the futuristic classroom, other Bus transformations from future episodes can be seen (the newer version of the rocket ship from the theme song and "Space Mission: Selfie", the train from "The Magnetic Mambo", etc.).
- The Bus logo on the field trip suits has changed; the Bus is not shown with rocket wings, but it retains its rocket engine at the rear.
- This is the first episode in which Professor Frizzle is not seen wearing anything with decorations for the entire episode. The dress patterns are passed onto her successor. Across the entire original series, Professor Frizzle has at least worn something with decorations, save for some field trip safety gear.
- Professor Frizzle's mug was never shown in this episode, despite being mentioned.
- This is the first episode with the new cast:
- Arnold is played by Miles Koseleci-Vieira.
- Carlos is played by Leke Maceda-Rustecki.
- Dorothy Ann is played by Gabby Clarke.
- Jyoti, the new student, is played by Birva Pandya.
- Ralphie is played by Matthew Mintz.
- Tim is played by Kaden Stephen.
- Wanda is played by Lynsey Pham.
- Wanda's general fashion sense is alluded to in the future class scene, where a sort of gendered uniform has been established for that class, as her descendant is the only one whose lower half is never visible.
- This is the first and only episode that Phoebe is only mentioned by Arnold.
- In the credits a few of the cast members from the original Magic School Bus (1994 - 1997) are seen: Amos Crawley, Lisa Jai and Stuart Stone.
Errors[]
- In one scene in the Galápagos during the plant timeline, Ms. Frizzle (present day)’s dress is blank.
- When Ms. Frizzle says "You know, Mr. Perlstein, you're alright," Arnold's face is drawn off model.
- When Arnold is about to place the crazy growing plant, Arnold is also seen walking to the bus. This is clearly seen as Arnold blurs as the camera is focusing on the kids boarding the bus.
Allusions[]
- Mario Kart series — When the Bus uses the Levitation Linkage, its wheels flip horizontally, similar to karts, bikes, and ATVs when they go anti-gravity in Mario Kart 8 and its Deluxe edition.