I try to never be a captive of nostalgia.
Spend some time with it yes, sup some tea, eat a biscuit, remember the good old days but never, ever be lured into the false sense of security that things were better way back when.
Different certainly, special undoubtedly, but not necessarily better. Just drop those rose-tinted glasses now will ya?
My commitment to this ethos of living in the here and now, and not playing pointless comparisons between what is and what was is tested on occasion though such as when Hanna-Barbera decided that Scooby Doo would be infinitely better off with Scrappy Doo in it.
Um, NO.
And it got momentarily tested when first I viewed the new trailer for the revival version of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Thunderbirds Are Go from ITV Studios and Pakeko Pictures which looked a little too, well CGI-ish for my tastes.
And by CGI-ish I mean the sort of cheap, too much Botox and plastic surgery look common to many of the characters in mass-produced children’s cartoon programs these days.
But then I looked a little more closely – I said put down those rose-tinted glasses buster! – and realised that what Blastr had to say about the look of the new show was right back on the money:
“ITV Studios and Pakeko Pictures have preserved the colorful, retro vibe of the original series with enough rocketships, holograms, crawling submarines, supervillains, space stations and cool secret lairs to blast audiences into nostalgic oblivion.”
But things can’t stay exactly the same forever or all you are doing is re-creating museum pieces of dubious value – you could well argue too that replicating the genius of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson is well near impossible too – so upon reflection, and a good hearty shoving of nostalgia to one side, I have to admit it’s exciting to see the gang I grew up watching at 6am each morning in my grandparents’ lounge room back on the screen with, as SuperHeroHype points out, some new characters, all played by some notable names:
“… the iconic series is coming back and features a cast led by Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) as Lady Penelope and David Graham (Thunderbirds 1965) reprising his role as chauffeur and International Rescue agent Parker.
Unstoppable inventor Brains will be voiced by Kayvan Novak, while Tracy brothers Gordon and John are both played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Love Actually, Game of Thrones). Rasmus Hardiker voices both the youngest and oldest Tracy brothers, Alan and Scott. The fifth Tracy brother, Virgil, will be played by David Menkin. Tracy Island matriarch Grandma Tracy is voiced by Sandra Dickinson and master villain The Hood is played by Andres Williams.
“Thunderbirds Are Go!” will feature new characters including Kayo, the Tracy brothers’ friend and fellow island resident, who will be played by Angel Coulby, and Colonel Casey voiced by Adjoa Andoh (Doctor Who).”
So everything old is both new again and exactly as I remember it, which if you’re reviving something is exactly as it should be (The Muppets too benefited from venerating the old while throwing in some new elements).
I’m looking forward to once again engaging the afterburners, battling the mysterious Hood, watching the Tracys’ save people near and far and uttering those iconic words “Thunderbirds are go!”
Thunderbirds Are Go! returns to our screens on April 15, 2015 on British childrens’ TV network CITV.