ReBoot

ReBoot is a Canadian animated television series produced by Mainframe Entertainment, noted for being the first completely computer animated television series. Originally made for children, the series attracted many older fans when it became thematically darker partway through its second season. Additionally, throughout its entire run ReBoot made countless references to computer terms and pop culture that would not be understood by most children. The success of this series helped establish Mainframe Entertainment as one of the predominant computer animation studios in the world.

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It is important to note that when the series debuted in 1994, the first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, had not yet been released.

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The setting, which may have been inspired by the Disney film Tron, is in the inner world of a computer system known by its inhabitants as Mainframe (also from which is Mainframe Entertainment named for). Mainframe is divided into six sectors (moving clockwise): Baudway, Kits, Floating Point Park, Beverly Hills, Wall Street, and Ghetty Prime. Mainframe is populated almost entirely by binomes, little creatures that represent either 1's or 0's, as well as a handful of Sprites who are primarily humanoid creatures of more complex design and are the main characters of the series. ReBoot is considered by many as one of the most influential cartoon series ever. One poll by Cartoon Network asked, "What is your favorite Toonami show of all time?" ReBoot garnered 49% of votes.

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ReBoot was first broadcast on Saturday mornings in the United States in 1994 by the ABC Television Network and in Canada on YTV (although YTV had exclusive rights to air first-run episodes), proved to be an instant hit with children and their parents, only to be abruptly cancelled when the Walt Disney Company purchased the network. Episodes from the second season could still be seen in the States when Claster Television distributed them for a short period of time during the 1996-97 season. Although there were many demands for a third season, it would be a year before new episodes aired on YTV due to Mainframe's involvement in Beasties and Shadow Raiders, and the third season aired only on YTV at the time due to the lack of interest stateside. As such, the third season was largely free of the network censorship that plagued the first two seasons; this is evidenced by the series establishing that the adult Matrix and AndrAIa have become lovers (going so far as AndrAIa actually calling Matrix "lover"). It was March 1999 - years after Canadian audiences saw the third season - before American audiences saw the episodes on Cartoon Network. Again, production on other series delayed the fourth season of ReBoot, and there are no plans to produce a fifth despite a cliffhanger season finale, as the show's writers have since left Mainframe.

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Since 2001, many of the show's fans have carried out a movement with the hope of convincing Mainframe to produce more ReBoot episodes. These efforts have been unsuccessful up to this point, possibly due to the lack of support from American distributors. Today, reruns of ReBoot can be seen occasionally on YTV and CBC.

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The show also aired in the UK in the late-90's on ITV.

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Canadian: REDIRECT Canada...

Animated television series: An animated television series or cartoon television series is a television series produced by means of animation....

Mainframe Entertainment: Mainframe Entertainment is a Canadian computer animation and design company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Los Angeles, California, USA. It produces children's computer animation TV series....

ReBoot related Images and Photos (experimental)

Shut Up and Reboot