Netflix released the first trailer for “The Magic School Bus Rides Again” on Tuesday, with a very special guest, if you can spot him.
Yes, the person singing the updated theme song is “Hamilton” creator and Oscar nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda.
In this version, “Saturday Night Live’s” Kate McKinnon plays Ms. Frizzle, but not the same Ms. Frizzle, played by Lily Tomlin in the original cartoon. In the trailer, the elder Frizzle passes the keys, and the symbolic torch, to her younger sister, who shares her passion for science and unconventional teaching methods.
The original “Magic School Bus” was a brand of books, video games and of course, the popular PBS show, that featured a teacher and the aforementioned magic school bus as they take her students on extraordinary field trips, to outer space and the human body. It was nominated for multiple Emmys, including voice acting awards for Tomlin, who won in 1995. However, because the franchise was most popular in the 1990s, it needed some updating (it still says Pluto is a planet).
In a release, the streaming service says that field trips in the reboot will include ones into the clouds, across the internet and into the Sun.
The theme song has also been updated. Miranda sings the new but familiar tune (the lyrics are the same), but he isn’t the first big name to sing it. The original was sung by none other than Little Richard.
Miranda posted his excitement on Twitter following the announcement.
Hey Lin Magic School Bus is coming back do you want to sing th-
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEES https://t.co/OgV8ZMa4bE— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) September 5, 2017
The new series premieres on Netflix Sept. 29. Watch the full trailer above.