On this week’s episode of Apathetic Enthusiasm, Travis and I took several listener questions and had a pretty good time exploring some of the answers we came up with. There was one particular question that I wanted to absolutely explore further but held back for the sake of brevity. The question: why do you think the Twilight Zone reboots haven’t been successful?I, of course, being a huge fan of the Twilight Zone did my best to explain the reasons behind why reboots could never live up to the legacy of the show. More importantly, why reboots could never live up to the legacy of Rod Serling.
The Q&A then switched to Travis about the catalysts behind different Disney “Golden Ages” of animation. Travis mentioned something interesting during his answer. He talked about how the company floundered in the animation department after Walt Disney’s death.
This sparked a parallel in my mind of the similarities between Serling and Disney. Both men were integral in the vision of each of their legacies. Their creative DNA is etched into all of their efforts, so much that it is difficult to separate.
I think to the reboots of the Twilight Zone, both 80’s and 2000’s, versions and have a hard time considering them anything more than pale imitations of the original. This isn’t to claim that the stories weren’t intriguing or didn’t exude a similar sense of wonder; it’s only meant to emphasize that they were different things entirely. And why is that? It boils down to a simple fact: Rod Serling put his heart and soul into the Twilight Zone. It was his guiding hand, his prose, reviewing scripts, writing teleplays, and appearing (in narration and on-screen) on the show that took viewers into a world of imagination week after week.
Twilight Zone without Serling isn’t Twilight Zone at all.
Walt Disney, similarly, is inseparable from Disney’s early animated features. It’s difficult to imagine a Fantasia being created during the Lion King 2 1/2 and Little Mermaid 2 era (I realize Fantasia 2000 was created around there, but I stand firm!).
There are obvious differences between the men. Though Disney floundered at various periods in the company’s history, they’ve been gifted the vision of some excellent leaders; men who could translate the vision of Disney through the ages. Check out John Lasseter if you have any doubts about it. Twilight Zone hasn’t been so fortunate over the years. Though quality writers, actors and directors have contributed to the reboots, they’ve never been able to translate Serling’s unique vision to the screen.
With news of an interactive Twilight Zone reboot on the horizon, I am intrigued yet ambivalent toward the project. The writer, Ken Levine, wrote and directed the video games Bioshock and Bioshock: Infinite, games whose stories are unsettling, layered, and fitting for the world of Twilight Zone. He responded to a message for my Twilight Zone podcast, Submitted for Your Approval, and explained, “I’m concerned about what fans want to see. What matters to them. What they love about Twilight Zone.”
As a fan of the show and an accomplished storyteller, Levine’s writing will hopefully lead to a return to form and provide a cohesive vision and future for the property. So the question now: is it time to mirror the return to form of Disney (Wreck It Ralph or Big Hero 6)?
Or will it be another Black Cauldron?
If you want to hear an episode by episode recap and discussion of the Twilight Zone, be sure to check out my podcast, Submitted For Your Approval, every week on iTunes, Stitcher, and www.Geekade.com!
I totes wrote this post!