Alphanumeric: A documentary about fan-favourite "ReBoot" coming in 2024
Vancouver’s ReBoot is about to get a documentary series about the history of the fan-favourite animated TV show, but the filmmakers need help with some recently discovered artifacts.
The team behind ReBoot ReWind recently came across the master tapes of the show that were thought to have been destroyed or lost for the last decade.
However, Mainframe Entertainment, the original company that made the show, had the tapes rendered on a rare tape deck called a PAL D-1 deck. And Reboot ReWind is asking for the public’s help in finding a working D1 tape deck to free the trapped footage.
The documentary series will premiere on Telus Optik TV video-on-demand and the Telus STORYHIVE YouTube channel in mid-2024.
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“We put out a call for help on Facebook and Instagram because these decks are so rare,” explained Raquel Lin, co-creator of ReBoot ReWind alongside Jacob Weldon. “They exist but were essentially the Ferraris of tape decks back in the 90s and because of the sheer amount of tapes, we’d need to deck to come to Vancouver.
“In the last 24 hours, this call for help has spread like wildfire with a massive amount of people trying to help. The fans and tech geeks have really come together to try to save this show. We have some decent leads but nothing solid yet.”
ReBoot/Mainframe Entertainment
ReBoot first premiered on Canada’s Youth Television (YTV) and the American Broadcasting Corporation in 1994 as the world’s first fully computer-animated television series. Production first began in the 1980s, but it was only until the 1990s that the technology was available for the show to be produced.
The series ran for four seasons and was by far the largest 3D animation project ever undertaken at the time. A reboot for Netflix and YTV titled ReBoot: The Guardian Code was released in 2018.
ReBoot ReWind/Facebook
“ReBoot was not only made in Vancouver, but it’s a part of world history,” added Lin. “The tapes we found are old and the data needs to be transferred to a digital format because they won’t last forever and eventually will be lost. We’d love… to save this Vancouver gem that became the #1 show on YTV in the 90s.”
The documentary team added that being able to transfer the tapes would mean having the entire series in the best possible picture and sound quality, presented as accurately as the day it was rendered.
The ReBoot master tapes also contain a library of additional content including animation tests, toy commercials, Electronic Arts video game footage, and IMAX content.
Anyone with a lead on where ReBoot ReWind may be able to obtain a working D1 tape deck is asked to contact them directly.
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