Binomes were developed to be animated & rendered easily but character builders found themselves driven to produce ever simpler-designs. The challenge was (with the fewest "add-ons" as possible) to model immediately recognizable characters with, what was most of the time, 3 blocks with poles! These limitations (both budget & design) created the most popular characters in the series.

All's Fair In Love & Ratings Why ABC Dumped "ReBoot" Animation television producers really admired Mainframe's determination to produce another season of episodes after being dropped by the ABC television network in the United States. "ReBoot" was in its second season of episodes when ABC was sold by CapCities to the Walt Disney Co. When asked if ABC's Saturday morning would become completely supplied with Disney series, Michael Eisner (CEO of Disney) promised that they would remain completely open to all suppliers. Immediately, everyone in the business knew what this meant and within weeks "ReBoot" (which had good ratings & excellent critical acclaim) was dropped.

Towards the end of the third season (and perhaps "seeing the writing on the wall"), the show's producers & staff worked in "Sailor Moon" binomes. This culminated in a special tribute in Episode #38, "System Crash" (Part 3 of a 4 Part story) where we find that the world of Mainframe is collapsing. Its citizens are in a panic and are frantically scurrying about in futile efforts to save their world or avoid immediate danger.

In a valiant attempt, a Sailor Moon binome tries to use her magic wand to stop a building from falling. Surrounded by the other Inner Scout binomes, the Sailor Moon binome is about to succeed when some rubble crushes her flat--leaving only her hair sticking out. The other binomes (typically) become lost, dazed and confused! It's a funny, pathetic scene. (We especially liked the lighting.)

Who? George Pal! We are continually astonished at how so many CG animators are unaware of the works of the late George Pal. Pal was one of the leading model animators of his day (the other being Ray Harryhausen). In Pal's work one won't see how model animation technically advanced to today's computer generated animation (that's because technically it's two different worlds). But what one will see is how today's characters and stories can trace their lineage back to Pal's work. Everything in "ReBoot" has already been done (low-tech) decades earlier in George Pal's Puppetoon shorts. In one key short, "And The Tulips Shall Grow," you can note how model animation and today's CG animation share the same unique, bizarre challenges of character and story--uncommon to the flat 2D world. The tools may have changed but the problems remain the same.

Since "ReBoot," Mainframe Entertainment has gone on to other projects, including "Shadow Raiders" (known as "War Planets" in the United States).

For more about "ReBoot" visit Joe Smith's mind-boggling "Unofficial ReBoot Home Page." (Have you ever feared that you were becoming obsessed with your favorite TV show? Well after a visit to this fan's site--you'll feel a whole lot saner! It's therapeutic! Our favorite feature has to be Joe's "Census Count" where he keeps track of every single inhabitant of Mainframe!)

Capture courtesy of Sailor Scorpio.

You may also want to visit the ReBoot Archive to see other image captures from the show.