After 16 years, a fan-favorite Cartoon Network classic is getting a sequel; however, there is a bit of a catch. From 2004 to 2009, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was one of the most popular series on the Warner Bros.-owned cable network. It followed the animated adventures of a young boy, Mac, who frequents a hoster home where imaginary friends go after a child has outgrown them.
Warner Bros. is returning to the world of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends with a newly announced series, Foster's Funtime for Imaginary Friends. The new show marks the first entry into the Foster's canon in nearly two decades and is set to bring back Blue, the series mascot from its original six-season run.
The Foster's sequel series was announced as part of Warner Bros. Dicsovery's annual panel at the Annecy International Animation Festival (via Variety) and might not be exactly what fans have been asking for from the Cartoon Network classic.
You see, Foster's Funtime has been branded as a preschool learning series, meaning it is being geared toward significantly younger audiences than the original show.
For years, fans have wished the original show would get a revival. Many had hoped for an aging-up of the source material similar to Disney's X-Men '97 and Netflix's Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling.
Instead, it seems the new Foster's series is angling for a whole new audience, ushering in a new generation of fans into its colorful world.
Foster's Funtime for Imaginary Friends follows the lovable imaginary friend main character of the original series, Blue, and five new other-worldly characters. The series is said to focus on "laughs over lessons," playing as almost a commentary on modern-day preschool programming, poking fun at shows like Sesame Street, Barney & Friends, and Bluey.
Why Did They Change Foster's For the Sequel?
For fans waiting for Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends to come back in some form, this new will almost certainly come as a bit of a disappointment.
For a generation of Cartoon Network viewers, the original series was seminal, proving to be one of the most acclaimed series in channel history. So, seeing the franchise come back after all this time only to be in a series that is ultimately not for them will come as a shock.
However, this could be a smart move from Warner Bros. and the Cartoon Network team. Why focus on the generation of Foster's fans they already have when they can broaden the brand's reach by skewing even younger and going for that preschool crowd?
In fact, it has been so long since the first series ended that some of these new preschool viewers could be children of fans of the original Foster's Home TV show.
This could provide some familiar faces for parents to sit their children in front of, knowing they can pass their love of the beloved Cartoon Network classic on to their kids (like what Disney has done with Star Wars and its Young Jedi Adventures series).
