Story Bible For Recess Reboot “Next Bell” Leaks Online.

Every so often, a pitch for a television show that never got off the ground leaks onto the internet. More often than not, it’s an original idea; other times, it’s a pitch to revive an older intellectual property. Well, this has just happened when a pitch bible for a reboot of the classic Disney One Saturday Morning cartoon Recess was discovered.

For those who may not remember, Recess was a series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere in 1997 for Disney’s One Saturday Morning block. The show followed a group of six friends (T.J., Vince, Spinelli, Gretchen, Mikey, and Gus), all fourth graders, enjoying that special time of day: Recess. The show not only gave us fun adventures with the gang but also commentary on society and social norms through the eyes of a child.

The series ran from 1997 to 2001 and had 65 episodes. It concluded with the theatrical film Recess: School’s Out in 2001 and a handful of direct-to-video specials. In 2006, the series crossed over with Lilo & Stitch: The Series. The show has gained a cult following over the years, mostly from those who watched it.

With the series off the air for a little over two decades, in this day and age, looking at nostalgia from the late 90s and early 2000s, it was inevitable that the idea of reviving a popular show would be considered. However, the story bible that apparently leaked online was not well received by fans.



The Bible was dated 3/6/2022 and has the names of both series creators attached. The series, pitched as Recess: Next Bell, would focus on some of the original gang’s children along with a few newcomers. Of course, we would see some of the older characters grow up and have their own lives.

However, what rubbed everyone the wrong way was how members of the original cast were portrayed. While Vince is described to have gone on to become a professional basketball player and Gretchen is described as an “Elon Musk-type character,” other characters are not treated as favorably.

While in the original series, T.J. and Spinelli were hinted at as being romantically interested in each other, Spinelli later dumped him after deciding that she was into women before switching back and marrying Vince. T.J. is now a selfish adult who cares only about cash and “mirrors many of our adult fans’ real lives and experiences“. The lovable Mikey has now passed away and Gus has since transitioned and is now “Nikki”.



Since this leak, many of the posts on X/Twitter and Reddit that contain photos from the show bible have been taken down via copyright strike, indicating the document’s authenticity. So, we will not be showing any images of the document here.

While it is sometimes a good idea to revisit a show, X-Men ’97 for example, we have also had reboots like The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (another Disney cartoon revival) which gained a lot of controversy over politically charged content.

While this series hasn’t been announced it is unknown if this reboot will actually air. The pitch bible is dated 2022, but if images are being copyright struck then there may still be something there.

What do you think? Does this reboot sound like a good idea? Or should it be left on the cutting room floor? Let us know.

Source: Bounding Into Comics