Reboot

ReBoot is a show about a computer world.

A hero named Bob keeps the world safe. He fights bad bugs called viruses. One virus is named Megabyte. Another virus is named Hexadecimal.

Sometimes a user plays a game. A violet cube falls from the sky. This cube changes the world into a game. It can even destroy parts of the city.

Bob has many friends to help him. Dot Matrix and Enzo are his friends. They work hard to protect their home.

This show was very special. It was one of the first shows made with 3D art. It is a fun story to watch.

ReBoot is a famous Canadian TV show. It was made with 3D computer art. This was very new at the time.

The story takes place in a computer world called Mainframe. A hero named Bob is a Guardian. He works to keep the system safe. He has many friends like Dot Matrix and Enzo. They fight bad computer bugs called viruses. One virus is named Megabyte. His sister is Hexadecimal. She is a chaotic virus with many masks on her face.

Sometimes a person called the User plays a game. A violet cube falls from the sky. This cube turns part of the city into a game. If the User wins, that area is destroyed. The people there turn into small, worm-like creatures called Nulls.

Making the show was a hard task. The artists used new software and big computers. As time went on, the art got better. The characters looked more real with shadows and eyelashes. The show even had long stories that spanned many episodes. This helped fans follow the big adventures of the heroes.

ReBoot is a special Canadian animated show. It was one of the first series made for television using CGI. This stands for computer-generated imagery. This means the characters were made on computers instead of being drawn by hand. The show follows a hero named Bob. Bob is a Guardian who lives in a computer world called Mainframe. He works hard to keep the system safe from bad viruses. He is joined by his friends Dot Matrix and Enzo Matrix. Together, they protect their home from many different threats.

The world of Mainframe changes when a person called the User plays a game. A large, violet cube falls from the sky into the city. This cube turns a part of the system into a gamescape. Anyone trapped inside becomes a game sprite. If the User wins the game, that area is destroyed. This is called being nullified. The people living there turn into small, worm-like creatures called Nulls. These Nulls look like parasites that drain energy from the system.

Creating this show was a very big job. The creators included Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell, and John Grace. They began thinking about the idea in 1984. It took many years to get everything ready. The team moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to make it. They used special Silicon Graphics workstations. They also used a program called Softimage Creative Environment. Because the technology was so new, the models looked a bit blocky. This actually helped the show look like a real computer world.

There are many interesting characters in the story. Megabyte is a strong virus who commands an army. He has a sister named Hexadecimal. She is a chaotic virus who can fly. Her face uses different masks to show her emotions. There is also a red and yellow dog named Frisket. He is very strong and only listens to Enzo. Another character is AndrAIa, a game sprite who wears seashells. Even the name AndrAIa uses "AI" to stand for artificial intelligence.

As the years went by, the show changed a lot. It first aired on YTV starting in 1994. By the third season, the animation looked much better. The artists could finally add details like eyelashes and shadows. The characters began to look more lifelike. The stories also became more serious as the characters grew up. For example, Enzo grew up to become a hero named Matrix. This helped the show connect with older fans who enjoyed long adventures.

ReBoot is a pioneering Canadian animated television series. It stands as one of the first series ever made for television using computer-generated imagery, or CGI. Created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell, and John Grace, the show premiered on YTV in 1994. It continued to air until 2001. The series is set entirely within the digital confines of a computer system. The inhabitants call this inner world Mainframe. The show explores the struggles of living inside a machine that is constantly changing.

The central conflict involves protecting Mainframe from various digital threats. The story follows Bob, a Guardian 452, who serves as the system's protector. He works alongside his companions, Dot Matrix and Enzo Matrix. They must defend the system against dangerous viruses. One primary threat is Megabyte, an "Order Virus" who commands an army of binomes. His sister, Hexadecimal, is a "chaotic" virus with telekinetic abilities. Hexadecimal's face is unique because it uses a series of masks to show different emotions.

A major mechanism in the world of Mainframe is the arrival of the User. When the User loads a game into the system, it manifests as a large, electrical violet cube. This cube descends onto a section of the city and seals it off. This area becomes a gamescape. Any inhabitants trapped inside the cube are transformed into NPCs, or non-player characters. These characters must play against the User. If the User wins the game, the sector is "nullified." This means the area is destroyed. The residents are then reduced to energy-draining, worm-like parasites known as Nulls.

The characters in ReBoot undergo significant development and changes. Enzo Matrix begins the series as a young boy who idolizes Bob. However, after entering a game he cannot win, he undergoes a transformation. He and his friend AndrAIa, a game sprite, change their icons to game sprite mode. Because of accelerated game time, they actually age while traveling through systems. Enzo eventually grows up and adopts the name Matrix. He becomes a hardened hero who carries a weapon named Gun and Bob's damaged keytool, Glitch.

The production of ReBoot was a massive technical undertaking. The concept was first conceived in 1984 by a British creative collective called The Hub. After eight years of development, the creators moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. At the time, the technology required for 3D animation was very limited. The creators used Silicon Graphics workstations and Softimage Creative Environment software. Because the technology was new, the models often appeared blocky. This aesthetic was a deliberate choice to match the fictional computer setting. The production was a painstaking process because no other company had attempted a 3D project of this scale.

As the series progressed, the animation quality improved significantly. By the third season, the software capabilities of Mainframe Entertainment had advanced. The animators could include subtle details like eyelashes and shadows. The polygonal characters became much more lifelike than in the first two seasons. This technical growth coincided with a shift in the show's tone. The target audience moved toward viewers aged 12 and older. Consequently, the storylines became darker and more mature. This allowed the show to explore complex arcs, such as the relationship between the sibling viruses Megabyte and Hexadecimal.

ReBoot also faced challenges regarding network censorship. During its time on the ABC network, the show encountered many script and editing changes. These changes were imposed by the Board of Standards and Practices to ensure the content was appropriate for children. For example, the character Dot was viewed as too sexualized. Animators were forced to change her physical design to be less curvy. In other instances, specific words or even a sisterly kiss were removed by censors. After severing ties with ABC, the creators gained more freedom. This freedom allowed the show to reach a wider audience through syndication and to tell more complex stories.