Before heroes the likes of Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, and Valkyrie were setting box office records for Disney and Marvel's MCU, a character created by writer/artist Dave Stevens known as The Rocketeer had taken flight in hearts of those looking for someone who's "above-average" to save the day. Inspired by the Saturday morning serial heroes found in theater clips from the 1930s to the 1950s, Cliff Secord, as The Rocketeer, used his trusty jetpack to go on adventures while visiting popular areas within the United States.
Today, Disney has announced that they've begun production on THE ROCKETEER, a new animated series featuring the iconic character, but with a gender-bent twist. For the new program, which will be made with viewers between the ages 2-7 in mind and will air on the Disney Junior channel, The Rocketeer mantle will be held by Kit, a young girl who receives a surprise package on her birthday revealing that she’s next in line to become the high-flying superhero. With her new tech and secret identity secured, Kit enlists her gadget-savvy best friend, Tesh, and her airplane mechanic uncle, Ambrose, to aid her as she makes the transition from ordinary kid to death-defying do-gooder.
Each episode of the new animation will be presented as two 11-minute stories and will include an original song. So … you know, prepare yourself to hear a lot of songs about flying through the air, most likely. Or, keep a copy of the 1991 Joe Johnston-directed THE ROCKETEER handy, should you feel the need for a re-visit to the live-action representation of the character. The film stars Billy Campbell as Cliff, Jennifer Connelly as Jenny, Alan Arkin as Peevy, and Timothy Dalton as Neville Sinclair. In my opinion, it's a film that's only gotten better with age.
In talking about the new children's program, Disney Junior's SVP of Original Programming, Joe D'Ambrosia, stated that “We are very excited to introduce 'The Rocketeer’ to our young Disney Junior audience. he vast storytelling found in the original comic books provides the perfect opportunity to create an exciting new adventure series told from a young girl superhero perspective that the whole family can enjoy together.”
As the demand for more diverse superheroes continues to grow, Disney's move to present The Rocketeer as a young girl feels like a real winner to me. Not only will the upcoming animated series introduce the character to a whole new generation, it should also make for a nice pairing with Disney's MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR animation as well. Bring on the young tech-savvy heroes of fantasy fiction, I say! After all, the world isn't going to save itself.