Written By Alisha Weinberger
Nostalgia is all the rage these days, and who can honestly raise an eyebrow? The millennial generation, pioneers of the internet and social media frontier, are all grown up. Now, in their early to late twenties, working at the forefront of popular media and culture, the resurfacing of ’90s childhood memories and icons really comes to no surprise. And the TV networks and movie studios are paying close attention.
Say what you will about the 90’s, it was certainly a decade of revolutionizing television, for better or worse. John Kricfalusi’s Ren & Stimpy, premiered as one of Nickelodeon’s original three Nicktoons. The other two being Doug and Rugrats, the latter worked on by Peter Chung who would later go on to create Aeon Flux for golden age MTV. Animation aside, the ’90s was also the height of sketch comedy, there was SNL and In Living Color, but millennials can’t seem to forget the masterful kid-friendly version of these shows, All That. Just try thumbing down your various feeds without running into some iteration of an All That meme, or a “Which ‘All That’ Cast Member Are You?” Quiz; better yet, who can truthfully say they never sang “He’s a dude/She’s a dude/We’re all dudes” in the shower? Or perhaps confess their undying love to orange soda?
At last year’s New York Comic Con, Pop-Break had the privilege of sitting down with the original All That cast members (Lori Beth Denberg, Danny Tamberelli, Kel Mitchell, and Josh Server) to discuss the All That reunion special due this April. In speaking with Kel Mitchell and Josh Server, both stars revealed how both millennials and their children have become enthralled with the era:
Kel: Yeah, I love it. I get a lot of that. The parents will come up to me and say, “Oh, I knew you from the ’90s!” And the kids will say, “Well, I watch the shows too.” We have the the whole family now and that’s pretty cool.
Josh: Like you, to transcend generations is unreal. It’s amazing.
Mitchell and Server’s words ring true, now more than ever is network television and the silver screen powers that be are responding to the ’90s nostalgia trend. Just a month ago, Nickelodeon studios confirmed a greenlit Hey Arnold! movie promising to conclude the series. There is, of course, The Splat Nickelodeon’s ’90s block that airs all the classics between 10pm-6am. The 2015 NYCC panel, celebrating The Splat and bringing the cast members together, took the convention hall by storm when they announced the All That reunion special due this April. As we approach the end of March, it’s still unclear what the format of the special will be or what the official premier date is. Either way, that voices of millennials have been heard, and All That fans of all ages should be on the lookout in the coming month.
