Long before they acquired Marvel, Disney tried their hand at putting their own superhero on the big screen with the 1991 film The Rocketeer. The film was a box office flop, but it nevertheless earned a legion of fans who look back at the movie fondly today. Now, those fans have something to look forward to as well, because The Rocketeer is coming back!
A new animated Rocketeer series is coming to Disney Junior, the studio announced on February 27. The new series is aimed at young kids and their families and will revolve around a young girl who inherits the mantle of the Rocketeer and becomes a rocket-powered superhero. Here’s the official synopsis, via Collider:
“Inspired by Dave Stevens’ popular comic book series, The Rocketeer follows Kit, a young girl who receives a surprise package on her birthday revealing she’s next in line to become the Rocketeer, a legendary superhero who has the ability to fly with the help of a rocket-powered jet pack. Armed with her cool new gear and secret identity, Kit is ready to take flight and save the day with her gadget-minded best friend, Tesh, and airplane mechanic uncle, Ambrose, who join her on her epic adventures.”
The Rocketeer’s comic book history dates back to 1982, where his adventures were first published by Pacific Comics. Like the film, the hero’s escapades took place in the 1930s, and were inspired by old-timey adventure serials. And while the setting was definitely one of the best parts of the original film (there were Nazis and Howard Hughes!), it sounds like the new series will take place in the modern day rather than the ’30s, given that the new Rocketeer will be inheriting her jetpack. Here’s what Disney Junior’s senior vice president of original programming, Joe D’Ambrosia, said about the new series, which will be more directly inspired by the original comics rather than the film:
“We are very excited to introduce The Rocketeer to our young Disney Junior audience. The 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.”
The Rocketeer will premiere on Disney Junior sometime in the spring of 2019.
