DisneyIt’s been nearly 18 years since we last saw TJ, Spinelli, Mikey, Gretchen, Vince and Gus take over our screens in Disney’s Recess – which, let’s face it, is far too long.
An independent production team from Vancouver clearly agrees, and have announced a non-profit fan film of the classic Disney cartoon. The only difference? The Third Street Elementary School kids will now be teenagers.
That’s right, we will now be able to follow TJ and co. as they navigate their way through high school, tackling issues such as love, peer pressure, social media, and identity (to name just a few).
AV Kid’s Crew, the team behind the live-action Recess, describe themselves as ‘die hard fans’ of the original animated show, and are currently fundraising to support their passion project.
The official synopsis, as per Indiegogo, reads:
Picture 10-year-old you sitting in front of the TV, watching TJ, Spinelli, Gretchen, Vince, Mikey, Gus, Randall, the Ashleys and the rest of the colourful cast at 3rd Street Elementary School getting up to their usual hijinks.
You lay your head to rest that night and dream about being part of this group and then awake 20 years later and think: ‘Hey, I wonder what happened to the Recess gang when they went to high school?’
Well, YOU’RE WELCOME, because we’re here to answer that question for you!
DisneyThe live-action lineup features an impressive cast, including Benjamin Wadsworth (Deadly Class) as TJ, Sean Depner as Mikey, Louriza Tronco (The Order) as Spinelli, Lillian Doucet-Roche as Gretchen, Fritzy-Klevans Destine as Vince, and Clive Holloway as Gus. Adam DiMarco will play playground snitch Randall.
Of course, Recess wouldn’t be the same without The Ashleys, with Sydney Scotia, Brenna Llewellyn, Kelcey Mawema and Emilija Baranac (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) being chosen to play the iconic group.
The project is the work of filmmakers Jerome Yoo and Kent Donguines, whose 11-page script will see Mikey getting his fragile heart broken as the rest of the gang attempt to cheer him up. Poor old Mikey.
DisneyThe production team, based in Vancouver, Canada, are working on the film on a voluntary basis and are therefore asking fellow fans of the beloved kid’s show to donate anything they can to the project.
You can do this here, if – like me – you need to know what happens to Mikey’s broken heart.
Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the film to go online (for free!) in August.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).