“Bring a shining light to every face, it shines for all to see. To make the world a brighter place, Rainbow Brite and me.” Those immortal lyrics came at the end of the 1985 theatrical feature, “Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer.” No, the sentences you read were not part of a fever dream that someone at Nerdbot had, this was all part of Hallmark trying to push a character into popular culture through toys, dolls, clothes, a TV show, and film.
If you weren’t familiar with Rainbow Brite before this and think you dodged a bullet, think again my friend, because Rainbow Brite is coming back!
Many elements of 1980s culture were about capitalizing on a trend and pushing it everywhere it could go. This is why we had the rise of “Transformers,” “Care Bears,” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Super Mario, and so much else that was able to take hold. Rainbow Brite was Hallmark’s entry into this world since it had worked successfully for competing company, American Greetings. They had developed Care Bears in 1981 and Hallmark wanted some of that sweet, sweet green.
Rainbow Brite’s backstory comes from her being a young girl who gets tasked with bringing color back to a desolate world, conquered by the King of Shadows. Her adventures were told through TV specials and the aforementioned feature film and several toy lines that spanned multiple generations. They did try to bring Rainbow Brite back with a limited series in 2014 but it didn’t really go anywhere… evident by the fact you’re not seeing Rainbow Brite mentioned anytime in the last 10 years until now.
Reportedly, a film and television series are being planned. What makes this noteworthy is how Toby Ascher and Neal H. Moritz have been tapped to produce the adaptation. Both men have previously worked on the “Sonic the Hedgehog“ film series, indicating that Hallmark is taking this pretty seriously. They even have Crayola involved in it, assuring that the crayon company can use all of its colorful power and resources to bring the revival to life.
The television series sees Hallmark and Crayola working with the smaller production company, Cake. They’ve specialized in programming for young kids and families with projects like the “Total Drama” franchise, some “Angry Birds” adaptations, and “Lucas the Spider.” The aim is to bring Rainbow Brite’s colorful disposition and themes of positivity to a new generation of kids.
Is Rainbow Brite honestly fondly remembered enough to warrant a revival? Maybe? We’ll let you know what we har about this and other news.
