MSB S2E03: The Busasaurus

I've been wanting to review this episode for quite some time ever since I took reviewing this series into consideration. I am now going to take chances, make mistakes, go backwards through time! Back to the timeline those giant reptiles roamed the earth. Blog, do your stuff!

16. The Busasaurus.
Topic: Dinosaurs.
Loosely based on "In the Time of the Dinosaurs"
Written by: Ronnie Krauss, Brian Meehl & George Arthur Bloom.
Guest star: Rita Moreno as Doctor Carmina Skeledon.
Aired: 22 October 1995.

This is the cartoon version of The Magic School Bus In the Time of the Dinosaurs. (All the periods--Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous--are visited in the book, but time constraints forced the episode to be limited to showing only the Cretaceous Period.) In this episode, the kids visit Ms. Frizzle's old friend, Dr. Carmina Skeledon (Rita Moreno), at a dinosaur dig. Dr. Skeledon lets Arnold see a fossilized dinosaur egg as the kids are leaving, and he still has it when they go back in time. An Ornithomimus steals the egg, and both Arnold and Phoebe chase after it. The rest of the class is left to find them, and in the end, Arnold squares off with a T. rex after being grown. (It resembles the one shown in Jurassic Park.)

Ah, here we go. The class has been taken to a dinosaur fossil digging place. And look at that. A T-Rex!

"D.O.A. Dinosaur Out of Action!" 
Oh, Carlos! You and your silly puns, especially considering the deceased dinosaur.

Dig those heels Ms. Frizzle was wearing at the beginning of this. Shows that Ms. Frizzle changes her wardrobe depending on the subject she's to teach the class and the episode's to teach school kids.

Don't know what dinosaur that egg could've hatched into had it not been fossilised.

Yep, Scholastic and Nelvana were definitely going for the most common theory as to how the dinosaurs died out.

Looks like the egg Arnold was given has unfossilised.

Look out, Arnold and Phoebe! That Ornithomimus is stealing Carmina's egg!

Looks like Carlos' story as to how ferocious dinosaurs were isn't entirely true. This Alamosaurus, like all other sauropods, ate plants, as Keesha was feeding it.

 Liz has a funny impression of Arnold. Pretending to wear glasses.

 That's a funny impression of Phoebe, acting like a sweet girl.

 And Liz is being a mean ornithomimus.

These Parasaurolophus made some strange noises in this, whilst drinking and eating lake plants.

"Gee, what a guy."

Looks like Phoebe might have a little crush on Arnold, judging by her swooning here. 

 Yuck! Although according to scientists, some think birds are dinosaurs, and some may have regurgitated food when feeding their young, like this Maiasaura here. I said birds since birds that exist now do the same thing.

Look out for the Troodon, you cute young Triceratops!

The class seemed to be done for here, but clever Valerie for making Triceratops shields.

Whuh-oh. You shouldn't have done that, Arnold. You've woken the T-Rex!

Here's an interesting moment. Short Arms was hitting The Magic Triceratops Bus, just like the one in Jurassic Park. 

Alright! Look at Arnold go! You fight Short Arms with your karate moves!

This is clever of Liz. Making stickers depending on the dinosaurs' diet. Plants for those who ate plants, meat for those who ate other dinosaurs, and carrots and meat for Arnold.

"With a few adjustments, you could be the bus!"

"Ralphie!"

"It's a good thing you didn't stay home today, Arnold."

Yeah. Arnold is braver than he's usually made out to be. 

Looks like a sneakersaurus made this giant footprint. Yeah, I'm being quite a Carlos, aren't I?

This Producer Segment is interesting. It's not the usual Tim-like Producer. It's Carmina Skeledon answering the phone calls, explaining the facts about dinosaurs.

There is a little wasted potential of this episode, only so they could tell the story. The Frizz taking the class to a dinosaur museum. Oh, I've been there.


This episode proves that Wanda's not the only one who has a crush on Arnold. Throughout the episode, Phoebe was shown to have a crush on him, especially when she said "Gee, what a guy!" and "It's a good thing you didn't stay home today, Arnold."

This episode also shows that we'll never know what colour dinosaurs were or how they behaved. Well, at least the producer segment, or should I say the paleontologist's segment. Since Carmina's the producer of this.

Some people like to call this the Jurassic Park episode, and I can see why. Especially when Short Arms was trying to tip The Magic Triceratops Bus, just like Rexy in the actual movie. Also, Short Arms looked exactly like said T-Rex. Also, Keesha was feeding the Alamosaurus similar to how the kids fed plant-eating dinosaurs in said movie.

Overall, this was a very awesome episode indeed. Not only because of how well it teaches kids about dinosaurs and how they're believed to have existed, but it also shows Arnold's true bravery. At the end of For Lunch, he decided not to miss anymore field trips after the dinosaur one, but he does attend this dinosaur field trip, and he becomes the hero of the field trip, and Phoebe's swooning really helped. Also, Carlos' silly story about how all dinosaurs were vicious was funny, as well as Ralphie saying Arnold could be the bus. That all makes this episode for me. Shows many things are better with dinosaurs.

My rating: 10/10.

Season 2 scorecard:

1. Blows its Top: 10/10.

2. Flexes its Muscles: 10/10.

3. The Busasaurus: 10/10.

Season 2 so far: 10/10.