A new, fan-driven animated Frasier reboot is beating Paramount to the non-fat latte.
Following in the tradition of Our Robocop Remake, Our Footloose Remake, Shrek Retold, and Star Wars Uncut, Seattle’s most infamous radio psychologist is getting an animated remake to call its own. This fan-driven collaboration is made up of a collection of animated shorts based on six-to-12-second chunks from Frasier’s season one finale, “My Coffee With Niles.” Creator Jacob Reed (Jimmy Kimmel Live!) brought together more than 100 different artists who remade their segments in whatever style they prefer, cutting together various animated shorts into a singular and bizarre episode.
Like previous stitched-together remakes, Our Frasier Reboot brings together artists from disparate mediums with a shared love of all things Frasier. It consists of 185 different “chopped up” clips from different artists to create a unique and entirely D.I.Y. take on television’s greatest snob. A trailer for the Remake includes art by BAFTA-winning animator Steven Kraan, Jimmy Kimmel Live director Jacob Reed, Robot Chicken director Harry Chaskin, and KC Green, best known for creating the “This is fine” cartoon.
“My Coffee With Niles” is also a particularly interesting focus for the remake. Set entirely in Cafe Nervosa, “Coffee” sees Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Frasier (Kelsey Grammar) bounce from table to table. The season one finale is a true bottle episode that plays out in real-time, with the Crane boys going back and forth over what it means to be happy. However, according to Jacob Reed, the episode also serves as an open debate over the necessity of Frasier as a whole.
“[It’s] a thinly veiled question about whether or not a spin-off of Cheers called Frasier was worth it,” Reed said. “Three decades later, we’re asking the same question about the reboot. Our Frasier Remake is a celebration of Frasier, yet also critiques the current culture of endless remakes.”
Our Frasier Remake premieres on October 11, one day before the official revival of the series. Frasier fans can find the installment at OurFrasierRemake.com.