Max & Ruby is a Canadian children's preschool animated series based on the book series by Rosemary Wells and produced by Nelvana Limited. The series follows two young rabbit siblings in the 1940s-50s. Their parents were not depicted until season 6, because the creators wanted to show how children solve conflicts on their own.
| Max & Ruby | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Children's Animated Preschool Buddy Educational Family Comedy Fantasy |
| Created by | Rosemary Wells |
| Based on | Max & Ruby by Rosemary Wells |
| Directed by |
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| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Geoff Bennett, Ben Johannesen and André Hirz (seasons 1–5) TTG Music Lab (seasons 6–7) |
| Composers | Geoff Bennett, Ben Johannesen and André Hirz (seasons 1–5) TTG Music Lab (seasons 6–7) |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 130 (334 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 8 minutes (each segment, seasons 1–5) 11 minutes (each segment, seasons 6–7) 22–23 minutes (full episode) |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Treehouse TV (Canada) Nickelodeon (U.S.) |
| Release | May 3, 2002 – April 9, 2020 |
In 1988 and 1991, the books were adapted into short films. These shorts were later remade into episodes for the television series.
Max & Ruby first aired in Canada on Treehouse TV on May 3, 2002.[1] In the United States, the series first aired on Nickelodeon on the Nick Jr. block on October 21, 2002.[2] 130 half-hour episodes were produced. The final episode aired on April 9, 2020.
Premise edit
Max & Ruby is about two young rabbits: Max, a rambunctious and achievement-determined three-year-old and his older sister Ruby, a seldom-patient, goal-oriented and sometimes, annoyingly-restrictive seven-year-old.[3] The series takes place in a town called Eastbunny Hop, in a universe populated by mostly bunnies and other creatures in the 1940s and 1950s. According to Wells, the series shows the relationship between Ruby, Max and the universal nature of sibling relationships.[4]
Episodes edit
| Season | Segments | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| Weston Woods shorts | 2 | 2 | October 7, 1988 | January 15, 1992 | |
| 1 | 39 | 13 | May 3, 2002 | March 14, 2003 | |
| 2 | 39 | 13 | July 8, 2003 | April 27, 2004 | |
| 3 | 42 | 14 | October 27, 2006 | May 2, 2007 | |
| 4 | 36 | 12 | June 15, 2009 | November 3, 2009 | |
| 5 | 78 | 26 | December 10, 2011 | February 11, 2013 | |
| 6 | 50 | 26 | September 18, 2016 | September 24, 2018 | |
| 7 | 50 | 26 | August 12, 2018 | April 9, 2020 | |
The TV series premiered in 2002, but was preceded by a 1988[5] and 1991[6] short adapting the characters for the first times. The shorts were individually produced and later remade into broadcast episodes.
Characters edit
Main edit
- Max Bunny (voiced by Billy Rosemberg in seasons 1, 2, & 3, Tyler Stevenson in seasons 4 & 5, Drew Davis in the season 5 intros and Gavin MacIver-Wright in seasons 6 & 7) is a three and a half-year-old bunny and Ruby's younger brother. He has white fur and wears some clothes including some long overalls. Prior to seasons 3 & 5 and for the first few episodes of seasons 1 and 2, Max says one or two words (with the exception of a few episodes like Max's Bedtime and Ruby's Candy Store and of voiceover on the title card for episodes featuring Ruby). He does this again in season 5 (voiceover on the episode's title card; except in just the ones featuring Ruby). In seasons 6 and 7, Max (along with Morris) is 4-years-old and is able to speak in full sentences.
- Ruby Bunny (voiced by Katie Griffin originally and later Samantha Morton in seasons 1 & 2, Rebecca Peters in seasons 3, 4, & 5 and Lana Carillo in seasons 6 & 7) is a 7-year-old white bunny, and 8–years–old since Surprise Ruby/Ruby's Birthday Party/Ruby's Birthday Present is Max's older sister. She has white fur and has been considered the more level-headed of the siblings. She is also a member of the bunny scouts—a formula similar to the "girl scouts".
Recurring edit
- Grace (voiced by Julie Lemieux) is one of Max and Ruby's new baby siblings and Oliver's older twin sister. Like Max, Grace likes getting dirty.
- Mom (also known as Mrs. Bunny;[9] voiced by Caroly Larson) is Max and Ruby's mother. She and Ruby are close and she trusts Ruby's ability to help out with Max. She is Grandma's daughter-in-law and Grandpa's daughter.
- Dad (also known as Mr. Bunny;[9] voiced by Paul Bates) is Max and Ruby's father. He is Grandma's son and Grandpa's son-in-law.
- Grandma (voiced by Kay Hawtrey) has grey fur and is the paternal grandmother to Max and Ruby. Max and Ruby sometimes compete as to whose ideas are better in order to impress her, but in the end she likes both of their ideas equally. She is Dad's mother and Mom's mother-in-law.
- Baby Huffington "Baby H" (voiced by Julie Lemieux) is Mr. and Mrs. Huffington's baby son and Bunny Scout Leader's grandson.
- Mrs. Huffington (voiced by Emily Scott in seasons 1–5 and Catherine Disher in seasons 6–7) is the wife of Mr. Huffington, mother of Baby Huffington and daughter of Bunny Scout Leader.
- Mr. Huffington (voiced by John Torres) is the husband to Mrs. Huffington, father of Baby Huffington, and son-in-law of Bunny Scout Leader.
- Valerie (voiced by Loretta Jafelice) is a friend of Ruby; she has brown fur.
- Martha (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) is a friend of Ruby; she has gold fur.
- Morris (voiced by Cameron Ansell in seasons 1–5 and Nicholas Fry in seasons 6–7) is Louise's two-year-old cousin[10] and Max's best friend.
- Roger Piazza[11] (voiced by Kenan Thompson in seasons 2–3 and Joanne Vannicola in seasons 4–7) is the son of Mr. Piazza. He is older than Ruby and Louise; he is 7+1⁄2 years old.[8][12]
- Bunny Scout Leader (voiced by Sarah Adams) is the leader of the Bunny Scouts and Mrs. Huffington's mother and Mr. Huffington's mother-in-law and Baby Huffington's maternal grandmother.
- Mr. Piazza (voiced by Jamie Watson) runs the local market in East Bunnyhop and is the father of Roger.
- Candi (voiced by Linda Ballantyne) is the owner of the candy shop in East Bunnyhop.
- Rosalinda (voiced by Anne Hill) is the owner of a gift shop that sells jewelery and collectibles and a friend of Max and Ruby's grandmother, Mary.
- Katie (voiced by Yvonne Craig) is the waitress at the diner in East Bunnyhop.
- Miss Bunty (voiced by Judy Price) is Max's preschool teacher.
- Winston (voiced by Ethan Tavares) is one of Max's classmates who is confined to a wheelchair. He is also Max's second best friend.
- Lily (voiced by Isabella Leo) is one of Max's classmates who is also one of Max's love interests.
- Priya (voiced by Labbiah Santos) is one of Max's classmates who is also another one of Max's love interests.
- Mr. Estévez (voiced by Carlos Díaz) is Ruby, Louise and Valerie's teacher in school.
- Antônio (voiced by Emílio Virguez) is one of Ruby's classmates. He is Max and Ruby's new friend.
Production edit
Nelvana Limited produced the show in association with Silver Lining Productions for its first five seasons (in 2005, Silver Lining itself was acquired by Chorion).[13] 9 Story Entertainment overtook producing the animation from Nelvana in season 3 (and continues animating the series for seasons 4 and 5 while Chorion co-produced at the same time); with season 6, Nelvana still handles production of the series and also for the rest of its run.
Shortly after Chorion and its division Silver Lining Productions both close their doors when season 5 finished production, Atomic Cartoons overtook co-producing the series, season 6 of which premiered on September 18, 2016,[14] with a new main voice cast and theme song, along with each episode now having 2 10-minute segments per half-hour, rather than having 3 7-minute segments as in the previous five seasons.
In an interview with Nickelodeon, Wells has stated about Max and Ruby's unseen parents that "we don't see Max and Ruby's parents, because [she] believe[s] that kids resolve their issues and conflicts differently when they are on their own. The television series gives kids a sense about how these two siblings resolve their conflicts in a humorous and entertaining way."[4] However, in season 6, the series finally introduced Max and Ruby's parents.[15]
Telecast and home media edit
Max & Ruby first aired on Treehouse TV in Canada on May 3, 2002.[1] In the United States, the series first aired on the Nick Jr. Channel on October 21, 2002.[2] The series also featured a British English dub that first aired on Nick Jr. in the UK and Ireland in February 2003.[when?]
DVDs edit
United States edit
Paramount Home Entertainment is the DVD distributor for the series in the United States. As of March 29, 2012, 2.9 million DVD units of the series from Nickelodeon have been sold in the U.S. These DVDs (see below) only have episodes from the first five seasons.[16]
Main series edit
| Name | Release Date | Number of Episodes | Episode Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max and Ruby's Christmas | October 26, 2004 | 12 |
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| Springtime for Max and Ruby | March 1, 2005 | 12 |
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| Max and Ruby's Halloween | August 30, 2005 | 12 |
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| Party Time with Max and Ruby | February 14, 2006 | 12 |
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| Afternoons with Max and Ruby | August 1, 2006 | 12 |
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| Easter with Max and Ruby | March 13, 2007 | 12 |
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| Summertime with Max and Ruby | June 5, 2007 | 12 |
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| A Merry Bunny Christmas | October 2, 2007 | 12 |
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| Berry Bunny Adventures | February 26, 2008 | 12 |
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| Perfect Pumpkin | August 26, 2008 | 12 |
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| Playtime with Max and Ruby | January 5, 2010 | 12 |
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| A Visit with Grandma | June 15, 2010 | 12 |
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| Everybunny Loves Winter | September 21, 2010 | 12 |
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| Bunny Tales | January 11, 2011 | 12 |
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| Rainy Day Play | April 12, 2011 | 12 |
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| Everybunny Loves Spring | February 11, 2014 | 12 |
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| Sweet Siblings | February 17, 2015 | 12 |
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| Sharing and Caring | June 2, 2015 | 12 |
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Episodes on Nick Jr. compilation DVDs edit
| Name | Release Date | Number of Episodes | Episode Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Jr. Celebrates Spring | March 2, 2004 | 1 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 1 | May 24, 2005 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 2 | October 18, 2005 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 3 | February 7, 2006 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 4 | June 6, 2006 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Holiday Vol. 5 | September 26, 2006 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Holiday Vol. 6 | December 26, 2006 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 7 | March 13, 2007 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 9 | September 27, 2007 | 3 |
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| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 10 | December 27, 2007 | 3 |
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References edit
- ^ a b "Ruby's Piano Practice; Max's Bath; Max's Bedtime". Screener. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ a b "The Hays Daily News from Hays, Kansas on October 18, 2002". Newspaper.com. October 18, 2002. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ "Activities for Blue's Clues, Dora, Diego, LazyTown, Wonderpets". Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Nick Jr. Channel. - ^ a b "MEET THE CREATOR OF MAX & RUBY". Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Nick Jr. Channel. - ^ DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "Max's Christmas (Michael Sporn Animation, Weston Woods Studios)". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved 2023-12-29.[dead link]
- ^ Max's Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells, retrieved 2023-12-29
- ^ "Max & Ruby – Characters –". treehousetv.com.
Louise is Ruby's best friend and classmate, and part of Bunny Scouts. She's 7 years old and sits right next to Ruby at school.
- ^ a b "Roger's Choice". Max and Ruby.
Ruby "He's nearly 7 1/2." Louise "A whole half year older than we are."
- ^ a b Cooper, Gael (September 19, 2016). "Hoppy news: Cartoon bunnies Max and Ruby's parents aren't dead after all". cnet.com.
on Sunday, "Max and Ruby" returned with new episodes for the first time since 2013, and who should show up at last but Mr. and Mrs. Bunny? .. It was a big weekend for "Max and Ruby." Not only were Mr. and Mrs. Bunny introduce, but Max, who could previously only spit out 1 or 2 words at a time, is suddenly speaking full sentences and attending preschool.
- ^ "Max & Ruby – Characters – Morris".
Morris is Louise's 2-year-old little cousin.
- ^ in Roger's Choice, Louise says "we're going to play with Roger Piazza"
- ^ "Max & Ruby – Characters – Roger".
Roger Piazza is in Ruby and Louise's class at school. He is 7 1/2 years old, which gives him an elevated status in Ruby and Louise's eyes.
- ^ "Business | Noddy embarks on global adventure". BBC News. September 21, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
- ^ "Max's Preschool; Grandma's Storytime Sleepover". Screener. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ Gael Fashingbauer Cooper (September 19, 2016). "Cartoon bunnies Max and Ruby's parents aren't dead after all". CNET. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ "Nelvana Acquires Chorion's Interest in Max & Ruby". 29 March 2012.
External links edit
- Max and Ruby on Treehouse TV
- Max & Ruby at IMDb
- Max and Ruby on the Nick Jr. Channel
