''Max & Ruby'' is a Canadian children's

animated television series An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...

produced by

Nelvana Limited Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

based on the book series by

Rosemary Wells Rosemary Wells (born January 29, 1943) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She is well known for using animal characters to address real human issues. Some of her most well-known characters are Max & Ruby (later adapted into ...

. The series debuted on

Treehouse TV Treehouse TV is a Canadian English-language specialty channel for preschoolers aged 2 to 5 that was launched in 1997. Its name comes from YTV's former preschool block, " The Treehouse". The channel is owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of ...

on May 3, 2002, in Canada and on

Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...

on October 21, 2002, in the United States.

Premise

''Max & Ruby'' is about two

bunnies Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit specie ...

: Max, a rambunctious and achievement-determined three-year-old and his sister Ruby, a seldom-patient, goal-oriented and sometimes, annoyingly-restrictive seven-year-old. The series takes place in a fictional town called Eastbunny Hop, in a universe populated by mostly bunnies and other creatures in the

1940s File:1940s decade montage.png, Above title bar: events during World War II (1939–1945): From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching Omaha Beach on D-Day; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holoca ...

and

1950s The 1950s (pronounced nineteen-fifties; commonly abbreviated as the "Fifties" or the " '50s") (among other variants) was a decade that began on January 1, 1950, and ended on December 31, 1959. Throughout the decade, the world continued its re ...

. According to Wells, the series shows the relationship between Ruby, Max and the universal nature of sibling relationships.. ''

''.

Episodes

Characters

Main

* Max (voiced by Billy Rosemberg in seasons 1–3, Tyler Stevenson in seasons 4–5, Tyler James Nathan in some season 4 episodes, Drew Davis in a few season 5 episodes, Gavin MacIver-Wright in seasons 6–7) is a three and a half-year-old bunny. He has white fur, some clothes including some long overalls and is Ruby's younger brother. Prior to seasons 3–5, 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 his voiceover saying the episode's title card with the episodes that has "Ruby" in it). He does this again in season 5 (voiceover on the episode's title card; but only the ones that have Ruby). In seasons 6 and 7, Max (along with Morris) is 4-years-old and says words in full sentences. * Ruby (voiced by Samantha Morton in seasons 1-2, Rebecca Peters in seasons 3–5, Lana Carillo in seasons 6–7) is a 7-year-old white bunny. She has white fur and is Max's older sister. She's the more level-headed of the siblings. She is also a member of the bunny scouts—a formula similar to the "girl scouts".

Recurring

* Grace (voiced by

Julie Lemieux Julie Lemieux (born December 4, 1962) is a Canadian voice actress. Career Lemieux has provided the voice for characters such as Sammy Tsukino in '' Sailor Moon'', young Darien Shields in '' Sailor Moon R: The Movie'', and Peruru in '' Sailor Moo ...

) is one of Max and Ruby's new baby siblings and Oliver's older twin sister. Like Max, Grace loves to get dirty. * Oliver (voiced by Julie Lemieux) is one of Max and Ruby's new baby siblings and Grace's younger twin brother. Like Ruby, Oliver loves to keep clean. * Mom (also known as Mrs. Bunny) (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) (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 Katharine Mary Craven Clark ( Hawtrey, November 8, 1926 – June 11, 2021) was a Canadian actress. Hawtrey was born on November 8, 1926 and educated at Toronto's Trinity College. She began her career at Hart House Theatre and then went to Engla ...

) 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 Mum's mother-in-law. * Louise (voiced by Julie Lemieux) is Ruby's best friend who has tan/auburn fur. She is also 7 years old. * Baby Huffington "Baby H" (voiced by Joshua Savage) is Mr. and Mrs. Huffington's baby son and Bunny Scout Leader's grandson. His real name is Gabriel. * Mrs. Huffington (voiced by Emily Scott in (Seasons 1-5), then

Catherine Disher Catherine Disher is a British-born Canadian actress. She has won two Gemini Awards: in 2005 for Best Actress for her role in the Canadian mini-series '' Snakes and Ladders'', and in 2010 for her role in '' The Border''. She was also nominated for ...

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 John Torres is an American songwriter, recording artist, and occasional actor from Los Angeles, California. His music has been featured in popular films and television shows and has received numerous honors, including a John Lennon Songwriting ...

) is the husband to Mrs. Huffington and father of Baby Huffington. * Valerie (voiced by

Loretta Jafelice Loretta Jafelice is a Canadian voice actress. She voiced Eugeal, Diana, and many supporting and monster characters in both the DIC Entertainment and Cloverway Inc. versions of the Japanese anime ''Sailor Moon''. She also played Susan in Seaso ...

In Seasons 1-5 and

Victoria Justice Victoria Dawn Justice (born February 19, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She has received several accolades, including two Young Artist Awards and nominations for three Imagen Awards, an NAACP Image Award, and three Kids' Choice Awar ...

in Seasons 6-7) is a friend of Ruby; she has brown fur. * Martha (voiced by

Tabitha St. Germain Tabitha St. Germain, formerly known as Paulina Gillis Germain and also known as Tabitha or Kitanou St. Germain, is a Canadian actress and comedian. She is known for a variety of roles across many different shows. She has been actively doing voi ...

) is a friend of Ruby; she has gold fur. * Morris (voiced by

Cameron Ansell Cameron Ansell (born November 28, 1992) is a Canadian voice and television actor, best known for voicing Arthur in the television series of the same name, Cheng in '' Skyland'', and Prince Lumen in ''Spider Riders''. He was born in Picton, Ontar ...

in Seasons 1–5, Nicholas Fry in Seasons 6–7) is Louise's two-year-old cousin and Max's best friend. * Roger Piazza (voiced by Kean Thompson in Seasons 2-3) Joanne Vannicola in Seasons 4-7) is the son of Mr. Piazza. He is older than Ruby and Louise; he is years old. * Bunny Scout Leader (voiced by Sarah Adams) is the leader of the Bunny Scouts and Mrs. Huffington's mother 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

Carolyn Hennesy Carolyn Lee Hennesy (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress, author and animal advocate. Hennesy's early work consisted of guest appearances and roles in shows and television movies, including '' Dark Justice'' and in '' Deadly Invasion: Th ...

) is the owner of the candy shop in East Bunnyhop. * Rosalinda (voiced by Anne Hill) is the owner of a gift shop that sells jewellery and collectibles and a friend of Max and Ruby's grandmother, Mary. * Katie (voiced by

Yvonne Craig Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015) was an American actress and ballerina, who was renowned for her role as Batgirl in the 1960s television series '' Batman''. Other notable roles in her career include Dorothy Johnson in the 19 ...

) - Waitress at the diner in East Bunnyhop. * Miss Bunty (voiced by Maliaka Bryce) - Max's preschool teacher. * Winston (voiced by Ethan Tavares) is one of Max's classmates. He is confined to a wheelchair and is Max's second best friend. * Lily (voiced by Isabella Leo) is one of Max's classmates. She is Max's girlfriend. * Priya (voiced by Laabiah Alvi) is one of Max's classmates. She is also one of Max's love-interests. * Mr. Estevez (voiced by Carlos Diaz) - Ruby, Louise and Valerie's teacher in school. * Antonio (voiced by Emilio Virguez) is one of Ruby's classmates. He is Max and Ruby's new friend.

Production

''Max & Ruby'' is produced by

, in conjunction with Silver Lining Productions for its first five seasons, which was acquired by

Chorion The chorion is the outermost fetal membrane around the embryo in mammals, birds and reptiles (amniotes). It develops from an outer fold on the surface of the yolk sac, which lies outside the zona pellucida (in mammals), known as the vitelline ...

in 2005.

9 Story Media Group 9 Story Media Group Inc. (formerly known as 9 Story Entertainment) is a Canadian children's television series, children's media production company and international distributor founded by Vincent "Vince" Commisso, Steve Jarosz, and Blake Tohana o ...

overtook producing the animation from Nelvana in season 3 and would continue animating the series for seasons 4 and 5, with Chorion co-producing the series for seasons 4 and 5. Nelvana would still handle producing the series, and would for the rest of its run. 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, 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. Season 7 of the series premiered on August 12, 2018 (and reused Season 6's pattern—having two 10-minute segments per half hour rather than having three 7-minute segments as in the previous seasons). In an interview with the US

, Wells has stated about Max and Ruby's unseen parents that "we don't see Max and Ruby's parents, because hebelieve 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." However, in season 6, the series finally introduced Max and Ruby's parents.

Telecast and home media

''Max & Ruby'' was first premiered on

in Canada on May 3, 2002. In the United States, the series aired on

on January 7, 2003. A British English dub started broadcasting on

in the UK and Ireland in February 2003. As of 2022, the show is now streaming on

Paramount+ Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

DVDs

United States

Paramount Home Entertainment Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, and originally Paramount Home Video) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures, a division of Paramount Global. The division oversees PPC's home entertainme ...

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.

=Main series

=Episodes on Nick Jr. compilation DVDs

References

External links

* on

* * on