Bunnytown

Last updated
Bunnytown
Bunnytown.jpg
Genre Children's television series
Created by David Rudman
Adam Rudman
Todd Hannert
Developed by The Walt Disney Company
Directed byDavid Rudman
Starring Alice Dinnean-Vernon
Eric Jacobson
Mark Jefferis
Nigel Plaskitt
David Rudman
Victoria Willing
Mak Wilson
Opening themeBunnytown
Ending themeIt's a Bunnytown Life
ComposersTodd Hannert
Terry Fryer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producersDavid Rudman
Adam Rudman
Todd Hannert
Production location Elstree Studios
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time24 minutes
Production companies Spiffy Pictures
Baker Coogan Productions
Original release
Network Playhouse Disney
ReleaseNovember 10, 2007 (2007-11-10) (November 3 in Canada) 
November 8, 2008 (2008-11-08)

Bunnytownis an American children's television program that aired on Playhouse Disney. It premiered in the United States on November 10, 2007. The series received generally positive reviews from critics.

Contents

Format

The basic format features between ten and twelve segments as follows:

Cast

The bunny rod puppets (which take up to eight puppeteers to operate with a trigger at the bottom to move their mouths and invisible marionette strings to work from above on all other parts) are made from foam rubber and covered in fake fur.

Characters include the many types of characters found in pop culture and storybooks. Included are a king and his court (supposedly the leaders of Bunnytown as they live in a castle), pirates, a superhero bunny, a female bunny who is an astronaut, two cave bunnies and their pet dinosaur, an inventor, a farmer and his helpers and many more.

Puppeteers

Live-action cast

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date [4] Prod.
code [5]
US viewers
(millions)
1"Hello Bunnies"November 10, 2007 (2007-11-10)101N/A

  • Running Gag: Runners - The Runners are getting ready for a race, but they end up disco dancing in the first part, sleeping in the second part and flying in the third before finally running the race in the fourth part. However, there is a rubberband at the end of the finish line which flings them back to the start of the race, but they failed again.
  • Song: Makin' Music in Bunnytown
  • Super Silly Sports: The 3 Clowns Race
2"Bunny Funnies"November 11, 2007 (2007-11-11)102N/A

  • Running Gag: Artistic Bunny trying to start painting an apple, but ends up with a worm going inside an apple as a spaceship in the first part, a fruit dancing bunny in the second
  • The Adventures of Super-Bunny: Bunnytown Carrot Festival
3"Bunny Giggles"November 17, 2007 (2007-11-17)103N/A
4"Barrel Full of Bunnies"November 18, 2007 (2007-11-18)104N/A
5"Bunny Shenanigans"November 24, 2007 (2007-11-24)105N/A
6"Wintertime In Bunnytown"December 1, 2007 (2007-12-01)116N/A
7"Bunny Ha-Ha's"December 8, 2007 (2007-12-08)106N/A
8"Hiya Bunnies"December 15, 2007 (2007-12-15)108N/A
9"Bunny-A-Go-Go"January 5, 2008 (2008-01-05)109N/A
10"G'Day Bunnies"January 19, 2008 (2008-01-19)107N/A
11"Carrot Giving Day"February 9, 2008 (2008-02-09)113N/A
12"Bonkers for Bunnies"February 23, 2008 (2008-02-23)112N/A
13"Bunnytown Pets"March 1, 2008 (2008-03-01)114N/A
14"Bunnytown Fun"March 24, 2008 (2008-03-24)110N/A
15"King Bunny's Birthday"March 25, 2008 (2008-03-25)115N/A
16"Those Wacky Bunnies"March 26, 2008 (2008-03-26)117N/A
17"Bunny Blankie Blues"March 27, 2008 (2008-03-27)118N/A
18"Bunnytown Follies"March 28, 2008 (2008-03-28)111N/A
19"Bunnytown Babbles"April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05)120N/A
20"Bumbling Bunnies"May 24, 2008 (2008-05-24)121N/A

  • Farmer Bunny attempts to grow a flower but it ends up becoming a pizza in the first part, a clock in the second part and a disco dancing ball in the third part before finally becoming a squirting flower in the fourth part.
  • The Adventures of Super Bunny: The Picnic Disaster - Little Bad Bunny strikes again stealing carrots from the picnic of some nearby bunnies when he realizes he forgot his carrot lunch at home in the fridge.
  • Cave Bunnies - The Cave Bunnies' pet dinosaur is feeling dirty so they decide to give him a bath
  • Red and Fred
  • Song: Making Music in Bunnytown (rehashed from episode 1 "Hello Bunnies")
  • Super Silly Sports: The Tortoise and the Hare Race
  • King Bunny the 4th's Crazy Castle - Royal Rap
21"Bunnies Bunnies Bunnies"June 21, 2008 (2008-06-21)119N/A
22"Groovy Bunnies"July 5, 2008 (2008-07-05)122N/A
23"Bunny-A-Rama"August 16, 2008 (2008-08-16)125N/A
24"What a Bunnytown Hoot"September 27, 2008 (2008-09-27)124N/A
25"Bunnytown Chuckles"October 18, 2008 (2008-10-18)123N/A
26"Get Fit, Bunnytown"November 8, 2008 (2008-11-08)126N/A

Production

Bunnytown was created by David Rudman, his brother Adam, and Todd Hannert, under their Spiffy Pictures television production-channel company. [6] The show was produced at Elstree Studios. [7] [8]

Release

Broadcast

Bunnytown premiered in Canada on November 3, 2007. It aired in the United States on November 10, 2007. [9] The series was released in the United Kingdom on the Playhouse Disney channel on January 13, 2008, a sublet of pay-broadcaster Family Channel. In France, it began airing on January 27, 2008, and kept its original title Bunnytown. The series ran for one season and twenty-six episodes total, which finished its run on November 8, 2008.

Home media

The show was released in DVD on March 17, 2009. [10] The Bunnytown shorts were made available to stream on DisneyNow. [11] Disney-ABC Television Group later released the series on Hulu. [12] [13]

Reception

Critical response

Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote, "What you do get on screen is a fast-moving variety-show and sketch-comedy format that alternates elaborate silly jokes with musical numbers in which the bunnies grab guitars and crank out generic but bouncy R&B-inflected power pop. (If you had access to those press notes, you too could say, “Ah, they are trying to sound like Earth, Wind & Fire.”) It all seems sufficiently safe and diverting to serve as a surrogate baby sitter, while perhaps just strange enough to appeal to hung-over adult hipsters." [14] Marilyn Moss of Associated Press described Bunnytown as "very colorful and fast-moving for the youngest set," writing, "Bunnytown is a musical bonanza for preschoolers. If the music is not original (its sound resembles the jingles of many other preschooler shows), that’s not a problem for this venture. The animation is lively enough to overcome anything else." [15] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave Bunnytown a grade of three out of five stars and complimented the depiction of positive messages, asserting, "The energetic series promotes animation and exposes preschoolers to a range of musical styles, including disco, country, piano, and light opera. Lyrics or dialogue very occasionally include repetitive counting or other simple skills, but on the whole, entertainment outweighs educational content." [16]

Accolades

Bunnytown was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design at the 2008 Daytime Emmy Awards. [17] [18]

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