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Brave Bunnies

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Brave Bunnies
Illustration: Under the title 'Brave bunnies', a rabbit-shaped bus drives on a slightly larger globe. Through the bus's windows, eight bunny characters are seen: the adults facing forward while the children face the viewer.
GenreChildren's animation
Developed byGlowberry
Written byJohn Van Bruggen
Directed byTim Fehrenbach
Creative directorOlga Cherepanova
Country of originUkraine
Original languageUkrainian
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes104
Production
Running time7 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkPlusPlus
Release5 December 2020 (2020-12-05) –
present

Brave Bunnies (Ukrainian: ХОРОБРІ ЗАЙЦІ; Romanised: Khorobri Zaytsi) is a Ukrainian children's animated television series for preschool children aged 2 to 5. In the series, two rabbit children show their courage when they meet and befriend other animals. Creator Olga Cherepanova sought to encourage respect for diversity and to promote healthy childhood development.

The series has been broadcast in more than 80 countries. The first season was produced by Glowberry and Ánima Kitchent in partnership with distributor Aardman Animations, and premiered in December 2020. Production of the second season was interrupted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and resumed in December 2022 after WildBrain acquired a majority ownership of the property. A second season was distributed by WildBrain in 2023.

Synopsis

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The 2D animated series follows the adventures of a family of rabbits:[1] Boo and Bop, Ma and Pa, and four Bunny Babies.[2] Every episode starts with a cheerful song as the family ride on their bunny bus. As the bus stops at a new location, brother Bop and sister Boo explore and make friends with a different animal, creating a new game to play with them. The series attempts to show its preschool viewers the diversity of the world and to accept the differences of others.[1] Starting in the second season, some episodes have the bunny family revisit friends at their homes, meeting their families and learning more about their different lifestyles.[3]

The series introduces children to the concept of diversity and, through the example of the Brave Bunnies, shows how to accept and communicate with people possessing different appearances and behaviours.[4][1] To promote healthy childhood development, characters Bop and Boo acknowledge the uniqueness of each new friend.[5]

Development and production

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Publishing house Glowberry was founded in 2009 and worked in children's literature and illustration,[6][7] seeking to create modern fairy tales. Their best-selling work was a picture book about a family of rabbits on a journey, meeting unusual animals as they travelled further from their home. Several years were spent developing this into a television series[8] for children aged 2 to 5.[3] Glowberry co-founder and series creator Olga Cherepanova[9][10] noted that while rabbits are often considered to be timid animals, their bravery in the series comes from discovering new challenges every day.[8] She said that she created the series "to help children ... communicate with different friends without any fears or stereotypes, respecting the diversity of our world."[3][2]

Illustrator Anna Sarvira[a] developed the style for the series, serving as art director while Cherepanova was the creative producer.[10] Following this early creative work, the production became an international project to ensure funding, market access, and expertise. Over a hundred people in different countries were involved, coordinating together on the same schedule.[8] This included British director Tim Fehrenbach and Canadian lead writer John Van Bruggen, both of whom had experience in children's animation.[10] The writing team consulted with child psychologists on early socialization and maintaining the interest of young children.[10][8] The music which celebrates the characters' achievements in each episode was composed in Ukraine.[11]

In 2019, the series was in development with Glowberry and Ánima Kitchent (the Spanish subsidiary of Mexico-based animation studio Ánima).[12] The production also received support from the Ukrainian State Film Agency and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.[13] Glowberry pitched the series to studios and distributors at MIPCOM in 2019. By early 2020, UK studio Aardman Animations had partnered as the international distributor and secured additional international sales at the 2020 Kidscreen Summit in Miami.[1] The first season consisted of 52 seven-minute episodes.[1]

When the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the production of Brave Bunnies in Kyiv was suspended.[14] Many of the Glowberry team were forced to flee Kyiv,[9] and production coordinator Natalia Yermak became a war correspondent for the New York Times.[14] Production resumed in August[8] and by December 2022, Canadian children's entertainment company WildBrain became a majority stakeholder in Brave Bunnies, in order to continue the reliable production and distribution of the series.[9] WildBrain took over global distribution of the series, merchandising and licensing, and the company's Vancouver animation studio joined Glowberry and Ánima Kitchent[b] to produce the second season of 52 episodes.[9][17]

Release

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Broadcast

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The series premiered on 5 December 2020 on PLUSPLUS in Ukraine, followed by Nick Jr. (UK), Super RTL (Germany), ABC (Australia), Yle (Finland), and HOP! (Israel).[10] The first season was distributed by Aardman Animations,[1] and by 2022 had been broadcast in over 80 countries.[3]

Brave Bunnies streamed on the Sunflower TV YouTube channel, which launched in July 2022 and allowed Ukrainian refugees across Europe and the UK to watch ad-free children's programming in the Ukrainian language. Content was approved by a panel of media professionals, child psychologists and Ukrainian mothers. All broadcasters of Brave Bunnies in the region waived their rights to enable the project.[18][19]

It is broadcast on WildBrain's Family Jr. channel in Canada[20][21] and on the Comcast WildBrain+ SVOD channel in the United States.[15] The second season was released in December 2023.[22]

Reception

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Brave Bunnies was among the top-rated children's programs in Ukraine, the UK, Israel and Australia.[8] The New Voice of Ukraine applauded its message of diversity and acceptance.[11]

A 2020 focus group by British research agency Childwise found that 79% of children aged 3 to 5 felt happier after watching the series, and 90% liked the characters.[11]

Books and merchandising

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Penguin Random House has published a series of Brave Bunnies books. Canadian multinational Spin Master created a line of toys for the franchise.[3][9] There are also colouring and activity books.[8]

Footnotes

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Notes

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  1. ^ Sarvira was twice included in the list of top animators at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.[8]
  2. ^ For the second season, Ánima Kitchent utilized their studio at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Milligan, Mercedes (22 January 2020). "Aardman Putting Glowberry's Brave Bunnies on the Hop". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 November 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b Diamond Sarto, Debbie (5 December 2022). "Ukrainian-Produced Brave Bunnies Returns with Season 2 in 2023". Animation World Network. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Milligan, Mercedes (2 December 2022). "WildBrain, Ánima Back Ukrainian Toon Brave Bunnies from Glowberry". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Brave Bunnies". TV Guide. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  5. ^ WildBrain (1 December 2022). "Wildbrain, Glowberry and Ánima Partner on Brave Bunnies Franchise across new Production, Distribution and Consumer Products" (Press release). Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  6. ^ "About us". Glowberry. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Children's literature from Ukraine is on demand in other countries: in 2017, five books of the Ukrainian publishing house Glowberry appeared in Sweden and China". Film.UA News. Film.UA. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Tyutyunenko, Natalia (1 April 2024). "Від Австралії до Південної Кореї. Як створюють український мультсеріал «Хоробрі Зайці», що показують у 80 країнах світу" [From Australia to south Korea. How the Ukrainian animated series Brave Bunnies is created, shown in 80 countries around the world]. Media for Creators (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e Yossman, K. J. (1 December 2022). "WildBrain Rescues Ukrainian Kids' Animation Brave Bunnies". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2025. Kids' entertainment company WildBrain has hopped in to save beloved Ukrainian animation Brave Bunnies, taking a majority stake in the IP after its production was disrupted by the Russian invasion.
  10. ^ a b c d e "ТЕЛЕКАНАЛ «ПЛЮСПЛЮС» ПОКАЖЕ СВІТОВУ ПРЕМ'ЄРУ МУЛЬТСЕРІАЛУ «ХОРОБРІ ЗАЙЦІ»" [PlusPlus TV channel will show the world premiere of the animated series Brave Bunnies]. -Telekritika (in Ukrainian). 19 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  11. ^ a b c "Замість російського Маші і ведмедя. Цікаві факти про український мультсеріал для дошкільнят Хоробрі зайці" [Instead of the Russian Masha and the Bear. Interesting facts about the Ukrainian animated series for preschoolers Brave Bunnies]. The New Voice of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 24 March 2024. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  12. ^ Otiniano Pulido, Carlos (8 August 2019). "Ánima Kitchent, los padres adoptivos de Cleo y Cuquín" [Ánima Kitchent, Cleo and Cuquín's adoptive parents]. Cinco Días (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain. ProQuest 2269782918.
  13. ^ "Український мультсеріал «Хоробрі Зайці» запустили на італійському телебаченні" [Ukrainian animated series Brave Bunnies launched on Italian television]. Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). 5 May 2021. Archived from the original on 3 April 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  14. ^ a b Yermak, Natalia (1 June 2022). "A Cartoon Producer Turned War Reporter: Times Insider". New York Times. ProQuest 2671841726.
  15. ^ a b "Wildbrain Secures new Distribution Deals for Seasons 1 and 2 of Brave Bunnies". Señal News. 1 December 2023. Archived from the original on 18 January 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  16. ^ de la Fuente, Anna Marie (9 January 2023). "Mexico Gets a Toon Up". Variety. Vol. 358, no. 18. pp. 10–12. ProQuest 2765804130.
  17. ^ Townsend, Kelly (30 November 2023). "Deals: Cineflix Rights, Pink Is In, Boat Rocker, Gusto". Playback. Toronto: Brunico Communications. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  18. ^ McHugh, Marian (16 June 2022). "Go Jetters helps launch Ukrainian-language YouTube channel". Broadcast. London, UK. ProQuest 2677615627.
  19. ^ Evans, Connie (17 June 2022). "YouTube's channel for Ukraine". The Herald. Glasgow, Scotland. p. 3. ProQuest 2677284195.
  20. ^ Brzoznowski, Kristin (2 December 2022). "WildBrain Boards Ukrainian Kids' Brand Brave Bunnies". TVKids.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  21. ^ Babiera, Angelica (5 December 2022). "Deals: Guru Studio, Cineflix Rights, WildBrain". Playback. Toronto: Brunico Communications. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  22. ^ "New Sales for Wildbrain's Brave bunnies, co-produced with Anima Kitchent". Todo TV News. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
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