BUNNICULA
(Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Boomerang SVOD, February 6, 2016-December 30,
2018)
Warner Bros. Animation
MAIN CAST:
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| The first Bunnicula showing Bunnicula and Harold. |
Although Bunnicula is
the title character, the series is actually told from the perspective of the
Monroe’s dog, Harold, and follows his adventures as he unravels the mystery of
the family’s strange new pet and eventually befriends him. In fact, the story
attributed the writing of the actual books to him. He also had to put up with
the paranoid antics of Chester, the family’s cat, who held onto the unwavering
belief that Bunnicula was truly a vampire and would turn carnivorous one day
and must be destroyed. However, Chester eventually decided to befriend
Bunnicula and protect him from his own nature. Although often implied and
hinted at, it was never explicitly stated if Bunnicula was actually a vampire
or supernatural in nature.
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| The 40th anniversary edition. |
The first book in the
series, Bunnicula:
A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, was published by Atheneum Books in
1979; several months after the passing of Deborah. James continued writing the series
for six more entries,
during which time he introduced two spin-off titles: Tales from the House of
Bunnicula, which were told from the perspective of the Monroe’s second
dog, Howie, introduced in the main series, and Bunnicula and Friends: Ready
to Read, a series of picture books targeted for younger readers. The
last Bunnicula book was published in 2007.
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| The VHS cover to the Ruby-Spears version. |
There have been two animated adaptations of the
franchise. The first came in 1982, courtesy of Ruby-Spears Productions, as an
installment of the ABC Weekend Special. The second was a full-fledged
television series by Warner
Bros. Animation. Although both were different in their presentations, the
one thing they had in common was that they decided to fully embrace Bunnicula’s
vampiric nature and make it front and center. However, the show strayed even
farther from the original books than the special.
 |
| Promo image featuring Mina, Bunnicula, Harold and Chester. |
Bunnicula followed all-new characters Mina
Monroe (named for Mina
Harker, voiced by Kari Wahlgren) and her father, Arthur (named for Arthur Holmwood,
voiced by Chris Kattan), as they moved into a New Orleans apartment complex left
to them by Mina’s Aunt Marie,
called the Orlock
Apartments. With them were their two pets (whose physical appearances
differed from their descriptions in the books): the dim-witted but loyal dog
Harold (Brian Kimmet), and the intelligent and easily frightened cat Chester
(Sean Astin). A third pet entered the mix when Mina used the key Marie left her
to open a door in the cellar, freeing Bunnicula (mostly unintelligibly voiced
by Kattan).
 |
| Bunnicula feasting on some carrots. |
Unlike in the books, Bunnicula was once the pet of Count Dracula. Like a
typical vampire, he tended to avoid sunlight, slept in a coffin, and his ears
could turn into bat wings that allowed him to fly. He also used his fangs to
gain sustenance; however instead of blood, he drank the juice from vegetables.
Not only that, but different vegetables interacted with his supernatural
physiology and granted him different abilities; such as carrots giving him
enhanced vision, garlic turning him into a skeleton, eggplants turning him into
a huge and hideous monster, rotten yams making him invisible, rutabagas giving
him telekinesis, and more.
 |
| Mina with best friends Marsha and Becky. |
Other characters included Marsha (Monie Mon), Mina’s shy and
unlucky best friend who contrasted Mina’s outgoing nature and often witnessed
the supernatural happenings around Mina’s home; Becky (Kate Higgins), Mina’s other best friend
who had a sarcastic personality; Scott
Dingleman (Scott Menville),
Mina’s crush who shared many of her interests; Madame
Polidori (Grey Griffin),
the owner of a shop that contained many supernatural objects and who doesn’t
like children or pets; Lugosi (named for Dracula
actor Bela Lugosi,
voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz),
a deformed and insane guinea pig obsessed with serving Bunnicula to the point
he becomes an antagonist; Patches
the Weredude (Eric Bauza),
a stray cat cursed by another weredude that allowed him to assume human form in
the moonlight; and Fluffy
(Sumalee Montano), a Doberman Pinscher
that hunted vampires (a parody of Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
 |
| Bunnicula falls for a veg monster. |
After airing a preview in January, Bunnicula officially
debuted on February 6, 2016 airing simultaneously on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It was developed by Jessica Borutski, who also
served as a writer, character designer and producer. The 11-minute episodes typically
involved Chester and Harold getting into weird adventures with Bunnicula as
they encountered various supernatural problems that Bunnicula ultimately ended
up solving. Mina was oblivious to the goings on around the Orlock apartment
complex and the escapades her pets got into (a running gag had her wishing she
could experience something supernatural). The series was written by Maxwell Atoms, Robert F. Hughes, Matthew Whitlock, Karl Hadrika, Josie Campbell, Ian Wasseluk, Darrick Bachman, Erin Kavanagh (who also
storyboarded), Lane Raichert,
Edward Rivera, Ben Joseph, Matt Sullivan, H. Caldwell Tanner, Brandon Kruse, Steve Clemmons, Kyle Stafford, Jordan Gershowitz, John Bailey Owen, Jesse Porter, Bryan Condon, Merrill Hagan, Dick Grunert, Carlos Ramos, Dave Polsky, Ethan Nicolle, Nick Reczynski (who also served
as an editor) and Brady
Klosterman. Drew Neumann composed
the music for five episodes, but it was Paul
E. Francis who composed the remainder as well as the series’ theme. Snipple Animation Studios and Toon City Animation handled the series’
animation duties, while Jamie
Gallant animated the intro
 |
| Bunnicula the skeleton. |
Bunnicula ran for three seasons on an erratic
schedule. After the first eight episodes, the series went on a hiatus that
lasted a year. Five new episodes aired on Boomerang in a graveyard timeslot
before moving to the Boomerang streaming service. It would close out 2017 back
on the Boomerang network. The second season would air between the two networks,
but mostly on the streaming service, while the third would air just on
Boomerang before becoming available on the streaming service the following
year. There was some question as to whether or not the show would get a 4th
season, but an Instagram
post from Borutski commemorating the final voice-recording session
confirmed that it would end after the third season.
 |
| Ghostly encounters. |
Warner Home
Video released the first 20 episodes of season 1 onto DVD in the 2-disc set
Night
of the Vegetable in 2017. A second set containing the remaining
episodes was planned, but ended up being cancelled for unknown reasons.
Instead, Warner opted to release the complete
first season in 2018. The entire series is
available on the streaming service, as well as for purchase on Amazon Prime
Video through a partnership with Boomerang.
EPISODE GUIDE (CN=Cartoon Network, B=Boomerang, S=Boomerang SVOD):
Season 1:
“Mumkey Business” (1/18/16 preview, 2/6/16) – Tired of Bunnicula’s
antics, Chester decides to lock him back up in the basement when a beast attacks
the apartment.
“Walking Fish” (1/18/16 preview, 2/6/16) – Playing a harmonica has
Bunnicula and Harold resurrect all dead fish.
“Spider Lamb” (2/13/16) – Bunnicula and Chester take care of Harold
after his surgery, but a monster emerges from the book they read him.
“Alligator Tears” (2/13/16) – A ghostly alligator looking for her
missing earring spreads a crying curse through the apartment building.
“Muddy Harry” (2/20/16) – Harold befriends the mud monster that
emerges from the mirror that Mina and her friends fail to summon Bloody Mary
through.
“Garlicked” (2/27/16) – Chester feeds Bunnicula garlic to cure him of
his vampirism, but instead it turns him into a cute dancing skeleton that the
pets must hide from Mina.
“Whooo is…the Knight Owl” (3/5/16) – Chester thinks Bunnicula isn’t
enough to protect the apartments, so Bunnicula brings in his friend: the Knight
Owl.
“Squeaky Doom” (3/12/16) – The spirit of an evil Viking warrior
possesses Harold’s squeaky toy and wants revenge against the being who trapped
him: Bunnicula.
“Son of Bunnicula” (4/11/17 B) – Chester is convinced an eggplant will
cause Bunnicula to lay an egg, so Bunnicula plays a prank on him by pretending
to be his own kid.
“Evil Cat Videos” (4/11/17 B) – Bunnicula believes Chester’s change of
personality came from his watching a possessed videotape.
“Chester’s Shop of Horrors” (4/11/17 B) – Chester comes to like a
Venus flytrap that scares Bunnicula, unaware of its own sinister plans.
“Curse of the Weredude” (4/11/17 B, 10/1/18 CN) – Chester wants to
become human to impress Mina, so Bunnicula introduces him to Patches the
Weredude.
“Bride of Bunnicula” (4/11/17 B) – Mina’s vegetable monster is brought
to life by static electricity, and Bunnicula becomes smitten.
“Nevermoar” (6/15/17 S, 10/1/18 B) – Bunnicula and Chester venture
into the internet to stop an evil raven that feeds on everyone’s negativity
towards each other.
“Vampire Rabbit Season” (6/15/17 S, 10/1/18 B) – Fluffy the Vampire
Pointer seeks to free Mina and her pets from the control of Bunnicula.
“Hole of the Unworthy” (6/15/17 S, 10/2/18 B) – Lugosi seeks to serve
Bunnicula, but first he must get rid of Chester.
“Adopt a Vampire” (6/15/17 S, 10/2/18 B) – Chester decides to get rid
of Bunnicula by putting him up for adoption, but Harold ends up being taken by
a kooky old lady instead.
“Haunted Dog House” (6/15/17 S, 10/3/18 B) – Mina leaves the pets out
overnight in a dog house that is apparently haunted by the ghost of a playful
puppy.
“Lucky Vampire’s Foot” (6/15/17 S, 10/3/18 B) – Chester steals Bunnicula’s
foot to give himself good luck.
“Ghost Chef” (6/15/17 S, 10/1/18 B) – Bunnicula summons the ghosts of
Mina’s cooking idol to help her.
“Catula” (6/15/17 S, 10/1/18 B) – Bunnicula bites Chester, leaving him
to believe he’ll soon transform into a monster.
“Dreamcatcher” (6/15/17 S, 10/2/18 B) – Bunnicula takes the other pets
into Mina’s dreams in order to cure her of her nightmares.
“Ghost Pepper” (6/15/17 S, 10/2/18 B) – Bunnicula begins burning
everything after feeding on a ghost pepper.
“Dating for Dummies” (6/15/17 S, 10/6/18 B) – Bunnicula and the pets
realize something’s amiss when Mina’s dad goes out with a ventriloquist.
“Sunday Bunnday” (6/15/17 S, 10/1/18 CN) – Bunnicula ends up very far
from home as the sun begins to rise.
“Scaraoke” (6/15/17 S, 10/7/18 B) – Bunnicula tries to stop a ghost
from getting revenge on Mina for ruining his song with her bad singing.
“Bearshee” (9/28/17 B) – Bunnicula discovers the screaming ghost bear
that visits the apartments is scared of living beings.
“Beware Apartment 13!” (9/28/17 B) – The pets trace the disappearance
of various items around the building to Apartment 13.
“Puzzle Madness” (9/28/17 B) – Chester and Harold must solve various
puzzles in order to escape Bunnicula’s puzzle box.
“Return of the Curse of the Weredude” (9/28/17 B) – Patches wants
Chester’s help to woo his girlfriend, but Chester ends up falling for her.
“Collar Me Crazy” (9/28/17 B) – A silver collar turns Bunnicula into a
normal bunny.
“Calendar Boys” (9/28/17 B) – The pets try to stop a photoshoot from
exposing Bunnicula’s secret.
“Brussel Boy” (9/28/17 S, 10/1/18 CN) – Mina’s new friend as a dark
secret: he can turn into Brussel sprouts.
“Vampire Tick” (9/28/17 B) – Bunnicula has to save Harold from a
vampire tick.
“Chestroldcula” (9/28/17 B) – An amulet combines the pets into a
singular being.
“Never Been Scared” (9/28/17 B) – The pets hire a ghost to scare Mina,
who desperately wants to see one.
“Family Portrait” (9/28/17 B) – The pets have to find a way to free
Mina and her dad from an evil painting.
“My Imaginary Fiend” (9/28/17 B) – Mina’s imaginary friend returns
while Bunnicula faces a new threat.
“The Juicy Problem” (9/28/17 S, 10/1/18 CN) – Chester gives Bunnicula
mixed vegetable juice to get him to clean the house.
“Uninvited” (12/21/17 B) – Bunnicula must save Mina and Becky from Red
Cap.
Season 2:
“Three Heads are Better Than One” (3/8/18 B, 11/2/18 S) – Harold wants
to prove his responsibility by taking Cerebus’ place in the underworld.
“The Invisible Yarn” (12/21/17 B) – Bunnicula ends up invisible after
eating a rotten yam.
“Indistinguishable from Magic” (12/21/17 B) – Chester comes to believe
Bunnicula is an alien robot.
“Pranks for the Memories” (12/21/17 S, 10/3/18 CN) – Chester and
Bunnicula enter into a prank war.
“Revenge of the Return of the Curse of the Weredude” (12/21/17 B) – Patches
moves in with the pets and Chester tries to keep his curse secret from Mina’s
dad.
“On Mina’s Secret Service” (12/21/17 B) – Harold trains Chester to be
a “secret service” animal in order to rescue Bunnicula from some chipmunks’
tree.
“Cellarmander” (12/21/17 B) – A flooded basement leads the pets to be
eaten by a Cellarmander.
“The Eyes Have It” (12/21/17 B) – Sewer mermaids keep the pets from
retrieving Bunnicula’s eye.
“Chips and Salsa” (12/21/17 B) – Bunnicula goes off to have a party,
and the pets have to find him before Mina and Marsha do.
“Mark of the Mandrake” (12/21/17 B) – A mystical mandrake makes
Bunnicula human-sized.
“Down the Rabbit Hole” (12/21/17 S, 10/3/18 CN) – Bunnicula helps a
family of rabbits whose food supply keeps being eaten by a horse.
“Cat Burgled” (12/21/17 B) – Bunnicula and Harold have to rescue
Chester and other cats from a mysterious dimension.
“Goat Story” (12/21/17 B) – Chester and Harold have to prove that
Bunnicula didn’t eat all the food in the fridge.
“Bunnicumoji” (11/29/18 S) – Bunnicula tries to stop the delivery of
an embarrassing text message Mina sent to Scott.
“Scott Free” (3/8/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – Bunnicula erases Scott’s memory
when he discovers his secret, and the pets take advantage of that and make
Scott their servant.
“Legend of the Lucky Locket” (9/26/18 S) – When a future-seeing locket
reveals an adult Mina in danger, the pets decide to make sure she’s trained for
anything.
“Area 50 Bunn” (3/10/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – A government agent comes to
the apartments to find supernatural activity and save his job.
“Bunn on a Plane” (3/11/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – A plane ride brings
Bunnicula into contact with an ancient threat.
“Cat-aclysm” (3/11/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – Catnip turns Bunnicula into an
evil cat bent on destroying everything.
“Jurassicnicula” (3/12/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – When Bunnicula drains an
ancient plant at the museum his lizard brain takes over.
“Bunzilla” (3/12/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – Seaweed turns Bunnicula into a
monster that terrorizes a village of squirrels.
“The Chocolate Vampire Bunny” (3/14/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – A cocoa bean
turns Bunnicula into chocolate, and there are some hungry kids nearby.
“Lord of the Lucky Locket” (9/26/18 S) – Two Grunges use the
self-repaired locket to capture Mina.
“Bunderworld” (11/29/18 S) – Patches explains how he became cursed and
met Bunnicula.
“The Gingerdread Man” (2/3/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – Harold becomes the king
of a candy world, but the former king wants his crown back.
“Beach Blanket Bunn” (11/29/18 S) – Bunnicula’s day at the beach turns
into an adventure.
“The Curiosity Shop Killed the Cat” (11/29/18 S) – Madame Plodouri
thinks Chester is a vampire and kidnaps him to exploit with other strange
animals.
“Bunn Vs.” (11/29/18 S) – Bunnicula engages in a bunch of challenges
set by Harold.
“Bunn in Space” (11/29/18 S) – Cabbage sends Bunnicula into space, and
he must find his way back home.
“Orlockdown” (11/29/18 S) – Count Orlock returns to the apartments to reclaim
Bunnicula and take over the world.
“Prism Prison” (11/29/18 S) – The pets’ vampire dance party is crashed
by a group that takes them to a vampire prison.
“Lafitte’s Lucky Locket” (9/26/18 S) – Bunnicula helps Jean Lafitte
defeat the British with the help of the locket.
“A Dark and Stormy Night” (11/19/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – Patches uses a
magic pen to bring his stories to life, which then proceed to threaten the town.
“How the West Was Bunn” (11/19/18 B, 11/29/18 S) – Bunnicula helps the
rabbit family win a game of mini-golf against a ghost rat.
“Yellow Bellied Sound Sucker” (11/29/18 S) – Playing in the basement
causes the pets to accidentally release a bird that can steal sound.
“The Fruit Fly” (11/29/18 S) – Bunnicula attempts to try fruit, but
accidentally eating a fly turns him into a fly hybrid.
“Queen Wicked, the Wicked Queen” (11/29/18 S) – The pets escape from
an old book, accidentally bringing the villainess of the story with them.
“Harold the Vampire Pointer” (10/28/17 B, 11/29/18 S) – Harold and
Bunnicula have to fill in for a sick Fluffy when a Vampire Dog challenges her.
“Blueberry Blues” (11/29/18 S) – A blueberry makes Bunnicula
depressed.
“Iron Bunn” (11/29/18 S) – A vegetable burned by an iron pot causes
Bunnicula to become metallic when he eats it.
Season 3:
“Mastering the Genie” (12/1/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – A genie twists the
wishes he grants into nightmares.
“Hare Club” (12/1/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – The pets come to learn their new
hairstyles come with a lofty price.
“The Maltese Bunny” (12/4/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – The pets head to the
underworld to find Mina’s lost pony.
“Termites!” (12/4/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – Chester’s perfect day is anything
but.
“Clone-icula” (12/7/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – Chester and Harold have to find
a way to get rid of the clones Bunnicula created of himself.
“Hiccup in Smoke” (12/7/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – Chester and Harold try to
help Bunnicula get rid of his hiccups.
“Purr-gatory” (12/10/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – Bunnicula tries to fight his
desire to scare Chester.
“Take the Bunny and Run” (12/10/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – Harold accidentally
wins a dog race and the loser keeps pestering him for a rematch.
“Any Witch Way” (12/13/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – A witch keeps Bunnicula from
hugging Mina.
“Up to Our Ears” (12/13/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – Street gangs steal Bunnicula’s
ears.
“Flunicula” (12/16/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – The pets team-up with Lugosi to
find a cure for Bunnicula’s flu.
“So Campy” (12/16/18 B, 3/28/19 S) – Harold tries to sell Chester on
the fun of camping.
“Wag the Dog” (12/18/18 B) – Harold’s tail lands him in trouble.
“Back in Thyme” (12/18/18 B) – Bunnicula goes back in time to save
Mina’s project.
“Hat-Cat” (12/22/18 B) – Bunnicula gives Chester a magical hat that
will make him brave.
“Poppet Master” (12/22/18 B) – Harold’s puppets of the pets lead to
trouble.
“The Party Animal” (12/24/18 B) – Bunnicula plans a party to help get
Chester to loosen up.
“Good Luck Cricket” (12/24/18 B) – A cricket provides the pets with
good luck, but for a price.
“Monster-Con” (12/26/18 B) – The pets go to a monster convention and discover
Bunnicula is a celebrity.
“Skin Deep” (12/26/18 B) – A monster scares the pets out of their
skins.
“The Thingy” (12/28/18 B) – A doppelganger is on the loose in the
apartments.
“A Vampire at the Vet” (12/28/18 B) – The pets try to get Bunnicula
out of his vet appointment.
“Road Tripped” (12/30/18 B) – The pets head into the underworld for a
music festival.
“Oh Brother!” (12/30/18 B) – A mysterious visitor has all of the
supernatural entities in the apartments on edge.
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