Super Duper Bunny League executive producers Robert Scull and Jonny Belt discuss creating content that the whole family can enjoy.
There’s a new league of superheroes in town, as Nickelodeon debuts the all-new animated series, Super Duper Bunny League, based on the kids’ comic book series by cartoonist Jamie Smart. The series is a 2D-animated adventure-comedy that centers on a diverse group of bunny friends who work together and use their unique powers to protect their beloved city.
We caught up with Robert Scull and Jonny Belt, who serve as executive producers on the series, to talk all things Super Duper Bunny League. They discuss the animation style, the cast, and making content that both kids and parents can enjoy.
What is the inspiration behind Super Duper Bunny League?
The show is based on Jamie Smart’s early-reader comic series originally titled Super Hero Bunny League. When Eryk Casemiro and Ramsey Naito brought it to us, we immediately wanted to hop on—there’s this perfect mix of absurdity, energy, and warmth.
Jamie’s characters and art style felt like a natural fit for animation—his bold color choices and thick/thin line work had a vibrant, expressive look that we love. It felt like the kind of world you’d want to jump, run around, and explore in.
You two have worked together many times before—do you have a shorthand now that makes the collaboration easier?
Robert: We’ve definitely developed a rhythm over the years. It’s a lot of “What if…” followed by “Oh, wait, and then…”
Jonny: Our conversations usually bounce between writing, laughing, rejecting each other’s ideas, convincing each other, and then writing again. After all this time, we trust each other’s instincts, which helps a lot when you’re making fifty-two 11-minute episodes as fast as you can.
This show has such a fun cast. Can you talk about bringing them all on?
This was the first time we worked with an all-adult ensemble voice cast, and it completely opened up new territory for us making the entire process incredibly fun. We worked closely with the fantastic Sirena Irwin, who directed the cast and brought so much life and spontaneity to the sessions.
Some of our best days were spent with Janelle James—our narrator—on Zoom. Her performance is hilarious and totally unique. Instead of a traditional all-knowing narrator, she reacts to what’s happening like she’s watching the show with you, which we loved writing for, but even more so seeing her bring the hilarity and charm out in her performance.
I love the animation style of Super Duper Bunny League! Can you talk about how you settled on the design of the different bunnies and other characters?
Jamie Smart’s original art was right there in the book! It was bold, colorful, and playful—exactly what we needed! And we developed a few other characters to work with Jamie’s original Bunny Team to build out the world even further!
We worked with Gigglebug Animation in Finland, and they totally got what we were going for. Their work has that handcrafted, expressive feel. We wanted the bunnies to each have their own distinct silhouette and personality, but the world as a whole had to pop. Gigglebug helped make that vision come alive.
With a series like this, are there a lot of improv opportunities for the cast, or do they mostly stick to the script?
We always write tight scripts, but once we’re recording, we like to open things up a bit— Everyone we’ve casted is not only talented but genuinely funny. Some of them are Groundlings alumni, so we really gave the space for all sorts of terrific ad-libs to come out of the sessions. Sometimes we even rewrite a little afterwards to keep moments we love that stemmed from the actors surprising us. It keeps the tone fresh and the world feeling alive.
How would you describe the series to get parents and their children to check it out?
It’s silly, fast, full of action—but it’s also got a lot of heart.
It’s about being heroic in your own weird way. Whether you’re 4 or 40, there’s something in Super Duper Bunny League for you. If you liked the fun of Bubble Guppies, the adventure of The Backyardigans, and the warmth of Butterbean’s Café, this wraps it all into one colorful, chaotic, bunny-powered package.
Is there an episode in season one that you are most excited for people to see?
Honestly, we’re proud of all of them—but there are a few where everything just came together in an amazing way… I mean- we did it all on purpose. Ahem. But if we had to name a favorite it might be Awesome Guy with Patrick Warburton. That one was really fun, or awesome, to make from start to finish
As a parent who has seen a million episodes of Bubble Guppies and The Backyardigans, I appreciate a series that I can enjoy and have fun with. My daughters are 12 and 13 and we still sing songs from both. Can you discuss the importance of creating a series that families can watch together, and it will not leave the parents bored to tears?
Thank you! We love hearing that! One of our goals for the show is to make something that works on multiple levels so there’s something fun for everyone.
We always say: kids come for the fun, but parents stay if there’s something for them too. With Bunnies, we tried to create something smart, silly, and a little surprising—so it’s entertaining for everyone on the couch.
In a world of reboots and revivals, is there any chance that Rocko’s Modern Life could come back?
Robert: Wow, that would be interesting. It really was a product of the era in which it was made, and it was incredibly fun to make. Joe Murray put together an incredible team that I feel lucky to have been a part of. Who knows? Anything’s possible!
About Super Duper Bunny League
In Super Duper Bunny League, a team of bunnies turned superheroes is ready to battle danger in all its forms as they defend Important City from their archnemesis (and accidental creator), the inept Dr. Fuzzleglove, and a ridiculous rogues’ gallery of cartoony villains. Whether battling sweet-toothed space pirates, sizzling lava monsters, giant metal monkeys or hot dog-hungry dinosaurs, the Bunnies must combine their new superpowers to defend truth, justice, and especially free time to snack and chill.
The Super Duper Bunny League voice cast features: Miles J. Harvey as super stretchy Stumpy; H Michael Croner as mega-strong Handsome Steve; Michaela Dietz as the electrifyingly powerful Bex; Timothy Latrice Royale Wilcots as gigantic yet empathetic Derek; Ramona Young as brilliantly smart Dr. Annabelle; and Janelle James as the narrator. Lending their voices as special characters in the series are: Fred Stoller as Dr. Fuzzleglove; Flula Borg as Doc Choc; Carol Kane as Captain Stickybeard; Laraine Newman as Mrs. Fuzzleglove/Mrs. Rubberglove; Patton Oswalt as Lizard Lips; Danny Trejo as Alberto; Patrick Warburton as Awesome Guy; and more.
Super Duper Bunny League (26 half-hour episodes across seasons one and two) will make its linear debut Saturday, April 19, at 9:30 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon, with new episodes rolling out for nine consecutive weeks on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. (ET/PT). Following the U.S. launch, the series will roll out on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels internationally later in the year.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.