I had never heard of Max & Ruby, but after reading comment after comment on it over on the PAC: Parents Against Caillou post, I thought I would check it out. Thankfully, my kids had never heard of this show either.
First of all, the animation style is… let’s call it, “bad photoshop-style animation”. It’s bad CGI mixed with poorly-drawn, pixilated, cut & paste bipedal rabbits in unfashionable clothing. Graphics are stretched & distorted to shreds on what must be a thrift-shop PC from 1995. I’m sure someone thinks it’s clever, but it’s an objective fact that it’s visually disgusting & unappealing. Maybe kids aren’t picky, but shouldn’t TV Execs use some discretion in exchange for their salaries? Animation is practically as old as television, it’s simply not acceptable to put complete crap out there when today’s 6th graders can do better (and gladly would for less than I imagine these folks are paid). I don’t know about yours, but my kids deserve better (and at ages 3 & 4, could probably produce better themselves on their iPads).
The voice(s) (it’s clearly one person) are unsurprisingly irritating, as are the voices in many kids shows. However, it’s much easier to get past the unprofessional voices of some shows when they have an actual story line. Should I actually say it? Yes, I will. I prefer that my kids watch the grown woman who plays with kids toys on YouTube. She has an awful, monotonous drone, but without the high-pitched squeaks, it’s so much easier to drown-out – plus, her toys have much more fun than these Max & Ruby jokers.
All of that aside, what is the point of watching two apparently orphaned bunny siblings who hate each other do absolutely nothing? The synopses of these shows are more interesting than waisting your life on them:
“‘Hide and Seek’ – Ruby tries to teach little brother Max how to play hide-and-seek, but Max doesn’t understand the rules. He hides over and over again and won’t give Ruby a turn.” That’s 8 minutes, folks. EIGHT MINUTES of a bunny who only only speaks a few words hiding and his sister with a slightly larger vocabulary looking for him. Have 8 minutes? Think I’m exaggerating?
If you’re not the TV type, don’t worry. You can be bored with the board book as well. It really is that awful watching two unfortunate bunnies (who somehow have a house over their heads) accomplish absolutely nothing, wondering the entire time how they have even survived since there are clearly no adults in shrieking distance. I mean, who would ever trust clueless Ruby with a bunny as young as Max appears to be?
That’s today’s entertainment for ya. Maybe it’s hard to find shows in an enormous global market where talent can be found around every corner on the internet. Who wouldn’t want to watch two irritating, pointless bunnies who can’t stand each other accomplish nothing? No wonder we’re raising a generation of helpless sissies.
3 comments
Unfortunately, my now 8 year old daughter absolutely loved Max and Ruby (and Caillou)….I H.A.T.E.D. It! There is a grandma in there somewhere and other adults, but apparently Max and Ruby make it on their own, like Pippi Longstockings. The only animated kids show that I freely endorse and recommend is Charlie and Lola….I don’t kniw if it’s shown on tv anymore, but I know you can get it on dvd. It is based on a book series also, which is equally adorable!
Love this because Pippi Longstockings was banned in my childhood home. 🙂
I just found your site through a link on PAC. God bless you and the work that you do (I’m not particularly religious, but because of the highly important cause you are fighting for, I’ll make an exception.). I knew there was a world out there that hated Caillou, but I had no idea where I could go to share my Max and Ruby pain. The pattern on each show is simply grating:
1) Ruby and best friend Louise have something Very Important to do for Bunny Scouts.
2) While I wonder how Bunny Scouts can make soapbox derby racers with paws and a distinct lack of opposable thumbs, Max interferes with their plans. Ruby then proceeds to scold him, managing to sound like both a grandmother and five-year-old at the same time.
3) Whatever antics Max got into somehow end up saving the day, leading Ruby to reverse her earlier decision and praise him.
Overall, Max and Ruby is a Canadian cartoon about a whiny older sibling and their relationship with their younger sibling. Now where have I seen that before?