‘Super Duper Bunny League’ EP Jonny Belt Gives Us an Insider Look at Nickelodeon’s Earristable New Show

This article was written for the April ’25 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 349).

Superhero animals have come in just about every size and species, from turtles to dogs, and they’ve always managed to pull off the kind of gruff demeanor you’d expect from someone on the streets protecting us from the bad guys. But this time around, we’re in for an unexpected twist on the genre. Super Duper Bunny League takes the softest creatures and reimagines them as bold, daring and hilarious as they fight crime and do good in the big city.

The show was inspired by the kids’ comic-book series by well-known cartoonist Jamie Smart, who is also known for the comic series Bear. This 2D series features 11-minute episodes that focus on a diverse group of bunny friends who work together to triumph over the villains that plague them. Robert Scull and Jonny Belt of Bubble Guppies, a show about mer-person preschoolers, developed the series based on Smart’s comic books.

Comic Timing

Super Duper Bunny League was produced by Nickelodeon Animation in Burbank. Scull and Belt are executive producers on the show, and Smart is a consultant on the series. Production for Nickelodeon was overseen by Eryk Casemiro, executive vice president of global series content. Marielle Kaar serves on the series as Nickelodeon’s executive in charge of production.

Though Scull and Belt in the past have been more interested in developing their own IP, something about Smart’s comic series spoke to them, and they became inspired to work on the series.

“It was undeniably appealing to us, just the style,” says Belt. “When we saw it and we read it, we knew that we were perfectly aligned for the humor. A big part of what we try to do is find and create shows with appeal to both kids and adults, because we know it’s a lot to ask a family or preschooler to sit with us for 11 minutes an episode or 22 minutes for the whole show. We want to give them a setting that they enjoy being in and characters that they enjoy being with. That’s [the] first line of what we what we strive for. We always work to make timeless, high-quality animated television for our audience, but appeal is kind of the No. 1 thing.”

Belt and Scull, whose work has earned eight Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and two Annie Awards, are known for placing an emphasis on a fun, playful tone in their work. And Smart’s wildly cartoony look immediately attracted them to his work. The two of them also understood that the voice cast would have to match the outlandish tone of the original comics. And Belt and Scull wanted to give the actors the space to discover and create their characters.

The voice cast includes Miles J. Harvey as Stumpy, H. Michael Croner as Handsome Steve, Michaela Dietz as the electrifyingly powerful Bex, Timothy “Latrice Royale” Wilcots as Derek, Ramona Young as the brilliant Dr. Annabelle and Janelle James as the narrator. They’ve also got a fantastic cast of villains, including 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 and Patrick Warburton as Awesome Guy.

‘I made sure that the characters sort of inhabit a preschool sensibility that the kids watching will recognize. When our characters are upset in the show, then it’s over the top and cartoony.’

— Showrunner Jonny Belt

“When you find the right voice talent and you find the actor who really embodies that character, you let them sort of define it,” says Belt. “Handsome Steve is a great example, because he’s not just cocky and looking in the mirror and preening and doing all that stuff, which is a very standard take on a character named Handsome Steve. He’s a lovable bro, who is also very vulnerable and will hug you. And we loved what Latrice brought to the character Derek. It’s such a calm, sort of sweet energy. It’s a collaborative process. Those are the moments where you hope the planets align and people appear in front of you that are generous with their time and talent, and that you have the wherewithal to sort of use their talent in the best possible way to create the character.”

Like most entertainment, there are cycles in preschool animation where many shows fall into a certain style or focus. You could look around right now and see there are a lot of 3D or 3D-ish preschool shows aiming to be educational while entertaining their audiences. Belt knew their show would go against this trend a bit.

“I feel like it’s a risk, but I think it’s riskier to try to play to the trends,” says Belt. “The trends change so quickly, and animation takes so long to make that if you try to home in on a trend, by the time that show comes out and people see it, that trend might be gone. Robert and I have a specific tone combination we like. We’re experienced enough now and old enough now to know what we love to do, and we can do that well. Nickelodeon has been very generous about supporting us in that effort, allowing us to sort of go against the grain. They’ve been very kind about it.”

Writing on the show began during the pandemic, and production was split between New York, Los Angeles and Finland. With work happening across the globe, there was almost a 24-hour production day while the show was being made.

“We were a pretty small crew, actually,” says Belt. “Robert and I were giving notes in New York. The animation company was Gigglebug in Finland. So, they were very far away, but we had about 100 people in Finland. And then a lot of people kind of Zoomed in for voice work, but most of the talent stuff was in Los Angeles.”

Gigglebug CEO and co-founder Anttu Harlin says working on the show with the team at Nickelodeon was a big thrill for the team at the Helskini-based studio. “We got to work on this project, early on from design and storyboards stage, all the way to the finished show,” says the veteran animation writer-producer whose credits include 101 Dalmatian Street and The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti. “We did the initial kickoff based on the script even before the radio play was done, so we got to work very closely with the creators from the beginning stages of pre-production. It was a great honor that Nickelodeon trusted our studio with this great task and opportunity.”

Hare-y Situations

Writing and creating for preschoolers is never easy. They’re an audience that’s looking for pure fun and quickly moves on to the next thing if a show doesn’t resonate with them. Therefore, Belt and Scull had to tap into their background as creators of award-winning preschool content to craft this show into something that will capture the attention of the five-and-under set.

“I used my experience,” says Belt. “We kind of know what works after working in this area for a while, and I made sure that the characters sort of inhabit a preschool sensibility that the kids watching will recognize. When our characters are upset in the show, then it’s over the top and cartoony. I think it’s important to let preschoolers know immediately what the tone is of the show [so] that you can be over the top and holding on to somebody’s leg when you want the last cookie and letting them drag you across the floor. This sort of way of doing things means something to preschoolers. I think as long as you establish that tone and it’s very clear to them, they will join you in the over-the-top tone. We also gave villains the over-the-top way of doing things, sort of the rogues’ gallery of preschool villains. We made sure they understand that the villains are goofy and sort of bumbling. If the kids feel like this sense of uncomplicated fun, then I’ll know we did our job.”

Super Duper Bunny League premieres on Nickelodeon on April 19. The show launched in February on the Nick Jr. YouTube channel.