Max & Ruby

Max & Ruby is an American-Canadian children's animated television series based on the book series by Rosemary Wells. The series debuted in Canada on Treehouse TV on May 3, 2002. In the United States, the series premiered on Nick Jr. in January 2003.

The series was animated and produced primarily in the US, with voice recording taking place in Canada.

The first two seasons feature Ruby wearing a purple shirt and a yellow dress, while in Seasons 3-5 she wears a pink shirt and a magenta dress instead.

Plot
Max & Ruby is about two bunnies: Max, a rambunctious and determined three-year-old, and his older sister Ruby, a patient, goal-oriented, and sometimes restrictive seven-year-old. The series takes place in a fictional town called Eastbunny Hop in the 1940s and 1950s, which is a universe populated by bunnies and other small creatures. According to Wells, the series shows the relationship between Ruby, Max, and the universal nature of sibling relationships.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Quantity Over Quality: Much like Johnny Test and Teen Titans Go!, the series lasted for way too long, as it ran for 17 years and lasted 130 episodes.
 * 2) Poor characterization:
 * 3) *Despite trying to keep him out of trouble, Ruby bosses her little brother Max around and doesn't allow him to do things on his own. This makes Max a butt-monkey and Ruby a stereotypical mean girl.
 * 4) **She also sometimes wants Max to do stupid and pathetic things, such as:
 * 5) ***Having him act like a baby in "Baby Max"
 * 6) ***Having Max go on an egg hunt with her before he can eat the chocolate chicken placed in the birdbath by the Easter Bunny
 * 7) *Max always causes trouble, annoys Ruby, and ruins his sister's best-laid plans.
 * 8) **In "Goodnight, Max", he keeps waking up Ruby and even dirties all of his pajamas just because he doesn't like them.
 * 9) **In "Max's Christmas", he annoys Ruby by constantly asking her why he has to go to sleep on Christmas Eve.
 * 10) **In "Max's Chocolate Chicken", he eats an entire chocolate chicken left by the Easter Bunny while he and Ruby are in the middle of an egg hunt.
 * 11) **In "Max's Bath", he keeps telling Ruby he's hungry and even plays with his food in the bathtub.
 * 12) **In "Ruby's Beauty Shop", he ruins Ruby and Louise's beauty shop and puts on so much make-up that his fur turns green.
 * 13) **In "Max's Music", he interrupts Ruby and her friends with his toys while they practice for the Bunny Scout Concert.
 * 14) ***He is often only scolded by Ruby and/or her friends for his actions rather than punished, making him a Karma Houdini.
 * 15) *Just like Ruby, Grandma lets Max get away with the trouble he causes, even when he doesn't deserve it. She even tends to point out to Ruby that her little brother's troublemaking has helped save the day.
 * 16) Max can only say one word at a time in Seasons 1-5, which is very annoying.
 * 17) Max is seen naked in several episodes, which is very inappropriate for a kids' show.
 * 18) Max and Ruby's parents are mysteriously absent in the first five seasons, just like in the books the show is based on. This also implies that their parents are neglectful and can't look after them.
 * 19) In "Quiet, Max" and "Max's Cuckoo Clock", Max makes too much noise and wakes up Baby Huffington, despite Ruby telling him not to because he's asleep. The noises, especially Baby Huffington's crying, will also get on your last nerve.
 * 20) The episodes are extremely repetitive and predictable.
 * 21) Poor voice acting for Ruby in the first two seasons, in which she sounds older than a 7-year-old and speaks with a lisp.
 * 22) Choppy Flash animation (even for 2002 standards), especially in later seasons (the animation of which was made by Atomic Cartoons, known for the infamous later seasons of Johnny Test).
 * 23) *The character movements are also unnatural, stilted, and uncanny.
 * 24) *It's surprising considering Nelvana has made shows before and after with better or even great animation. Heck, even Timothy Goes to School had better animation than M&R!
 * 25) The theme song is annoying and lazy, as it only has "Max and Ruby, Ruby and Max" as its lyrics.
 * 26) A fair load of bad/mediocre episodes, including:
 * 27) *Ruby's Piano Practice (which started the series on a sour note)
 * 28) *Max's Bath
 * 29) *Max's Bed Time
 * 30) *Hide and Seek
 * 31) *Max's Breakfast
 * 32) *Louise's Secret
 * 33) *Max Misses the Bus
 * 34) *Max's Worm Cake
 * 35) *Max's Rainy Day
 * 36) *Camp Out
 * 37) *Ruby's Clubhouse
 * 38) *Max's Picnic
 * 39) *Max's Halloween
 * 40) *Ruby's Leaf Collection
 * 41) *The Blue Tarantula
 * 42) *Quiet, Max
 * 43) *Max Cleans Up
 * 44) *Max's Cuckoo Clock
 * 45) *Ruby's Jewelry Box
 * 46) *Bunny Cakes
 * 47) *Bunny Party
 * 48) *Bunny Money
 * 49) *Max's New Suit
 * 50) *Goodnight, Max
 * 51) *Ruby's Beauty Shop
 * 52) *Max Drives Away
 * 53) *Ruby's Rummage Sale
 * 54) *Max's Work of Art
 * 55) *Max Meets Morris
 * 56) *Ruby's Scavenger Hunt
 * 57) *Ruby's Hiccups
 * 58) *The Big Picture
 * 59) *Max's Froggy Friend
 * 60) *Max's Music
 * 61) *Ruby's Tea Party
 * 62) *Max Is It
 * 63) *Ruby's Science Project
 * 64) *Max's Music
 * 65) *Ruby's Panda Prize
 * 66) *Ruby's Roller Skates
 * 67) *Ruby's Beach Party
 * 68) *Max's Dragon Shirt
 * 69) *Max's Rabbit Racer
 * 70) *Roger's Choice
 * 71) *Grandma's Treasure Hunt
 * 72) *Grandma's Attic
 * 73) The voice acting in the UK dub is terrible. Samantha Morton also doesn't reprise her role as Ruby, despite being a British person.
 * 74) Max's toys, especially the Ear-Splitter Space Cadet, are annoying.
 * 75) The background music is bland and will put you to sleep.
 * 76) This show, Ni Hao, Kai Lan, Seasons 5-8 of Dora the Explorer, the Joe episodes of Blue's Clues, and Little Bill ruined the Nick Jr. block and gave it a bad reputation.
 * 77) The books the show is based on suffer from most, if not all of the same problems.

Good Qualities

 * 1) The show improved slightly in Seasons 3-5 with better voice acting and plots, though that isn't saying much.
 * 2) Max and Ruby care for each other, despite their poor characterization.
 * 3) Max can now speak in full sentences in Season 6 and the siblings' parents are finally revealed.
 * 4) The show does have some heartwarming and funny moments.
 * 5) Most of the voice acting is good.

Reception
Max & Ruby received mixed reviews. It has been criticized and considered mean-spirited by preschool show haters. It was also criticized by the late Angry Grandpa. It currently holds a 6.1/10 on IMDb.

Videos
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