Common Sense Media Review
By Ashley Moulton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gentle film celebrates bond between parents and kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 2+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Runaway Bunny
What's the Story?
HBO Max's half-hour film THE RUNAWAY BUNNY makes a classic book come to life with animation and star-studded music. Author Margaret Wise Brown is best known for her bedtime standby Goodnight Moon, but this special re-tells her equally charming ode to parental love, The Runaway Bunny. Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish, Girlfriends) narrates the story of a little bunny who's looking for some independence from his mother. He imagines running away to become a brave mountain climber, but he finds that mom bunny is waiting for him at the top of the mountain. Continuing to imagine increasingly fantastical places he'll go, the little bunny is thwarted when mom bunny always finds him again. Each time he makes-believe, the scene turns into an animated music video, set to songs like Mariah Carey singing her "Always Be My Baby," Roseanne Cash singing "You Are My Sunshine," and Rufus Wainwright covering Billy Joel's "Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel"). In the end, little bunny realizes there's no way to escape his mother's love, and he decides to keep on being a little bunny instead of exploring greener pastures away from home.
Is It Any Good?
Little kids will love this visually and musically rich special, which is basically a lullaby in animated form. The animation is based on the original book's black and white illustrations by Clement Hurd, but during the songs the little bunny gets transported inside beautiful colorful paintings that celebrate spring. The songs are largely ones that will be more familiar to adults than kids, but kids will love watching the adorable baby bunny's adventures in the richly animated mini-music videos that accompany them. The narration and story are slow-paced and gentle, and will help reassure little ones that the grown-ups in their lives will always be there for them.
Parents should come prepared with a box of tissues, as the story beautifully captures the immensity of parental love. It's very possible that grown-ups may melt into a puddle of bittersweet tears while watching The Runaway Bunny with their littles.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the mom bunny shows her love for her baby bunny.
How does the baby bunny use his imagination? Where does the bunny pretend to go to run away from his mom?
What other bedtime stories do you enjoy?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 25, 2021
- Cast : Tracee Ellis Ross
- Network : Max
- Genre : Kids' Animation
- Topics : Book Characters , Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- TV rating :
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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