If you grew up in the early 2000s or had kids during that era, the theme song is probably already stuck in your head. It’s iconic. But have you ever actually sat through the Max and Ruby credits? Most people just use that time to find the remote or start another episode, yet those scrolling names tell a pretty fascinating story about the fragmented world of international animation.
It's weird.
Max and Ruby feels like a quiet, small-town show about two bunnies living in a house without parents—seriously, where were the parents?—but behind the scenes, it was a massive, multi-country production. When you look at the Max and Ruby credits, you aren't just seeing a list of names; you're seeing the fingerprints of Rosemary Wells’ original vision clashing and merging with the corporate machinery of Nelvana and Silver Lining Productions.
The credits change more than you’d think. If you’re watching an episode from 2002, the list of names looks vastly different than the credits from the 2016 revival. It’s a rabbit hole. Pun intended.
The Names Behind the Bunnies
The very first name you usually see in the Max and Ruby credits is Rosemary Wells. She’s the heart of it all. She wrote the original books starting in the 1970s. Honestly, the TV show took some liberties. In the books, Max was way more of a chaotic force of nature, and Ruby was a bit more... let's say "assertive."
Then you have the heavy hitters.
Nelvana is the big one. If you saw a cartoon in Canada or on Nick Jr. in the early 2000s, Nelvana likely had their hands in it. They’re the powerhouse that handled the actual animation for the bulk of the series. But the Max and Ruby credits also frequently list Silver Lining Productions Limited and, in later seasons, 9 Story Media Group.
It’s a bit of a legal jigsaw puzzle.
Voice Actors: The People Who Barely Talked
Think about Max for a second. For the first few seasons, he had a vocabulary of exactly one word per episode. Imagine being the voice actor for that. In the early Max and Ruby credits, you’ll see Billy Rosemberg listed as the voice of Max. He had to convey an entire range of childhood emotions—frustration, hunger, joy—through single words like "Apple" or "Rocket."
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That’s a specific kind of talent.
Ruby was voiced by Katie Griffin in the beginning. If that name sounds familiar to 90s kids, it’s because she was also Sailor Mars in the Sailor Moon dub. It’s kinda wild to think that the bossy bunny sister and a fire-wielding scout share the same DNA. Later on, Samantha Morton took over the role. The Max and Ruby credits are basically a revolving door of Canadian voice talent, including Julie Lemieux and Rebecca Peters.
Why the Animation Style Shifts in the Credits
If you're a binger, you've noticed it. The show starts out looking like a moving storybook. The lines are soft. The colors are muted. Then, suddenly, everything gets sharper and a little "flashier."
This shift is documented right there in the Max and Ruby credits.
The early seasons used traditional digital ink and paint techniques that mimicked Rosemary Wells’ hand-drawn style. However, by the time the sixth season rolled around in 2016, the production had shifted. The credits started listing Atomic Cartoons. This change marked the jump to 2D Harmony animation. It made the show cheaper and faster to produce, but it lost a bit of that fuzzy, nostalgic warmth that the original episodes had.
People noticed.
The fans—or rather, the parents of the fans—often debate which "era" of the credits is superior. There's a certain soul in the early 2002 credits that feels missing when the show transitioned to the high-definition, slicker look of the late 2010s.
The Mystery of the Parents and the Credit Omissions
One of the biggest memes on the internet is the "Where are Max and Ruby’s parents?" question. For years, they were completely absent. You’d see Grandma. You’d see the neighbors. But the parents? Ghosted.
Naturally, they don't appear in the Max and Ruby credits for the first five seasons because they didn't exist in the show’s universe.
When they finally appeared in Season 6, the credits had to expand. We finally got names for "Mom" and "Dad," voiced by Caroly Larson and Tony Daniels. It was a controversial move. Some felt it ruined the "kids-only" vibe of the show. Others were just relieved that the bunnies weren't actually orphans living in a suburban wasteland.
Music and the Iconic Theme
You can't talk about the Max and Ruby credits without mentioning the music. The theme song is a masterpiece of "earworm" engineering. It was composed by Geoff Bennett and André Hirout.
The background score is equally important.
The show uses a lot of woodwinds and light percussion to keep the tone "gentle." It’s meant to be "slow TV" for toddlers. If you look at the music department in the credits, you'll see a team dedicated to making sure nothing is too loud or jarring. It’s the intentional opposite of SpongeBob.
The International Versions
Max and Ruby is a global brand.
Because it’s a Canadian-American co-production, the Max and Ruby credits sometimes vary depending on where you’re watching. If you’re watching on Treehouse TV in Canada, you might see extra logos for the Canada Media Fund or tax credit mentions that don’t show up on the US Nickelodeon airings.
It’s all about the money.
The credits are legally required to show who funded the project, and in Canada, that often means government grants. This is why so many high-quality animated shows come out of Toronto and Vancouver—the tax credits (not the Max and Ruby kind, but the financial kind) make it viable.
How to Read the Max and Ruby Credits for Trivia
If you’re a die-hard fan or a trivia buff, you should start paying attention to the "Executive Producer" section. You’ll see Scott Dyer and Michael Hirsh. These guys are legends in the animation industry. Hirsh, in particular, co-founded Nelvana. Seeing his name in the Max and Ruby credits is like seeing a "Quality Guaranteed" stamp for anyone who grew up in the golden age of Saturday morning cartoons.
You also see the evolution of the "Special Thanks" section.
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Sometimes these are nods to the actual families of the animators or specific people at Nick Jr. who championed the show when it was just a series of storyboards. It’s a very human element hidden in a wall of scrolling text.
What the Credits Reveal About the Show's Longevity
Most preschool shows die after two seasons. Max and Ruby lasted for seven. That’s an eternity in TV years.
By tracking the names in the Max and Ruby credits, you can see how the show survived. It survived through adaptation. It moved from a boutique production to a streamlined, digital process. It added characters. It changed voice actors as kids hit puberty and their voices cracked.
It’s a timeline.
If you compare the 2002 pilot credits to the 2019 series finale credits, you're looking at nearly 20 years of animation history. You're seeing the industry move from hand-touched digital frames to automated puppet animation.
Actionable Steps for Max and Ruby Fans
If you want to dive deeper into the world of these bunnies, don't just stop at the credits. There are actual things you can do to appreciate the craft behind the show:
- Compare the Books: Find a copy of Max's First Word by Rosemary Wells. Compare the "Credits" or publishing info there to the TV show. You'll see how the characters were "sanitized" for television.
- Check the Dubs: If you’re learning a language, find the Max and Ruby credits for the French or Spanish versions. The voice casting is totally different and gives the characters a new vibe.
- Support the Creators: Look up the individual animators listed in the credits on sites like IMDb or LinkedIn. Many of them have gone on to work on massive projects at Pixar or Disney.
- Verify the Era: If you’re buying DVDs or streaming, check the production year in the credits. If you want the "classic" feel, stick to anything credited between 2002 and 2012. If you want the modern, parent-included version, look for 2016 and beyond.
The Max and Ruby credits aren't just a signal that the episode is over. They’re a record of a specific era in children's media where simplicity was king, and a silent bunny could become a global superstar. Next time the theme song ends, stay for the scroll. You might recognize a name or two.