The classic charm of ‘Wonder Pets’ is back with creator Jennifer Oxley’s new series, a fresh take that introduces a new team of animal heroes, navigating global adventures, who showcase the power of empathy and collaboration while teaching life lessons through mini-opera-inspired tales.
Emmy Award winner Jennifer Oxley has directed many hit animated preschool series, from Little Bill to Piper O'Possum. But when she got the call about reviving her 2006 animated series Wonder Pets!, the director says she was “totally freaking out,” on top of being overjoyed, of course.
“How do you create something that lives up to the charm and heart of the original, while bringing a fresh new take to today’s audience?” asks Oxley. “So, when dreaming up what our new spin-off could be, I thought, ‘What if our original Wonder Pets weren’t alone? What if there was a vast network of singing animal-saving teamwork-loving classroom pets all around the world? And, for this spin-off, what if we get to meet a whole new team of Wonder Pets who live in a brand-new city location?’”
Wonder Pets: In the City introduces a trio of new heroes: Izzy the Guinea Pig, Tate the Snake, and Zuri the Bunny. These classroom pets live in a New York City kindergarten class and travel all around the globe in their amazing “Jetcar” to rescue animals in musical, mini-opera-themed adventures.
The new series features the voice talents of newcomers Victoria Scola-Giampapa as Izzy, Vanessa Huszar as Zuri, and Christopher Sean Cooper Jr. as Tate. The music-forward project also features Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, Pulitzer Prize-winning composers including Bobby Lopez, Jason Robert Brown, Tom Kitt, Matthew Sklar, and Larry Hochman, and is accompanied by the FILMharmonic Orchestra.
Check out the trailer:
Produced by Nickelodeon Animation and releasing Friday, December 13 on Apple TV+, the series is developed by Oxley, who serves as executive producer alongside Steve Altiere and co-executive producer Jeffrey Lesser, who served as music director on the original show.
“Loads of talented folks joined our new team from the original series, including Jeffrey and our lead composer Larry Lochman,” notes Oxley. “In our music forward mini-operetta format, we weave in and out of song and dialog, exposing kids to different styles of music that reflect the diverse location of the day’s adventure. We also record a live orchestra for every story. It never gets old seeing our animation on screen while being accompanied by live musicians.”
The scrapbook-style animation is one Oxley is very familiar with, having served as director on Little Bill as well as creative director on 3rd & Bird.
“The Wonder Pets animation is definitely an extension of this cut-out style, but instead of cut construction paper we use real photographs,” explains Oxley. “Just like the original, real animals are photographed, designed in Photoshop, and rigged like very complex paper dolls in After Effects for a style of animation created for the Wonder Pets! called Photo Puppetry.”
Though the initial process is mostly the same as what was used in 2006, there are notable differences in the range of animation motion the 2024 series takes advantage of.
“On the original, we were mostly limited to the different positions photographed, so the range of motion was limited,” shares Oxley. “But for this new series, we created more advanced features that allowed animators to get a variety of different angles and more subtle facial movements and expressions. We were also able to push the boundaries creatively because so many of our amazingly talented artists from the original team returned for this new spin-off. I honestly don’t think we could have done it without them.”
Oxley admits that the best and most challenging part of creating Wonder Pets has been, and still is, the animal photo sessions.
“When we were photographing our little black bunny, we needed shots of the underside of her feet,” shares Oxley. “Well, this bunny wasn’t having it. She didn’t like having her feet off the ground. Every time we lifted her up, she kicked and flailed. It was a blurry mess. But, our animal wrangler Carol said, ‘No worries. I’ll just hypnotize her.’ Carol then proceeded to sing and chant a mesmerizing tune while stroking the bunny’s fur and, in minutes, the bunny was calm. Me and the photographer were baffled. We then gently moved the bunny around like a stuffed puppet. It was truly astonishing.”
Along with new pets, new ranges of motion and, apparently, new methods of hypnotizing animals for pictures, the Wonder Pets team also has embraced more diverse and inclusive themes in the upcoming episodes, with the takeaways focusing on teamwork, compassion, empathy, kindness, and the importance of helping others.
“I have so many favorites,” admits Oxley of the new episodes. “But if I had to pick, I love the story about a little ‘Theatre Mouse in Time Square’ who’s sad because he’s been cast as a tree and thinks his part is unimportant. It was so much fun dreaming up the little mini-animal-sized theatre where the story takes place, nested on the curb of Broadway’s famous Shubert Alley. And it was a total joy working with Broadway legends Jason Robert Brown and Georgia Stitt, our composers, and Kevin Del Aguila, our writer. In the episode, the Wonder Pets help the little mouse understand that every job is important. There are no small parts.”
And who better to teach that message to young children in a big world than tiny classroom pets?
Victoria Davis is a full-time, freelance journalist and part-time Otaku with an affinity for all things anime. She's reported on numerous stories from activist news to entertainment. Find more about her work at victoriadavisdepiction.com.
