Arthur TV Show Creator Teases New Animated Series on Max

Marc Brown, the creator of Emmy-winning PBS children’s show, Arthur is leaping into the streaming space with Hop, a new animated series on streamer, Max. Fans of Brown’s first creation, Arthur, the long-running children’s show may or may not know that Hop is Brown’s first television show following last year’s finale of the Arthur series after having a 25-season run on PBS.

Hop will hail from Brown, Peter K. Hirsch, and Tolon Brown, alongside producers at Epic Story Media and Loomi Animation. RespectAbility – an advocacy nonprofit organization fighting stigma and advancing opportunity for people with disabilities will consult on the series and has a history of doing so with other recent children’s programming.

This recent announcement regarding Hop being greenlit comes months after streaming service Max, came under fire for pulling numerous kids’ shows from the HBO Max platform. It is still home to some original children’s programming such as Max Original, Looney Tunes Cartoons, and it looks like the streamer will remain in that sector of programming. Hop is poised to showcase embracing differences among its young characters and in turn, promote the same sentiment to its viewers.

The show follows a group of best friends who embark on adventures to help preschoolers embrace their own uniqueness. Hop, the lead character, is a frog who has one leg that is shorter than the other. The show addresses disabilities while encouraging its young viewers that they can overcoming challenges and still lead a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life.

The show is “Set in the aspirational community of Fair Village, every episode is grounded in emotional reality but soars into the world of fantasy, populated by dragons, trolls, talking banjos, and magic crayons. With a gentle balance of humor and heart, our heroes go on fun escapades to discover that they can overcome any obstacle with perseverance, creativity, and teamwork. Together, they show us the power of friendship and kindness as they navigate the mud puddles of life.”

Hop, is voiced by David Connolly, the first amputee to perform in a Broadway production. Casting for additional characters includes Penny, voiced by Moneesha “Misha” Bakshi, both Hoot and Alfred Beaver will be voiced by Makeda Bromfield, Filipa will voiced by Charlotte Walker, and Benny will be voiced by Jake Shannon.

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