All Rise...

When it rains, Judge David Johnson goes outside to jump in puddles and taunt the dying earthworms.

Editor's Note

Our reviews of Max And Ruby: Bunnytales (published February 6th, 2011), Max And Ruby: Everybunny Loves Winter (published September 29th, 2010), Max And Ruby's Christmas (published November 2nd, 2004), Max And Ruby's Halloween (published September 14th, 2005), Max And Ruby: Springtime For Max And Ruby (published April 18th, 2005), and Max And Ruby: A Visit With Grandma (published June 15th, 2010) are also available.

The Charge

See it's raining. So it's time to play. During the day.

The Case

Max and Ruby are two genteel rabbits. Ruby is the responsible older sister and Max is the slightly rambunctious little brother who also seems to get into trouble. But that trouble is as innocuous as it gets. He'll play in the mud or gross everyone out with earthworms or lose his toys in he backyard. The kid is not a terror hopped up on Ritalin.

Actually, I would argue that Max and Ruby is about inoffensive as children's television can possibly get. Everyone's nice and caring and lovable, a far cry from the ADHD shenanigans of the Bratz or the Power Rangers. But that's just me being a crotchety, over-protective new dad I suppose; my daughter is welcome to watch this show any time.

Episodes are divided into three stand-alone stories. There are four complete shows on the disc, totaling 98 minutes:

• "Ruby Writes a Story / Max's Dominoes / Grandma's Attic"
1) Max irritates Ruby while she tries to write a story. 2) Max and his pal Morris set up an awesome domino line. 3) Ruby and Max sift through stuff in the attic and play dress-up.

• "Bunny Cakes / Bunny Party / Bunny Money"
1) Max's affinity for worms makes Ruby's birthday cake baking an uphill battle. 2) Ruby sets up a party for Grandma but Max is determined to include his toys. 3) Ruby and Max learn about the magic of free market capitalism as they shop for Grandma's birthday present.

• "Ruby's Safari / Max's Mud Bath/ Max's Lost Lizard"
1) When Ruby heads out in the yard for a pretend safari she stumbles on Max's lost toys. 2) Ruby and her friend Louis aim to give Max a make-over but all he wants to do is take a flying leap into a pool of mud. 3) A chameleon is on the loose and Max can't get enough of the scaly zaniness.

• "Ruby's Rainbow / Home Tweet Home / Max's Mudpie"
1) Finally, we get the rainy day and Ruby takes advantage by painting a pretty picture of a rainbow. 2) Ruby and Louise build a birdhouse. 3) Max makes mudpies.

Hey, I tried to make those story descriptions pop, but that's the show: short and sweet little vignettes. It might not be crackling entertainment for grown-ups, but you can spin these discs without the slightest concern of anything remotely inappropriate hitting your sprouts' eyes.

The DVD: full frame, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, no extras.

The Verdict

Nice bunnies. Not Guilty.

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