Arthur Creator Launching New Max Animated Series Hop

Arthur author Marc Brown is hopping back into animated children’s programming. 16 months after the beloved PBS series based on Brown’s books ended its 25-year run, the Arthur creator has announced Hop, a heartwarming comedy about embracing people’s differences. Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max streaming service greenlit the new preschool animated series starring Hop (voiced by David Connolly), an outgoing six-year-old frog with one leg shorter than the other whose superpower is empathy. Along with his eclectic group of quirky best friends — Penny (Moneesha “Misha” Bakshi), Filipa (Charlotte Walker), Benny (Jake Shannon), Alfred and Hoot (both voiced by Makeda Bromfield) — Hop’s comedic adventures will teach preschoolers about embracing their own uniqueness. 

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

“Even before Arthur ended, I was nurturing a new project about alittle frog named Hop, for a younger audience,” Brown said in a statement. “As Hop’sworld grew in my imagination, I drew inspiration from the great work myfriend Fred Rogers had done. With Arthur, we occasionally introducedcharacters with disabilities, but they never became part of the ensemblecast in any meaningful way. But the characters in Hop reflect manykids who are underrepresented in the media.Some of our characters havedisabilities but they never define who they are or what they canachieve. Kids are kids and each one is unique and filled with potential.And kids love to have fun, that’s what Hop is all about!”

RespectAbility, an advocacy nonprofit organization fighting stigma and advancing opportunity for people with disabilities, consulted on the series. Each episode of Hop sees the empathetic frog and friends “address kid-relatable problems with a healthy dose of laughter, silliness, and adventure.” Co-creators and fellow Arthur alums Peter K. Hirsch and Tolon Brown are joining Brown in bringing his beloved children’s book illustrations tolife on Hop, produced by Epic Story Media and animated by LoomiAnimation.

“We’re extremely proud of ourwork and collaboration with industry experts on representing charactersin an inclusive way,” said Epic Story Media’s Ken Faier. “It is an honor to have developed Hop with Marc,Peter and Tolon who know how to engage not only today’s youth butparents looking for quality content. We believe Hop will havelongevity in the marketplace for many years to come.”

Added Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, andBoomerang: “Marc is a legend in children’s programming, havingcreated one of the most iconic television shows that has garnered almostevery honor imaginable. Hop exudes everything families love about Arthur, but with a fresh cast of modern characters that authenticallyrepresent the sundry of little eyes watching TV.”

Max also released the first look at Hop and the cast of characters:

Hop (voiced by David Connolly) – Hop is an outgoing six-year-old frogwith one leg shorter than the other, whose superpower is empathy. Helives on a houseboat with Penny and runs a retro-diner called theLilypad that also functions as the gang’s clubhouse. A natural-bornleader, Hop spearheads the group on their zany adventures and embodieswhat it means to be an accepting, caring and supportive friend. Broadwayactor and disability advocate David Connolly voices Hop. Connolly is arecipient of the Premier of Ontario’s Award of Excellence in AppliedArts and happens to be a double below-knee amputee. He is the firstamputee to have performed on Broadway.

Penny (voiced by Moneesha “Misha” Bakshi) – Penny is Hop’sslightly older sibling. Silly, goofy and bubbling with enthusiasticenergy, Penny often seems like they’re spinning out of the control.Penny is a source of broad physical comedy and with their quirky senseof humor and talking banjo, Penny is the lovable clown of the group.

Hoot (voiced by Makeda Bromfield) – Like her name suggests, Hootis the life of the party. Charming, scatterbrained, and a bit of a diva,Hoot is the character with BIG dreams and an even bigger heart. Shelives on an organic farm with several disobedient chickens, a playfulcow and an erudite talking car named Jinx. Hoot is an affectionate,whimsical spirit with a sixth sense for finding the fun in any task.

Filipa (voiced by Charlotte Walker) – Filipa is a fiercelyintelligent squirrel who lives in the woods in an elaborate treehousewhich she built herself with the help of her magical crayon GrapeLightning. She is precise, honest, and always says exactly what’s on hermind. Although no one has ever diagnosed her, Filipa isneuro-divergent; a disdain for loud noises and big crowds comes alongwith her passionate creativity. However, the Hoppers accept her just theway she is, and in return she is the most loyal friend they could everask for. Filipa is voiced by Charlotte Walker, a new voice actor andcurrent student at George Brown College in Toronto who also happens tobe autistic.

Benny (voiced by Jake Shannon) – Benny is an alligator who maylook fearsome, but is the sweetest, shyest – and most neurotic – one ofthe group. He’s afraid of spiders, mayonnaise, small spaces, widespaces, and all spaces in between. But with the help of his friends,along with his knight-doll Brave Sir Ben, there’s no fear Benny cannotface – and even have fun while facing it! Benny loves reading and he’s agifted inventor and storyteller, which is why he runs the localbook-toy-and-game library.

Alfred (voiced by Makeda Bromfield) – Alfred Beaver is theyoungest member of the group and even though his snooty older brotherand sister (Ronny & Lonny) disapprove of him associating with suchfrivolous characters, Alfred takes every opportunity he can to hang outwith the Hoppers. Alfred is wide-eyed, open-hearted, and irrepressiblyeager to learn from Hop and try to do things on his own. Even thoughhe’s very innocent, he’s no pushover and Alfred takes on challenges witha heaping dose of grit and determination.

Hop will stream on Max.