Bunnicula (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series follows Mina Monroe, a 13-year-old girl who moves to New Orleans with her father after inheriting an apartment from her late Aunt Marie. Using a key given by her aunt, Mina opens a cellar in the Orlock Apartments and frees Bunnicula, a vampire rabbit who drains vegetables instead of blood to strengthen his powers. Mina discovers Bunnicula's vampiric nature early in the series and accepts him as a pet. The show centers on Bunnicula's adventures with Mina's other pets—Chester, a sarcastic Siamese cat, and Harold, a loyal but unintelligent dog—who join him in solving supernatural situations only Bunnicula can handle.

Key characters include Arthur Monroe, Mina's father whose face is hidden until the finale; Marsha, Mina's cautious and unlucky best friend; Becky, a monotone and sarcastic friend; Scott Dingleman, Mina's love interest; and Bunnicula's brother, who drains vegetables rather than life force.

Reader's Guide

Bunnicula premiered on Cartoon Network and Boomerang on February 6, 2016, and was picked up for a second and third season. The third season aired on the Boomerang network from December 1 to December 30, 2019, with reruns continuing until 2021. The series also aired internationally on Teletoon in Canada, Boomerang in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and on Pogo in India. It was available on Boomerang's SVOD service from 2017 to 2023, and as of 2025, it streams on HBO Max in some regions. Home media releases include a 2-disc DVD set 'Night of the Vegetable' (June 27, 2017) and 'The Complete First Season' 4-disc set (May 8, 2018). Reception has been positive, with Common Sense Media giving three stars out of five, noting the series as a fun pick for families with its silly antics and lighthearted paranormality.

Did You Know?

• Bunnicula is voiced by Chris Kattan, who also voices Arthur Monroe and Bunnicula's brother.
• Chester is voiced by Sean Astin, and Harold is voiced by Brian Kimmet.
• The character Madame Polidori is named for John Polidori, author of The Vampyre.
• Lugosi the guinea pig is named for Bela Lugosi, famous for playing Dracula in the 1931 film.

Premise & Creative Foundation

The animated series reimagines the beloved children's book franchise by James and Deborah Howe into a full television production. At its heart, the story follows thirteen-year-old Mina Monroe, who has just relocated from the middle of the American heartland to New Orleans with her father. There, using a key entrusted to her by her late Aunt Marie, she unlocks a cellar beneath the Orlock Apartments and inadvertently releases a vampire rabbit named Bunnicula. Unlike the bloodthirsty creatures of classic horror, this Dutch rabbit sustains his supernatural powers by drinking carrot juice. Mina, completely unaware of his vampiric heritage, simply adopts him into the Monroe household. From that point forward, the series centers on Bunnicula, Chester the cat, and Harold the dog teaming up to tackle paranormal problems that only a vampire rabbit could resolve, all set against the atmospheric backdrop of New Orleans.

Core Cast & Character Dynamics

The ensemble at the center of the show is built on a trio of pets and their young owner. Bunnicula, voiced by Chris Kattan, is a vampiric Dutch rabbit and former pet of Dracula himself. He communicates in a nasal, largely unintelligible English that only Harold and other supernatural beings can parse. His abilities expand when he consumes specific foods, and he can take flight by reshaping his ears into bat wings. Chester, a sarcastic Siamese cat voiced by Sean Astin, values his friends but is perpetually terrified by the supernatural chaos surrounding them. Harold, the loyal and not-terribly-bright dog voiced by Brian Kimmet, serves as the group's translator for Bunnicula and is fiercely devoted to the pack. Mina Monroe, voiced by Kari Wahlgren, remains blissfully ignorant of her rabbit's true nature until the series finale, at which point she chooses to embrace him fully.

Supporting World & Naming Conventions

Beyond the core family, the show populates New Orleans with a rich menagerie of supernatural characters, many of whom carry names drawn from horror and film history. Madame Polidori, owner of a shop dealing in supernatural objects, is named after John Polidori, the author of The Vampyre. Lugosi, a deformed and obsessive guinea pig devoted to serving Bunnicula, takes his name from Bela Lugosi, the iconic 1931 Dracula. Baron Karloff, a vampiric French Bulldog, nods to Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's monster. Count Cavanda is a vampire tick who serves as a direct parody of Count Dracula. The broader world includes a weredude cat named Patches, a ghostly blues singer called Rusty Bones, a vampire-hunting Doberman named Fluffy, and an albino squirrel named Rafferty. The city itself is divided among numerous gangs: the West-End Lionesses, the South Street Soul Stealers, the Spanish Moss Swamp Beasts, the Dumont Moth Men, the Bay City Krakens, the Jefferson Parish Pixies, the Gentilly Rat Pack, the Futbol Furries, and the Skeleton Crew.

Production & Broadcast

Bunnicula was developed by Jessica Borutski and produced by Borutski alongside Maxwell Atoms under the Warner Bros. Animation banner. The series draws its inspiration loosely from the children's book series of the same name created by James and Deborah Howe, translating the source material into a full animated format. The show first aired on February 6, 2016, debuting simultaneously on both Cartoon Network and Boomerang. After securing orders for a second and third season, the series transitioned its broadcast exclusively to Boomerang on April 11, 2017, leaving Cartoon Network's schedule. The voice cast features a notable lineup, with Chris Kattan voicing both Bunnicula and Mina's father Arthur Monroe, Sean Astin as Chester, Brian Kimmet as Harold, and Kari Wahlgren as Mina. The narrative arc culminates in a series finale that reveals Bunnicula's younger brother, a more dangerous vampire rabbit capable of draining life force rather than juice, before Mina finally learns the truth about her pet's vampiric identity and chooses to accept him.