Children's classic The Runaway Bunny is now an animated film on HBO Max

One of my very favorite children’s books, The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, has been adapted into an animated special for HBO Max, and I couldn’t be more excited about it (this despite the fact that my children are long past the targeted age for this classic bedtime story). Directed by Amy Schatz, the film uses traditional hand-drawn animation, inviting the book’s whimsical illustrations by Clement Hurd to literally jump off the page onto the screen. This, combined with narration by Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross, songs by Mariah Carey, Rufus Wainwright, Rosanne Cash, Ziggy Marley (and more!), and a running length of 30 minutes, and you and your little one have a truly lovely viewing experience ahead.

Originally published in 1942, The Runaway Bunny has sold over 12 million copies, making it one of the most popular books for children of all time, along with another of Wise Brown’s classics, Goodnight Moon. Quick tip for baby showers: books make excellent gifts! But I digress. The Runaway Bunny is the classic story of a mother’s love and devotion, and HBO Max’s adaptation brings all of the charm and heart (and tears, let’s be honest) to the screen. While I will always be one of those people that says “read the book first”, I appreciate that Schatz and her team are reintroducing this classic book to a brand new audience in a thoughtful and visually stunning way.