| A Bunch of Munsch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Based on | Various books byRobert Munsch and illustrated byMichael Martchenko |
| Narrated by | Robert Munsch |
| Theme music composer | Jeff Zahn |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin |
|
| No. of episodes | 7 (13 segments)(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Micheline Charest |
| Producer | Ronald A. Weinberg |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company | CINAR Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | CTV(Canada) Showtime(U.S.) |
| Release | December 7, 1991 (1991-12-07) – December 2, 1992 (1992-12-02) |
A Bunch of Munsch is an American-Canadian animated anthology television series produced byCINAR Films. Each episode is based on a book by American-Canadian children's authorRobert Munsch.[1] The show aired from December 7, 1991 to December 2, 1992 onCTV in Canada andShowtime in the United States.[2]
The series was announced byCINAR Films on January 12, 1991.[3] The series was funded in part by grants fromTelefilm Canada and the Maclean-Hunter Television Fund.
Every story featured a unique original song, usually sung by the lead character. "Mortimer Song" in the episode "Mortimer" was originally written by Robert Munsch in 1970.
The first episode "Thomas' Snowsuit/50 Below Zero" aired as a winter special onCTV in Canada on December 7, 1991, andShowtime in the United States on December 17.
On January 17, 1992, Showtime announcedA Bunch of Munsch would be one of three animated series to join their "Family Hour" block of children's programs in 1992 alongsideAmerican Heroes & Legends andShelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories.[4] The series began airing regularly on Showtime with "The Paper Bag Princess" on October 14, 1992, followed by the series premiere ofAmerican Heroes & Legends. CTV continued to airA Bunch of Munsch episodes as annual specials.
Seven episodes, each being two 11-minute segments in a 30-minute slot (the lone exception being "The Paper Bag Princess", which was one 22-minute episode divided into two segments), were created.[5]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original release date | Prod. code | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Thomas' Snowsuit" | Bill Speers | Cassandra Schafhausen | Chris Schouten & Bill Speers | December 7, 1991 (1991-12-07) (CTV)[6] December 17, 1991 (1991-12-17) (Showtime)[7] | 101 | |||||
| "50 Below Zero" | Stephan Martiniere & Craig Wilson | ||||||||||
Thomas tries to run away from the grown-ups such as the teacher and principal who want him to put an ugly brownsnowsuit on him. Song: "No!" Jason realizes his house is going crazy, especially when Papa sleepwalks everywhere in the house and into dangerous situations. Song: "This House is Going Crazy" | |||||||||||
| 2 | "David's Father" | Bill Speers | Michel Choquette and Alan Annand | Bob Browning | October 21, 1992 (1992-10-21) (Showtime) December 5, 1992 (1992-12-05) (CTV)[8] | 102 | |||||
| "Pigs" | Cassandra Schafhausen | Luc Savoie | |||||||||
A schoolgirl named Julie befriends her new neighbor, David, and his enormous father. Song: "Long Tall Daddy" Megan one day feeds the pigs on her family's farm, and opens the gate to the pig pen, thinking that they are dumb. This results in chaos in the farm and in her school, until she befriends a younger pig who she names Einstein. Song: "Pigs" | |||||||||||
| 3 | "Mortimer" | Bill Speers | Don Arioli | Steven Majaury and Meinert Hansen | October 28, 1992 (1992-10-28) (Showtime) December 14, 1995 (1995-12-14) (CTV) | 103 | |||||
| "Something Good" | Steven Majaury | Don Druick | Bill Speers | ||||||||
A toddler named Mortimer cause a huge amount of noise in his house, which turns into a worldwide sensation at one point. Song: "Mortimer Song" Julie, Andrew, and Tyya (based onRobert Munsch's adopted children) are on a trip to the grocery store, and try to convince their strict father (based onRobert Munsch himself) into getting them variousjunk food that tastes good. Song: "Something Good" | |||||||||||
| 4 | "The Paper Bag Princess" | Craig Wilson | Michel Choquette, Alan Annand and Cheryl Blakeney | Craig Wilson and Robert Clark | October 14, 1992 (1992-10-14) (Showtime)[9] November 28, 1993 (1993-11-28) (CTV)[10] | 104 | |||||
Princess Elizabeth becomes friends with adragon after she realizes the true colors of her fiancé Prince Ronald. Narrated byRobert Munsch. Songs: "The Princess Song" and "The Dragon Rap" | |||||||||||
| 5 | "The Boy in the Drawer" | Greg Bailey | Irene Berkowitz, Peter Landecker and Lucie Lortie | Greg Bailey and Chris Damboise | November 4, 1992 (1992-11-04) (Showtime) December 4, 1994 (1994-12-04) (CTV) | 105 | |||||
| "Murmel, Murmel, Murmel" | Cheryl Blakeney | Greg Bailey and François Brisson | |||||||||
Shelley must find a way to stop a Delinquent little boy-minded and shapedgnome from causing chaos in her house while her parents ignore it. Song: "I'm So Happy" Robin finds an unusual baby named "Murmel, Murmel, Murmel" who can only say his name in a sandbox, who needs an owner. Song: "Have I Got A Baby For You" | |||||||||||
| 6 | "The Fire Station" | Steven Majaury | Thomas LaPierre | Steven Majaury | November 11, 1992 (1992-11-11) (Showtime) January 3, 1998 (1998-01-03) (CTV) | 106 | |||||
| "Angela's Airplane" | Meinart Hansen | Cheryl Blakeney | Meinert Hansen | ||||||||
A boy and a girl named Michael and Sheila visit a fire station to wreak havoc and have fun, especially when they sneak onto a mission with the Dalmatian, Spot. Song: "I Want To Be A Hero" Angela, a little girl is obsessed with buttons and is very curious about the world sneaks onto an airplane and begins to have a fascination for it. Song: "Buttons" | |||||||||||
| 7 | "Moira's Birthday" | Craig Wilson | Stephen Ashton | Craig Wilson | December 2, 1992 (1992-12-02) (Showtime)[11] December 1, 1994 (1994-12-01) (CTV)[12] | 107 | |||||
| "Blackberry Subway Jam" | Richard T. Morrison | Diana West | Richard T. Morrison | ||||||||
A little girl named Moira has an enormous and loud destructive birthday and invites her entire school. All they do is eat the entire time. Song: "Everybody Party" A young boy named Jonathan starts to notice subway station keep wreaking havoc in his apartment, so he decides to convince the man in charge of it at the City Hall by giving him crates of his favorite food, blackberry jam. Song: "Blackberry Subway Jam" | |||||||||||
All episodes were released toVHS byGolden Book Video in the early 1990s. The releases were eventually packaged and updated in the late 1990s bySony Wonder.
All episodes were released toDVD byCookie Jar Entertainment. Mill Creek Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 on August 4, 2015 which includes a bonus episode ofThe Busy World of Richard Scarry.[13]