Music to the Rescue: ‘Wonder Pets: In the City’ EP Jennifer Oxley Introducers Her Charming New Series

This article was written for the January ’25 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 346).

Everyone’s favorite musical pets are back and ready for some super adventures in the Big Apple. Fans of the award-winning series Wonder Pets!, which debuted in 2006 on Nickelodeon, will get a big kick out of the new show Wonder Pets: In the City, premiering this month on Apple TV+.

Developed by Emmy winner Jennifer Oxley, who was a writer and director on the original series and also created the award-winning PBS Kids series Peg+Cat, the new show centers on a trio of new main characters: Izzy the Guinea Pig, Tate the Snake and Zuri the Bunny. The terrific pets live in a kindergarten classroom in New York City and travel the world in their fantastic Jetcar and save other animals in musical, mini-opera-themed adventures. Oxley also serves as exec producer with Steve Altiere and Grammy and Emmy winner Jeffrey Lesser. Each episode features music by top composers such as Bobby Lopez, Jason Robert Brown, Tom Kitt, Matthew Sklar and Larry Hochman, accompanied by the FILMharmonic Orchestra.

Urban Adventures

Oxley tells Animation Magazine that she was very excited when she got the call to develop a spinoff based on the original show, which was quite near and dear to her heart. “I was surprised, thrilled, overjoyed and totally freaking out to be asked to create something that lived up to the charm and heart of the original, while bringing a fresh new take to today’s audience,” the talented creator recalls. “The concept for Wonder Pets: In the City sprung from the love and nostalgia for the original series. We wanted to create something that honored the spirit of the original but with a new trio of classroom pets, a jazzy new city location and deeper storytelling with diverse and inclusive themes — with the takeaway messages of teamwork, compassion, empathy, kindness and the importance of helping others.”

“We wanted to create something that honored the spirit of the original but with a new trio of classroom pets, a jazzy new city location and deeper storytelling with diverse and inclusive themes.”

— Executive producer Jennifer Oxley

The premise of the new show evolved from a simple question. “When dreaming up what our new spinoff could be, I thought, ‘What if our original Wonder Pets weren’t alone?’” recalls Oxley. “What if there was a vast network of singing, animal-saving, teamwork-loving classroom pets all around the world? And what if we get to meet a whole new team of Wonder Pets who live in a brand-new city location. This new series introduces Izzy (rocking guinea pig), Tate (lovable snake) and Zuri (silly bunny). Alone, these three classroom pets have no real superpowers, but when they come together and work as a team there’s nothing they can’t do!”

The show’s super team includes several talented creators who also worked on the original series, including musical director Jeffrey Lesser. “In our music-forward, mini-operetta format, we weave in and out of song and dialogue seamlessly, exposing kids to different styles of music that reflect the diverse location of the day’s adventure,” explains Oxley. “We also record with a live orchestra! It never gets old seeing our animation on screen while being accompanied by live musicians.”

Oxley says the new show pushes the boundaries of the “photo puppetry” animation technique created for the original. “Real animals are photographed, designed in Photoshop, then rigged and animated in After Effects,” she explains. “Our collaboration with Apple TV+ has enabled us to expand the visual style and storytelling techniques, resulting in richer animation and more dynamic environments.”

Although the photo sessions are one of the highlights of the production, working with temperamental animals proved to be a learning experience. “Sometimes photographing all the different angles and positions needed for animation can be a challenge,” the show creator admits. “Once we were photographing our little black bunny, and we needed shots of the underside of her feet. Well, this bunny wasn’t having it; she didn’t like having her feet off the ground. Every time we lifted her up, she kicked and flailed — it was a blurry mess! That’s when our animal wrangler, Carol, came to the rescue. ‘No worries,’ she said. ‘I’ll just hypnotize her.’ The photographer and I were baffled! ‘Hypnotize her?’ Carol then proceeded to sing and chant a mesmerizing tune while stroking the bunny’s fur, and in minutes the bunny was calm. We then gently moved the bunny around like a stuffed puppet. It was truly astonishing!”

Felix, Snoopy & Charlie Brown

When asked about her biggest animation influences, Oxley mentions a few other animated animals: Felix the Cat is the first cartoon she can recall from her early childhood. “However, the biggest influence for me was Snoopy,” she adds. “When I was a kid, I would cut out the Peanuts comics from the newspaper every week and glued them in my notebook. Then, when I saw the characters move for the first time in A Charlie Brown Christmas special, I knew in that moment that I wanted to be an animator.”

Oxley says there are many different elements involved in making an entertaining and educational children’s show. “Maybe it’s about pushing to create content that appeals to folks of all ages,” she says. “It’s important to tell smart stories that utilize inventive techniques that challenge audiences to think and learn. My tip for young people wanting to get into the business is to go to animation, TV and film events where you can meet and talk with real live people! Some of my favorites are the World Animation Summit, Kidscreen and the Ottawa International Animation Festival!”

Wonder Pets: In the City premieres on Apple TV+ on December 13.