The highly illustrated ‘graphic-ish’ novel for young readers tells the story of a rabbit born with small ears who braves staring neighbors and disapproving elders to explore the wonderful world outside the warren; see the author at LightBox Expo on October 25.
Alan Barillaro, the Oscar-winning writer and director of Piper, has shared with AWN the release of his new book, “Bunns Rabbit,” the first in a planned series of highly illustrated “graphic-ish” novels more than 10 years in the making. The author will share his work as part of a LightBox Expo panel of Sheridan Alums this Sunday, October 25.
In the book, when Bunns is born with small but perfectly functional rabbit ears, the warren is abuzz with auguries. Surely such short ears spell bad luck for the community. Sheltered in her family’s burrow, Bunns listens to the rhythm of her mother’s heartbeat — thump, thump, thump — a song of home and belonging. Her father explains that unlike a rabbit’s words or thumping feet, a heartsong cannot lie. But the unknown world of the meadow, the sounds, and smells above, call to Bunns. When at last, she’s ready to brave the staring and whispering of neighbors who fear her because she’s different, and the disapproving elders who threaten to banish her family, she finds a world beyond the warren where myths and riddles, magic voyages, and important new friends await. Can the “bad omen bunny” follow her own heartsong to a destiny — a wish — meant just for her?
Barillaro told AWN, “After the Academy Award for Piper, I was often asked what I was working on next. I don’t think anyone believed me when I replied, ‘I think I have to quit my great job at Pixar to go off to go write this illustrated series called, ‘Bunns Rabbit.’’ The scale of the series meant the two novels had to be written and illustrated nearly simultaneously in order for the story to pay off in the way it needed to. Those two works took 10 years to complete. It sounds crazy now to admit, but that's been the plan since Piper. I have to invest the necessary amount of time in an idea for it to be something I feel is worthwhile creating. It’s a dream to announce that the first book is now available on bookshelves.”
He continued, “So many wonderful artists in animation move between our industry and the book world. We’re all well aware that books are often the jumping off point for countless animated films. It’s a big deal to me that AWN is willing to note this novel's release. We’re looking towards a significant era of indie filmmaking in animation. To me, the world of animation and children’s books are deeply intertwined in the success of this, marking not all, but some of the original stories that writer-directors can bring to the screen. The ‘Bunns Rabbit’ duology is my humble attempt at what I feel is in line with that indie approach. A novel is its own artform, but it can inform the film version in a beautiful way.”
Enjoy the trailer – several of the book’s beautiful illustrations are shown below:
Barillaro served as a supervising animator on numerous films including The Incredibles, Incredibles 2, WALL-E, and Brave. He began his career in animation at the age of 16 and spent more than 25 years at Pixar Animation Studios.
He penned “Bunns Rabbit” as the first in a planned series, with book two scheduled for Fall 2026. He is also the author of the acclaimed debut “Where the Water Takes Us.” You can read more about the author here.
Source: Candlewick Press
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
