Rabbit Dreams: ‘Not a Box’ Delivers a Sweet Animated Pre-K Treat to Apple TV+

This article was written for the May-June ’25 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 350).

“Replicating the storytelling mind of a six-year old isn’t easy — it’s the opposite. We weren’t just inventing stories that sounded like kids made them up; we were trying to capture how kids actually think, talk and play.”

— Showrunner/head writer Michael Rabb

Oh, the places Riley the bunny will go — and take young viewers along with her this month! Riley is the clever, imaginative star of the new animated series Not a Box, which premieres on Apple TV+ in June. The lovingly crafted show, which is based on the award-winning book by Antoinette Portis, follows the adventures of Riley as she embarks on incredible adventures through limitless environments, characters and encounters. The series’ head writer and showrunner Michael Rabb was kind enough to tell us a little more about Riley’s world.

Rabb was first introduced to the book when it was in development at Silver Creek Falls Entertainment. “[The studio] told me they were trying to find a unique way to turn the book into a preschool TV series,” he recalls. “I must have read the book a hundred times, and I carried it with me everywhere. One day while I was walking with my six-year-old niece, she said she wanted to tell me a story. Listening to the way she made up characters and situations on the fly, the way she changed her mind about certain details and then changed them back again, gave me the inspiration to create a show that told stories in the same way a six-year old would tell a story. Just imperfectly perfect!”

Pure Imagination

Rabb, who has written for numerous animated shows over the past two decades (including Berenstain Bears, Word World, Handy Manny, Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Doc McStuffins), says he loves that anything Riley imagines can come true. “It’s her pure and unfiltered imagination that she uses to create all kinds of new friends, new places to visit and new adventures,” he mentions. “She can literally go anywhere and do anything. All she has to do is imagine it. But it’s also the love she feels for the characters she imagines to life. From a sea monster named Pizza to a surfing mountain goat named Ramsey, Riley feels a very special bond with each and every one of them.”

The show’s distinctive visual style was created by Siri Melchior (Rita and Crocodile, Lili) a BAFTA-nominated Danish animator and children’s book illustrator best known for her vibrant, playful and handcrafted style. “What really sets this show apart is its handmade look, almost as if the characters, scenic backgrounds and props were sketched, painted and then cut out,” notes Rabb. “I compare it to a children’s book that comes to life.”

Not a Box was in development for about a year, during which Rabb and the team (which includes exec producers Dete Meserve, Angus Wall, Linda Carlson and Harry Lowell) honed in on who Riley was and what kind stories she wanted to tell. Once they got past the development stage, the show was in active production for about two years. The animation was done by award-winning U.K. studio Passion Animation. The voices were cast and recorded in and around Vancouver. The show had four staff writers (including Rabb), but the production was also able to get a dozen or more freelance writers who also contributed story ideas or scripts to the series.

Of course, like every animated show ever created, there were challenges along the way! “The project was far more challenging than I had planned for,” admits Rabb. “Replicating the storytelling mind of a six-year old isn’t easy — it’s the opposite. We weren’t just inventing stories that sounded like kids made them up; we were trying to capture how kids actually think, talk and play. That meant watching hours of real children interacting without adult interference, listening to how their stories unfold naturally. Our writers’ room became a daily brainstorm of hundreds of ideas, just to find that one spark that felt truly authentic to the character’s voice!”

Collaboration & Empathy

Now that the show is ready to entertain young viewers around the world, Rabb hopes they will realize how powerful their imagination can be. “Riley doesn’t wait for the perfect toy or the perfect moment, she creates entire worlds out of an ordinary cardboard box,” says the veteran writer-producer. “That kind of creativity, that confidence to turn ‘nothing’ into ‘something incredible,’ is what we want to nurture in kids. We also hope viewers see the value of friendship and collaboration. Riley’s stories might start in her mind, but it’s her friends who help bring them to life, each adding their own ideas and energy. The show celebrates the idea that play is not just fun. It’s where kids learn problem-solving, empathy and how to express themselves. If Riley inspires just one child to look at a plain old box and say, ‘This could be anything!’ then we’ve done our job!”

Rabb leaves us with a bit of advice for those who would like to write and create shows for young audiences. “It’s a wild ride for sure, and there’s no single path to take, but if I had to offer one piece of advice, it would be to stay curious and try to find new and different ways to tell stories,” he says. “An old college professor of mine once told me that there are no new stories to tell, however the world has yet to hear your story. This business is also very unpredictable, and I’ve seen it go up and down over the years. But I’ve learned that it’s a business built on relationships. Reach out, talk to people who’ve had success in the industry, connect with other writers and artists. The people you meet early in your career may become collaborators or champions down the line!”

Not a Box premieres on Apple TV+ on June 13.