Kiff (TV series)

Kiff is an animated musical comedy television series created by Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal and produced by Disney Television Animation in association with Titmouse, Inc. The series premiered on March 10, 2023, on Disney Channel.

In June 2023, the series was renewed for a second season. A third season was announced in June 2024, ahead of the second season's premiere.

Synopsis
Set in Table Town, a mountainous island surrounded by animals and magical creatures, the series centers on the adventures of a young, optimistic and happy-go lucky anthropomorphic squirrel named Kiff, whose best intentions often lead to complete chaos, and her best friend Barry, a sweet and mellow rabbit. The two take the island by storm with their endless adventures and zest for life.

Main

 * Kiff Chatterley (voiced by Kimiko Glenn ) is a young and optimistic squirrel who is the protagonist of the series. She tends to sometimes be reckless but is thankfully never afraid of being responsible and standing up for what she believes in. Her internet alias is 'Kifftastic4' over on Table Toob. In "Nicknames", it's revealed that "Kiff" is just her nickname, though her real name is currently unknown. Her design closely resembles an American red squirrel.
 * Barry Buns (voiced by H. Michael Croner ) is a sweet and mellow rabbit who is Kiff's best friend and sidekick.

Kiff's family

 * Martin Chatterley (voiced by James Monroe Iglehart ) is Kiff's absent-minded father who loves popcorn and orange juice. His internet alias is 'SmartyPrance116' over on Table Toob. He secretly wanted to be an ice-skater during his youth. "No Dad Ideas" reveals that he works as a less-than-successful inventor.
 * Beryl Chatterley (voiced by Lauren Ash ) is Kiff's mother, and Martin's wife, who works as a college professor.
 * Pat Chatterley (voiced by Andy Merrill) is Kiff's paternal uncle who lives in a condo, rides a motorcycle, and works as a cruise director.

Barry's family

 * Mary Buns (voiced by Rachel House ) is Barry's warm and kind mother. She speaks with a New Zealand accent.
 * Harry Buns (known professionally as DJ 11:30) (voiced by Josh Johnson ) is Barry's somewhat cynical older teenage brother and an aspiring DJ.
 * Terri Buns (known professionally as Terri Two-Bowls) (voiced by Nichole Sakura ) is Barry's older sister and Harry's younger sister, who is a social media influencer and has a job as a pizza deliverywoman.
 * Kristophe Buns is Barry's one-eared baby brother, who is usually seen with Farley, a toy robot that once belonged to Harry. He is the youngest in the Buns family.

The Fox family

 * Candle Fox (voiced by Vella Lovell) is a popular and rich female fox in Kiff and Barry's class, Roy's daughter, and Kiff's frenemy. In "Two Truths and a Bunny", Candle is revealed to be the leader of her own group called the "Abras" (a pun on candelabra). Her parents are also divorced, as revealed in "Fresh Outta Grandmas".
 * Roy Fox (voiced by Eric Bauza) is Candle's father who is the president of Foxhole Productions, as well as a TV producer for reality TV shows such as "Table Town Has Talent", "Table Town's Cringiest Wannabes", "The 5 Jerks", and "Dancing on the Tables".

Table Town Middle School staff

 * Principal Secretary (voiced by Nic Smal) is a South African-accented secretary bird who is the principal at Kiff and Barry's school. He aspired to be a principal ever since he was in high school. He, Glarbin Gloobin, Sweepy Steve, and Ms. Moufflé have their own group called "The Table Town Riddler's Society".
 * Helen (voiced by Lucy Heavens) is an eccentric, selfish and egotistical 712-year-old witch who is Kiff and Barry's drama teacher.
 * Miss Deer Teacher (voiced by Deedee Magno Hall) is a 33-year-old deer who is Kiff and Barry's teacher. She used to be a stand-up comedian before she became a teacher. She still unironically plays with dolls and stuffed animals whenever she's at home.
 * Mr. Ri-Peppa (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a somewhat unprincipled skunk and teacher. When not teaching a class, he serves as an announcer in sporting events held at the school. He also even added the name Peppa, and that's kinda like a British cartoon Peppa Pig.
 * Miss Tulane (voiced by Lucy Heavens) is a German-accented unicorn who is the school's art teacher. She wears white boots and a pink scarf.
 * Sweepy Steve (voiced by Kent Osborne) performs janitorial duties at Table Town Middle School. At the beginning of each episode, he is pasting an advertisement on the same billboard as the episode title. He is a member of "The Table Town Riddler's Society" and has been shown to have a love for musical theater. In "Life on the Inside", he is seen running detention. He is prone to suddenly falling asleep under sun beams. He is always seen accompanied by a broom.
 * Secretary Prince (voiced by Eugene Cordero) is a satyr who works as the secretary to Principal Secretary.

Table Town Middle School students

 * Gareth and Darryn (both voiced by Tom Kenny) are Kiff and Barry's dassie (hyrax) and giraffe classmates.
 * Trevor Angstrom (voiced by Tom Kenny) is a socially-deprived hedgehog in Kiff and Barry's class, whose desire for friendship makes him antagonistic in certain episodes. He becomes friends with Candle in "Friendship in the Time of Cheese Caves".
 * Reggie (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a nerdy, but loyal raccoon in Kiff and Barry's class. In "Fresh Outta Grandmas", he is revealed to have two moms who both have two moms who are both divorced. He aspires to be a video game programmer, as revealed in "Weird Delivery". He is also a member of a secret society which congregates in a cave, alongside Glarbin, Liz K., and a gerbil, as shown in "Harry's Maturity Crisis".
 * Billiam (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a young male Billy goat in Kiff and Barry's class, who is best friends with Candle.
 * Patty (voiced by Sophie Kim) is a young female light yellow parakeet in Kiff and Barry's class.
 * Renée du Bedat (voiced by Mary Mack) is a raspy-voiced female warthog in Kiff and Barry's class.
 * Snekole is a mute viper in Kiff and Barry's class.

Other recurring characters

 * Miss Moufflé (voiced by Aparna Nancherla) is a giraffe-librarian who runs the local library in Table Town. She tends to have a monstrous temper whenever she hears somebody claim that she's a 'villain' or ask her questions that personally offend her such as "Maybe you could take the shushing down a few notches". She, Principal Secretary, Glarbin Gloobin, and Sweepy Steve have their own group called "The Table Town Riddler's Society".
 * Pawva Mugg (voiced by Katie Crown) is a mink who is the town's barista.
 * Trollie (voiced by Rhys Darby) is a troll who lives under the town's bridge. He speaks with a New Zealand accent.
 * Glarbin Gloobin (voiced by Steve Little) is a frog who is the de facto mayor of Table Town, and runs the city’s lost and found. He values doing a lot of paperwork before applying an action. He, Principal Secretary, and Miss Mouffle have their own group called "The Table Town Riddler's Society.
 * The Pone (voiced by Eugene Cordero) is an alpaca, who lives next door to the Chatterleys. Martin claims to like him despite often shooing him away from certain affairs.
 * Gordon (voiced by H. Michael Croner) is a sphynx cat who offers free samples to grocery shoppers. He used to be ageist, refusing to serve children. However, his perspective on children changed when he was struck by Helen's spell, originally intended for Beryl. Despite his small stature, Gordon is quite strong; he once single-handedly carried a delinquent hare, twice his size, who was trying to eat all his samples. Besides offering free samples, Gordon is also a cashier.

Guests

 * Flam Bingo (voiced by Gary Anthony Williams) is a flamingo and Table Town's preeminent brunch DJ agent who becomes interested in Harry as a potential client.
 * Kim Popularé (voiced by Vella Lovell) is a lemur who is Candle's friend. She used to study at Tuft Pierre, a private school mostly attended by affluent and insolent pupils, before transferring to Table Town Middle School. She, at first, spoke with a Swedish accent, and went by the pseudonym Kennedy. But after Barry beats her in a game of identifying facts and lies, she disclosed her true name, and began speaking in an American accent.
 * Scarm Scaremly (voiced by Andy Daly) is a candy-loving demon who Barry accidentally summons from a book after accepting a dare from Kyle Lyon, Michaela Oats and Nick Namé.
 * Mav (voiced by Kent Osborne) is a sheep in a black jacket, and one of a few students sent to the detention room for delinquency. Kiff met him when she was sent to detention for standing in class trying to keep her classmates in their seats. When Kiff helps him and the other delinquents escape, they reform and become committed to their schooling.
 * Beverly (voiced by Lauren Ash) is an Irish-accented mallard who left Table Town after disappointing her neighbors with her home decorations that did not conform to the Halfway There Day tradition. She returned after Centaur Claus corrected the citizens on what the holiday is really about. She is fond of elegance, and is skilled in volleyball.

Pilot
An animatic pilot episode was created prior to the series' development, and was later reworked into the episode "Hat". During this period, the series had the working title Donk. The pilot was leaked online in April 2024, alongside other pilots and production pieces from Disney and Cartoon Network.

Season 1 (2023–24)
Each and every episode was directed by Allison Craig.

Broken Karaoke
Part of the Broken Karaoke series that was started by Big City Greens.

Theme Song Takeover
As part of a promotional campaign, Disney Channel began airing the Disney Theme Song Takeover wherein supporting characters from different shows performed the theme song to the series they were in.

Development
In 2017, creators Nic Smal and Lucy Heavens first met each-other when they were animators for Triggerfish Animation Studios, as the duo claimed that they 'spoke the same comedy language'. Conception for the series began in December 2017, and was eventually optioned by Disney five months later. On June 17, 2021, during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, it was announced that Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal were developing the series, entitled Kiff. According to the duo, the series is inspired by their experiences growing up in Cape Town, while Heavens described it as a series "about a kid who lives with her parents and goes to school" whose comedy focuses on the world and characters featured. Senior vice-president for Disney Channel's animation Meredith Roberts said, "Lucy and Nic are a brilliant creative team who produced a fresh and funny series with vibrant visuals that help bring the friendship between a squirrel and a bunny to life in a unique way". The series is produced by Disney Television Animation and Titmouse, Inc., with Kent Osborne serving as co-producer and story editor, and Winnie Chaffee producing. It consists of 22-minute episodes, composed of two 11-minute segments. Edward Mejia, a Disney executive, oversees the series.

On June 13, 2023, Disney Television Animation announced that the series was renewed for a second season. A third season was announced on June 11, 2024.

Music
The series features one original musical number per episode.

Animation
In addition to co-producing, Titmouse, Inc. also provides the animation for the series (with its overseas animation being provided by Yearim).

Release
Kiff premiered simultaneously on Disney Channel and Disney XD on March 10, 2023, with the show's first six episodes releasing on Disney+ a day later. In June 2022, it was announced that the first season of the series would have 30 22-minute episodes.

Reception
Kiff received positive reviews from critics. Matthew Aguilar of ComicBook.com asserted, "Those who watch will soon find themselves transported to a delightful animated world full of hilarious scenarios that always find a way to also be relatable." Joel Keller of Decider wrote, "Kiff is lots of surreal fun, with a warm friendship at its center. Most of all, parents will enjoy it for its smart humor almost as much as their kids will enjoy the colors, sounds, and pratfalls." Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media gave the series a grade of four out of five stars, praised the depiction of positive messages and role models, citing the presence of characters demonstrating kindness, and said, "Quirky buddy comedy celebrates kid friendships."