Batwheels

Batwheels is an American computer-animated superhero children's television series that premiered on September 17, 2022, on HBO Max, and on October 17, 2022, on Cartoon Network's preschool block, Cartoonito.[1]

Batwheels
Promotional poster
Genre
Based on
Developed byMichael G. Stern
Voices of
Theme music composerAndy Sturmer
ComposerAlex Geringas
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22
Production
Executive producerSam Register
Producers
  • Steven Fink
  • Caroline Kermel
Running time10–33 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original network
Picture format1080i HDTV
Audio formatDolby Surround
Original releaseSeptember 17, 2022 (2022-09-17) 
present

Plot

The Bat-Family's vehicles are brought to life by the Batcomputer to form the "Batwheels", a team led by the Batmobile or "Bam", to fight crime in Gotham City.

Characters

The Batwheels

  • The Batmobile / Bam (voiced by Jacob Bertrand), the insecure leader of the Batwheels.[2]
  • Redbird / Red (voiced by Jordan Reed), Robin's car and the youngest of the Batwheels.[2]
  • Batgirl cycle / Bibi (voiced by Madigan Kacmar), Batgirl's small but impulsive motorcycle.[2]
  • Bat Truck / Buff (voiced by Noah Bentley), a good-hearted monster truck who serves as the Batwheels' muscle.[2]
  • The Batwing / Wing (voiced by Lilimar), Batman's sophisticated and confident supersonic jet.[2]
  • The Batcomputer / BC (voiced by Kimberly D. Brooks), the team's trainer, supervisor, dispatcher, and mother figure.[2]
  • M.O.E. (Mobile Operation Expert) (voiced by Mick Wingert), Batman's sarcastic robot mechanic.[2]

The Bat-Family

The Legion of Zoom

  • Prank (voiced by Griffin Burns), Joker's funny and pranking van.[5]
  • Jestah (voiced by Alexandra Novelle), Harley's fun-loving ATV.[5]
  • Quizz (voiced by Josey Montana McCoy), Riddler's quiz loving helicopter.[5]
  • Ducky (voiced by Ariyan Kassam), Penguin's mischief-causing duck on a boat with wheels vehicle.[5]
  • Snowy (voiced by Xolo Maridueña), Mr. Freeze's bad but gentle snow crawler.[5]
  • Badcomputer (voiced by SungWon Cho), A.I. computer software inside a scoreboard who wants to replace the Bat Computer as the most powerful computer on Earth.[5]
  • Crash (voiced by Tom Kenny), Badcomputer's crash-dummy like robot minion.[5]

Episodes

No.Title[6][7]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date[6][7]Cartoon Network air date[6]Prod.
code[6]
U.S. linear viewers
(millions)
1"Secret Origin of the Batwheels"Antoine CharreyronMichael G. SternSeptember 17, 2022 (2022-09-17)October 15, 20221010.10[8]
2"Stop That Ducky"Antoine CharreyronMichael G. SternOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 17, 2022102N/A
3"Buff's BFF"Antoine CharreyronCraig FernandezOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 17, 2022103N/A
4"Up in the Air"Antoine CharreyronPatrick RiegerOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 17, 2022104N/A
5"Bibi's Do-Over"Antoine CharreyronSarah Eisenberg and Becky WangbergOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 17, 2022105N/A
6"Sidekicked to the Curb"Antoine CharreyronMichael G. SternOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 17, 2022106N/A
7"Keep Calm and Roll On"Antoine CharreyronMichael G. SternOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 17, 2022107N/A
8"Bam's Upgrade"Antoine CharreyronMichael G. SternOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 17, 2022108N/A
9"Redbird's Bogus Beach Day"Antoine CharreyronSarah Eisenberg and Becky WangbergNovember 8, 2022 (2022-11-08)November 7, 2022109N/A
10"Cave Sweet Cave"Antoine CharreyronCraig FernandezNovember 8, 2022 (2022-11-08)November 7, 2022110N/A
11"Scaredy-Bat"Antoine CharreyronAndrew GuastaferroNovember 8, 2022 (2022-11-08)November 14, 2022111N/A
12"Riddle Me This"Antoine CharreyronRyan ToyamaNovember 8, 2022 (2022-11-08)November 14, 2022112N/A
13"Zoomsday"Antoine CharreyronRyan ToyamaNovember 22, 2022 (2022-11-22)[lower-alpha 1]November 21, 2022113N/A
14"Rev and Let Rev"Antoine CharreyronJanae HallNovember 22, 2022 (2022-11-22)[lower-alpha 1]November 21, 2022114N/A
15"Batcomputer for a Day"Antoine CharreyronPatrick RiegerNovember 29, 2022 (2022-11-29)[lower-alpha 1]November 28, 2022115N/A
16"Grass is Greener"Antoine CharreyronPatrick RiegerNovember 29, 2022 (2022-11-29)[lower-alpha 1]November 28, 2022116N/A
17"Holidays on Ice"Antoine CharreyronScott GrayDecember 6, 2022 (2022-12-06)December 5, 2022117N/A
18"Bam's Clawful Mistake"Antoine CharreyronTBAMay 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)May 2, 20231180.06[9]
19"Harley Did It"Antoine CharreyronTBAMay 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)May 2, 20231190.07[9]
20"Buff in a China Shop"Antoine CharreyronTBAMay 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)May 2, 20231200.07[9]
21"A Tale of Two Bibis"Antoine CharreyronTBAMay 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)May 2, 2023121TBD
22"Batty Race"Antoine CharreyronTBAMay 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)May 2, 20231220.07[9]

Shorts

No.Title[6][10][7]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date[6][10][7]Cartoon Network air date[6]Prod.
code[6]
1"Meet the Batwheels"Michael Berardini and Antoine CharreyronMichael G. SternOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)September 5, 2022MTB101
2"Calling All Batwheels"Michael BerardiniMichael G. SternOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)September 12, 2022MTB102
3"Bam!"Michael BerardiniAndrew GuastaferroOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)September 19, 2022MTB103
4"Buff Tuff"Michael BerardiniAndrew GuastaferroOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)September 26, 2022MTB104
5"Faster"Michael BerardiniAndrew GuastaferroOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 3, 2022MTB105
6"Fly"Michael BerardiniAndrew GuastaferroOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 10, 2022MTB106
7"Spooky Batcave"Michael BerardiniMichael G. SternOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 17, 2022MTB108
8"Robin's Ride"Michael BerardiniAndrew GuastaferroOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 24, 2022MTB107
9"Bam's Bubble Trouble"Michael BerardiniMichael G. SternOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)October 31, 2022MTB109
10"Wheelin' and Dealin'"Michael BerardiniAndrew GuastaferroOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)November 21, 2022MTB110
11"Interview with a Crime Fighter"Michael BerardiniMichael G. SternOctober 18, 2022 (2022-10-18)December 5, 2022MTB111
12"The Best Present in the World"Michael Berardini and Antoine CharreyronAndy SturmerDecember 13, 2022 (2022-12-13)December 12, 2022112
13"Silly Stowaway"Michael BeradiniMichael G. SternJune 16, 2023 (2023-06-16)January 9, 2023TBA
14"The Knight Shift"Michael BeradiniAndrew GuastaferroJune 16, 2023 (2023-06-16)February 13, 2023TBA
15"Rockin' Robin"Michael BeradiniMichael G. SternJune 16, 2023 (2023-06-16)March 6, 2023TBA
16"Batwingin' It"TBATBAJune 16, 2023 (2023-06-16)May 15, 2023TBA

Production

Development

In October 2020, it was announced that an animated preschool series centered around the Batmobile was in development at Warner Bros. Animation, set to premiere on Cartoon Network's then-upcoming preschool block Cartoonito and HBO Max.[1] According to Tom Ascheim, president of the now-defunct Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, the series was greenlit due to its concept being fit for the studio's focus on preschool projects.[1] Michael G. Stern serves as developer and co-executive producer, with Simon J. Smith as supervising producer, and Steven Fink and Caroline Karmel producing.[11][12] Stern was brought into the project early in development, as WB explored ideas for preschool-oriented DC shows, while Smith was brought after Stern wrote the first scripts for the series.[13] In December 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, with Stern and Smith being promoted to executive producers.[14]

Writing

While writing the series, Stern wanted to avoid "kiddifying" the characters, as he felt children should be introduced to the characters through faithful portrayals and was also requested to respect the characters.[13] For Batman, he wrote the character to stay faithful to most interpretations, with only his violence being toned down.[13] He also wrote the villains with "a lane" that stayed faithful to their classical portrayals while still fitting the target audience, such as portraying Harley Quinn as a fun-loving prankster.[13]

When creating the Batwheels, the writers wanted them to be perceived as "lovable" and "fun" characters for the audience, in order to avoid the children only watching the show for Batman. In order to accomplish this, they tested the personalities for each character with a test group, who received the characters positively.[13] The writers also wanted to avoid portraying the Legion of Zoom as mere copies of their owners, to which they gave each vehicle their own characteristics, such as portraying Prank, the Joker's van, as "a surfer dude".[13]

Music

The series' score was composed by Alex Geringas, while the theme song was performed and produced by Andy Sturmer,[12] who previously composed the themes for the series The Batman and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Sturmer also co-wrote the theme alongside Stern.[12]

Notes

  1. This episode was originally released on November 8, 2022, but was removed shortly thereafter.

References

  1. Zalben, Alex (October 6, 2020). "The Batmobile Is Getting Its Own TV Series". Decider. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  2. "WarnerMedia Announces 'Batwheels' Cast". Animation World Network. September 12, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  3. Weiner, Jonah (October 2011). "Q&A;: Ethan Hawke". Details. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  4. Milligan, Mercedes (October 10, 2022). "NYCC Catch-Up: 'Dragon Prince' S4 Date, Jellico Returns in 'Prodigy,' 'Batwheels' New Characters & More Crunchyroll". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  5. Schreur, Brandon (May 19, 2022). "Batman's Villains Get a Radical Makeover for Batmobile-Starring Batwheels". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  6. "Batwheels Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.
  7. "Batwheels Episode Guide". Zap2it.
  8. Mitch Salem (October 18, 2022). "Saturday 10.15.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  9. Mitch Salem (May 2, 2023). "Monday 5.1.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  10. "Meet the Batwheels Episode Guide". Zap2it.
  11. Pedersen, Erik (October 6, 2020). "'Batwheels': Warner Bros Animation Revs Up Preschool Series About DC Cars For Cartoon Network & HBO Max". Decider. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  12. DC Kids (July 23, 2022). Meet The Batwheels | @Cartoonito | @DC Kids. Retrieved September 17, 2022 via YouTube.
  13. Hermanns, Grant (October 19, 2022). "Michael G. Stern & Simon J. Smith Interview: Batwheels". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  14. "Cartoonito Hits the Gas on Season Two Renewal of Preschool Series "Batwheels" for Cartoon Network and HBO Max" (Press release). Cartoon Network. December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022 via The Futon Critic.
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