Batwheels is an American animated superhero children's television series that premiered on September 17, 2022, on HBO Max and made its linear premiere on October 17, 2022, on Cartoon Network's preschool block Cartoonito. This show is also the first ever preschool TV series, based on the DC comic books.
Episodes List[]
| 1 | "Secret Origin of the Batwheels" | ||
| 2 | "Stop That Ducky!" | ||
| 3 | "Buff's BFF" | ||
| 4 | "Up in the Air" | ||
| 5 | "Bibi's Do-Over" | ||
| 6 | "Sidekicked to the Curb" | ||
| 7 | "Keep Calm and Roll On" | ||
| 8 | "Bam's Upgrade" | ||
| 9 | "Redbird's Bogus Beach Day" | ||
| 10 | "Cave Sweet Cave" | ||
| 11 | "Scaredy-Bat" | ||
| 12 | "Riddle Me This" | ||
| 13 | "Zoomsday" | ||
| 14 | "Rev and Let Rev" | ||
| 15 | "Batcomputer for a Day" | ||
| 16 | "Grass is Greener" | ||
| 17 | "Holidays on Ice" | ||
| 18 | "Bam's Clawful Mistake" | ||
| 19 | "Harley Did It" | ||
| 20 | "Buff in a China Shop" | ||
| 21 | "A Tale of Two Bibis" | ||
| 22 | "Batty Race" | ||
| 23 | "When You're a Jet" | ||
| 24 | "Ride Along" | ||
| 25 | "Wheels Just Wanna Have Fun" | ||
| 26 | "Tough Buff Blues" | ||
| 27 | "Wheel Side Story" | ||
| 28 | "Ace in the Hole" | ||
| 29 | "Mechanic Panic" | ||
| 30 | "Improvise My Ride" | ||
| 31 | "Dynamic Du-Oh-No" | ||
| 32 | "To the Batmobile!" | ||
| 33 | "The Dark Night" | ||
| 34 | "License to Joke" | ||
| 35 | "Bibi's Bad Day" | ||
| 36 | "A Jet Out of Water" | ||
| 37 | "Batty Body Swap" | ||
| 1 | "Nightbike" | ||
| 2 | "Bat-Light Blow-Out" | ||
| 3 | "Kitty's Sleepover" | ||
| 4 | "Mission: Stuffed Animal" | ||
| 5 | "Follow the Bouncing Bam" | ||
| 6 | "Big Rig Bam" | ||
| 7 | "Air-Show, Don’t Tell" | ||
| 8 | "Monster Truck Amok" | ||
| 9 | "Razzle Dazzle Frazzle" | ||
| 10 | "Multi-MOE" | ||
| 11 | "The Ulti-Bat Rises" | ||
| 12 | "A T-Rexcellent Adventure" | ||
| 13 | "Bats in Show" | ||
| 14 | "The Gotham Guardians" | ||
| 15 | "Save the Bat Dance for Me" | ||
| 16 | "Nightbike's Noisy Night" | ||
| 17 | "Bite-Sized Buff" | ||
| 18 | "Redbird-O-Flage" | ||
| 19 | "Pumpkin Panic" | ||
| 20 | "The Wizard of Bats" | ||
| 21 | "The Great Christmas Caper" | ||
| 22 | "The Batgirlmobile" | ||
| 23 | "Music Meister Mayhem" | ||
| 24 | "Batwing and the Nets" | ||
| 25 | "Clay Date" | ||
| 26 | "Wish Upon a Car" | ||
| 27 | "Bibi's Bat-Belt Blunder" | ||
| 28 | "Lend Me Your Volunteer" | ||
| 29 | "Condiment Chaos!" | ||
| 30 | "Bat-Blast-Off!" | ||
| 31 | "Flight of the Kitty" | ||
| 32 | "The Bestah Way" | ||
| 33 | "MOE Alone" | ||
| 34 | "Bat-Buds Forever" | ||
| 35 | "Banebuggy" | ||
| 36 | "Spiffledipped" | ||
| 37 | "Bibi and the Bad Seed" | ||
Production[]
Development[]
On October 6th, 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. 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. Michael G. Stern serves as developer and co-executive producer, with Simon J. Smith as supervising producer, and Steven Fink and Caroline Karmel producing. 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. In December 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, with Stern and Smith being promoted to executive producers.
Casting[]
During the aforementioned 2021 DC FanDome convention event, Cobra Kai star, Jacob Bertrand, announced himself to be the voice behind Bam the Batmobile; while announcing a sneak peek of the show, he announced Ethan Hawke as the voice of Batman, three decades after the actor turned down the role in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever. whilst A.J. Hudson announced himself to voice the Duke Thomas incarnation of Robin.
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. For Batman, he wrote the character to stay faithful to most interpretations, with only his violence being toned down. 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. 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. 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".
Music[]
The series' score has been composed by Alex Geringas, while the theme song was performed and produced by Andy Sturmer, 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.
Reception[]
Critical Response[]
Since the series premiere aired on September 17th, 2022. Batwheels has been successfully well-received for the animation, Geringas’ score, the voice-acting and for its wholesome story and message of teamwork.
Awards and Nominations/Accolades[]
The show was nominated for Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children for the Season 1 episode "To the Batmobile!" at the 51st Annie Awards.
Trivia[]
- This series release around Batman's Day.