Batwheels | |
---|---|
Promotional poster | |
Genre | |
Based on | |
Developed by | Michael G. Stern |
Voices of |
|
Theme music composer | Andy Sturmer |
Composer | Alex Geringas |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 17 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Sam Register |
Producers |
|
Running time | 10–33 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
Release | |
Original network | |
Picture format | 1080i HDTV |
Audio format | Dolby Surround |
Original release | September 17, 2022 present | –
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]
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.
No. | Title [6][7] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [6][7] | Cartoon Network air date [6] | Prod. code [6] | U.S. linear viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Secret Origin of the Batwheels" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | September 17, 2022 | October 15, 2022 | 101 | 0.10[8] |
2 | "Stop That Ducky" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 18, 2022 | October 17, 2022 | 102 | N/A |
3 | "Buff's BFF" | Antoine Charreyron | Craig Fernandez | October 18, 2022 | October 17, 2022 | 103 | N/A |
4 | "Up in the Air" | Antoine Charreyron | Patrick Rieger | October 18, 2022 | October 17, 2022 | 104 | N/A |
5 | "Bibi's Do-Over" | Antoine Charreyron | Sarah Eisenberg and Becky Wangberg | October 18, 2022 | October 17, 2022 | 105 | N/A |
6 | "Sidekicked to the Curb" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 18, 2022 | October 17, 2022 | 106 | N/A |
7 | "Keep Calm and Roll On" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 18, 2022 | October 17, 2022 | 107 | N/A |
8 | "Bam's Upgrade" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 18, 2022 | October 17, 2022 | 108 | N/A |
9 | "Redbird's Bogus Beach Day" | Antoine Charreyron | Sarah Eisenberg and Becky Wangberg | November 8, 2022 | November 7, 2022 | 109 | N/A |
10 | "Cave Sweet Cave" | Antoine Charreyron | Craig Fernandez | November 8, 2022 | November 7, 2022 | 110 | N/A |
11 | "Scaredy-Bat" | Antoine Charreyron | Andrew Guastaferro | November 8, 2022 | November 14, 2022 | 111 | N/A |
12 | "Riddle Me This" | Antoine Charreyron | Ryan Toyama | November 8, 2022 | November 14, 2022 | 112 | N/A |
13 | "Zoomsday" | Antoine Charreyron | Ryan Toyama | November 22, 2022[a] | November 21, 2022 | 113 | N/A |
14 | "Rev and Let Rev" | Antoine Charreyron | Janae Hall | November 22, 2022[a] | November 21, 2022 | 114 | N/A |
15 | "Batcomputer for a Day" | Antoine Charreyron | Patrick Rieger | November 29, 2022[a] | November 28, 2022 | 115 | N/A |
16 | "Grass is Greener" | Antoine Charreyron | Patrick Rieger | November 29, 2022[a] | November 28, 2022 | 116 | N/A |
17 | "Holidays on Ice" | Antoine Charreyron | Scott Gray | December 6, 2022 | December 5, 2022 | 117 | TBD |
No. | Title [6][9] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [6][9] | Cartoon Network air date [6] | Prod. code [6] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Meet the Batwheels" | Michael Berardini and Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 18, 2022 | September 5, 2022 | MTB101 |
2 | "Calling All Batwheels" | Michael Berardini | Michael G. Stern | October 18, 2022 | September 12, 2022 | MTB102 |
3 | "Bam!" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | October 18, 2022 | September 19, 2022 | MTB103 |
4 | "Buff Tuff" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | October 18, 2022 | September 26, 2022 | MTB104 |
5 | "Faster" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | October 18, 2022 | October 3, 2022 | MTB105 |
6 | "Fly" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | October 18, 2022 | October 10, 2022 | MTB106 |
7 | "Spooky Batcave" | Michael Berardini | Michael G. Stern | October 18, 2022 | October 17, 2022 | MTB108 |
8 | "Robin's Ride" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | October 18, 2022 | October 24, 2022 | MTB107 |
9 | "Bam's Bubble Trouble" | Michael Berardini | Michael G. Stern | October 18, 2022 | October 31, 2022 | MTB109 |
10 | "Wheelin' and Dealin'" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | October 18, 2022 | November 21, 2022 | MTB110 |
11 | "Interview with a Crime Fighter" | Michael Berardini | Michael G. Stern | October 18, 2022 | December 5, 2022 | MTB111 |
12 | "The Best Present in the World" | TBA | TBA | December 13, 2022 | December 12, 2022 | TBA |
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.[10][11] 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.[12] In December 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, with Stern and Smith being promoted to executive producers.[13]
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.[12] For Batman, he wrote the character to stay faithful to most interpretations, with only his violence being toned down.[12] 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.[12]
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.[12] 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".[12]
The series' score was composed by Alex Geringas, while the theme song was performed and produced by Andy Sturmer,[11] 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.[11]