Batwheels | |
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![]() Promotional poster | |
Genre | |
Based on | |
Developed by | Michael G. Stern |
Voices of |
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Theme music composer | Andy Sturmer |
Composer | Alex Geringas |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 27 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Sam Register |
Producers |
|
Running time | 10–33 minutes |
Production companies |
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Release | |
Original network | Cartoon 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. It made its linear premiere 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] | Max release date [6] | Prod. code [6] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Secret Origin of the Batwheels" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 15, 2022 | September 17, 2022 | 101 | 0.10[8] |
2 | "Stop That Ducky" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 17, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | 102 | N/A |
3 | "Buff's BFF" | Antoine Charreyron | Craig Fernandez | October 17, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | 103 | N/A |
4 | "Up in the Air" | Antoine Charreyron | Patrick Rieger | October 17, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | 104 | N/A |
5 | "Bibi's Do-Over" | Antoine Charreyron | Sarah Eisenberg & Becky Wangberg | October 17, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | 105 | N/A |
6 | "Sidekicked to the Curb" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 17, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | 106 | N/A |
7 | "Keep Calm and Roll On" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 17, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | 107 | N/A |
8 | "Bam's Upgrade" | Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | October 17, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | 108 | N/A |
9 | "Redbird's Bogus Beach Day" | Antoine Charreyron | Sarah Eisenberg & Becky Wangberg | November 7, 2022 | November 8, 2022 | 109 | N/A |
10 | "Cave Sweet Cave" | Antoine Charreyron | Craig Fernandez | November 7, 2022 | November 8, 2022 | 110 | N/A |
11 | "Scaredy-Bat" | Antoine Charreyron | Andrew Guastaferro | November 14, 2022 | November 8, 2022 | 111 | N/A |
12 | "Riddle Me This" | Antoine Charreyron | Ryan Toyama | November 14, 2022 | November 8, 2022 | 112 | N/A |
13 | "Zoomsday" | Antoine Charreyron | Ryan Toyama | November 21, 2022 | November 22, 2022[a] | 113 | N/A |
14 | "Rev and Let Rev" | Antoine Charreyron | Janae Hall | November 21, 2022 | November 22, 2022[a] | 114 | N/A |
15 | "Batcomputer for a Day" | Antoine Charreyron | Patrick Rieger | November 28, 2022 | November 29, 2022[a] | 115 | N/A |
16 | "Grass is Greener" | Antoine Charreyron | Patrick Rieger | November 28, 2022 | November 29, 2022[a] | 116 | N/A |
17 | "Holidays on Ice" | Antoine Charreyron | Scott Gray | December 5, 2022 | December 6, 2022 | 117 | N/A |
18 | "Bam's Clawful Mistake" | Antoine Charreyron | Sarah Eisenberg & Becky Wangberg | May 1, 2023 | May 2, 2023 | 118 | 0.06[9] |
19 | "Harley Did It" | Antoine Charreyron | Scott Gray | May 1, 2023 | May 2, 2023 | 119 | 0.07[9] |
20 | "Buff in a China Shop" | Antoine Charreyron | Craig Carlisle | May 1, 2023 | May 2, 2023 | 120 | 0.07[9] |
21 | "A Tale of Two Bibis" | Antoine Charreyron | Craig Fernandez | May 1, 2023 | May 2, 2023 | 121 | N/A |
22 | "Batty Race" | Antoine Charreyron | Andrew Guastaferro | May 1, 2023 | May 2, 2023 | 122 | 0.07[9] |
23 | "When You're a Jet" | Antoine Charreyron | Sarah Eisenberg & Becky Wangberg | July 3, 2023 | July 4, 2023 | 123 | N/A |
24 | "Ride Along" | Antoine Charreyron | Ryan Toyama | July 10, 2023 | July 11, 2023 | TBA | N/A |
25 | "Wheels Just Want to Have Fun" | Antoine Charreyron | Jennifer Heftler | July 17, 2023 | July 18, 2023 | TBA | TBD |
26 | "Tough Buff Blues" | Antoine Charreyron | Andrew Guastaferro | July 24, 2023 | July 25, 2023 | TBA | TBD |
27 | "Wheel Side Story" | Antoine Charreyron | Andrew Guastaferro | July 31, 2023 | August 1, 2023 | TBA | TBD |
No. | Title [6][10][7] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [6][10][7] | Max release date [6] | Prod. code [6] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Meet the Batwheels" | Michael Berardini and Antoine Charreyron | Michael G. Stern | September 5, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB101 |
2 | "Calling All Batwheels" | Michael Berardini | Michael G. Stern | September 12, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB102 |
3 | "Bam!" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | September 19, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB103 |
4 | "Buff Tuff" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | September 26, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB104 |
5 | "Faster" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | October 3, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB105 |
6 | "Fly" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | October 10, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB106 |
7 | "Spooky Batcave" | Michael Berardini | Michael G. Stern | October 17, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB108 |
8 | "Robin's Ride" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | October 24, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB107 |
9 | "Bam's Bubble Trouble" | Michael Berardini | Michael G. Stern | October 31, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB109 |
10 | "Wheelin' and Dealin'" | Michael Berardini | Andrew Guastaferro | November 21, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB110 |
11 | "Interview with a Crime Fighter" | Michael Berardini | Michael G. Stern | December 5, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | MTB111 |
12 | "The Best Present in the World" | Michael Berardini and Antoine Charreyron | Andy Sturmer | December 12, 2022 | December 13, 2022 | 112 |
13 | "Silly Stowaway" | Michael Beradini | Michael G. Stern | January 9, 2023 | June 16, 2023 | 113 |
14 | "The Knight Shift" | Michael Beradini | Andrew Guastaferro | February 13, 2023 | June 16, 2023 | 114 |
15 | "Rockin' Robin" | Michael Beradini | Michael G. Stern | March 6, 2023 | June 16, 2023 | 115 |
16 | "Bibi Bops" | Michael Beradini | Jennifer Heftler | April 10, 2023 | June 16, 2023 | 116 |
17 | "Batwingin' It" | Michael Beradini | Jennifer Heftler | May 15, 2023 | June 16, 2023 | 117 |
18 | "Bad to the Chrome" | Michael Beradini | N/A | June 5, 2023 | June 16, 2023 | 118 |
19 | "A Joking Matter" | Michael Beradini | Unknown | July 3, 2023 | TBA | TBA |
20 | "Parking Problems" | Michael Beradini | TBA | August 7, 2023 | TBA | 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.[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]
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]
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]