Batwheels is an American animated superhero preschool series, starring crime-fighting vehicles alongside DC superheroes. The series premiered as a pilot special on September 17, 2022 in the United States on HBO Max.[1] The show made its Cartoon Network debut on October 17, 2022.
A second season was announced on December 7th, 2022.[2], it premiered on January 12th, 2024, and will continue in October, with a Halloween special.
Plot[]
The Batwheels are sentient superpowered crime-fighting vehicles defending Gotham City alongside Batman, Robin, Batgirl and a host of DC superheroes. Having just been created by the Batcomputer, our heroes are essentially kids with little to no life experience. Led by Bam (The Batmobile), the Batwheels – Bibi (The Batgirl Cycle), Red (The Redbird), Wing (The Batwing) and Buff (The Bat Truck) – must navigate the growing pains of being a newly formed super team as well as the growing pains that come with just being a kid. This relatable and aspirational series will follow the journey of this dynamic team as they thrill and entertain with their heroic adventures as well as demonstrate to kids the value of self-confidence, friendship and teamwork.
Characters[]
- Bam (voiced by Jacob Bertrand)
- Redbird (voiced by Jordan Reed)
- Bibi (voiced by Madigan Kacmar)
- Buff (voiced by Noah Bentley)
- Batwing (voiced by Lilimar)
- The Batcomputer (voiced by Kimberly Brooks)
- Moe (voiced by Mick Wingert)
- Batman (voiced by Ethan Hawke)
- Duke Thomas/Robin (voiced by AJ Hudson)
- Cassandra Cain/Batgirl (voiced by Leah Lewis)
- Prank (voiced by Griffin Burns)
- Jetsah (voiced by Alexandra Novelle)
- Quizz (voiced by Josey Montana McCoy)
- Snowy the Snowcrawler (voiced by Xolo Maridueña)
- Ducky (voiced by Ariyan Mossan)
- The Badcomputer (voiced by SungWon Cho)
- Crash (voiced by Tom Kenny)
- The Joker (voiced by Mick Wingert)
- Harley Quinn (voiced by Chandni Parekh)
- Catwoman (voiced by Gina Rodriguez)
- The Riddler (voiced by SungWon Cho)
- Penguin (voiced by Jess Harnell)
- Mr. Freeze (voiced by Regi Davis)
- Toyman (voiced by James Arnold Taylor)
Episodes[]
Season 1 (2022-present)[]
| No. | Title | Plot | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 2 3 |
Secret Origins of the Batwheels | When Batman, Robin, and Batgirl are all captured, the Batcomputer brings the Bat-Vehicles to life. Now the newly-minted Batwheels must defend the Batcave and face off with the Legion of Zoom… all without Batman's help! | September 17, 2022 (HBO Max) October 15, 2022 (Cartoonito) |
|
| 4 | Stop That Ducky | After snagging an ultra-fuel-cell upgrade, Penguin's Ducky Boat suddenly becomes the fastest vehicle in Gotham. Confident leader Bam must rally the Batwheels to stop the turbo-Ducky! | October 17, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 5 | Buff's BFF | When Buff befriends Mr. Freeze's snowcrawler Snowy, the other Batwheels bristle at the thought of hanging out with a "bad guy…" so Buff sets out to change their minds. | October 17, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 6 | Up in the Air | After he causes the Batwing to crash, Bam becomes obsessed with making it up to her during a high-stakes aerial mission against Penguin and his giant ducky blimp. | October 17, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 7 | Bibi's Do-Over | Everyone is ecstatic when Bibi, Batgirl, and Robin capture Toyman and his Do-Over remote - except for Bibi, who failed to stick the landing on a big jump. Unwilling to accept her failure, Bibi uses Toyman's Do-Over remote until she perfects her jump! | October 17, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 8 | Sidekicked to the Curb | When Bam is sent to take on Prank, Redbird is forced to hang back because The Joker's van is too dangerous! When Bam discovers that Redbird secretly tagged along, he's upset… until Redbird bails him out of a tight spot. | October 17, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 9 | Keep Calm and Roll Over | After Jestah's insults get the best of her, a short-tempered Bibi tries to not let the big-wheeled bully's words get to her so she can help Batgirl catch Harley. | October 17, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 10 | Bam's Upgrade | Feeling neglected after being passed over on missions, Bam asks MOE to install experimental upgrades to curry Batman's favor. But, when Bam's new powers are stronger than he can control, Batman - and the mission - are suddenly in danger! | October 17, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 11 | Redbird's Bogus Beach Day | Redbird gets excited when he learns that Batman and Robin are taking him and Bam for a drive up the coast! But when the Joker and his van Prank show up unexpectedly and ruin Redbird's beach day plans, Bam helps him realize that even though things didn't go exactly as planned, they still had a great day! | November 7, 2022 (Cartoonito) November 8, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 12 | Cave Sweet Cave | After the Joker floods the Batcave, the Batwheels evacuate and relocate to a nearby parking garage. As they adapt to their temporary home, they learn important lessons about family and making the most of what you have. | November 7, 2022 (Cartoonito) November 8, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 13 | Scaredy-Bat | When Batman refuses to engage Joker in a race, Prank goads Bam into a rematch. Can Bam learn to not give in to the bully's dares and take the high road? | November 14, 2022 (HBO Max) November 8, 2022 (Cartoonito) |
|
| 14 | Riddle Me This | After struggling to solve a riddle from Riddler's helicopter Quizz, Redbird must learn to speak up and share his ideas with the Batwheels if they hope to figure out the villain's true scheme. | November 14, 2022 (HBO Max) November 8, 2022 (Cartoonito) |
|
| 15 | Zoomsday | The Legion of Zoom is tired of always losing. They decide to take a page from the Batwheels and try using teamwork in order to pull off a daring heist. But will they be able to work together? | November 21, 2022 (Cartoonito) November 22, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 16 | Rev and Let Rev | Redbird sacrifices his stealth muffler tech to sound as loud as the other Batwheels but his modifications backfire when Robin needs his stealthy skills to catch the elusive Catwoman! | November 21, 2022 (Cartoonito) November 22, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 17 | Batcomputer for a Day | When Batcomputer shuts down for a system update, the other Batwheels must take over for her while aiding Batman in a battle against Harley Quinn. | November 28, 2022 (Cartoonito) November 29, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 18 | Grass is Greener | Moe wants to know what it's like to be a member of the Batwheels, but the bot gets more than he bargained for when Bam invites him along for an exciting mission to stop Poison Ivy. | November 28, 2022 (Cartoonito) November 29, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 19 20 |
Holidays on Ice | Frustrated by the Batwheels' holiday distractions, Batwing decides to "go solo" to thwart Mr. Freeze's evil Christmas-time plot. But Batwing soon realizes how hard it is to stop Mr. Freeze on her own! | December 5, 2022 (Cartoonito) December 6, 2022 (HBO Max) |
Shorts[]
| No. | Title | Plot | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meet the Batwheels | An action-packed music video of the Batwheels' most exciting adventures set to an extended version of the series' theme song. | September 5, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 2 | Calling All Batwheels | A music video introducing all of Batman's heroic vehicle squad - the Batwheels - showcasing their incredible gadgets, stunning talents, and unique personalities. | September 12, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 3 | Bam! | Set to his rocking theme song, Bam the Batmobile takes to the streets of Gotham and uses his smarts, leadership skills, and awesome gadgets to fight crime and stop the villainous Legion of Zoom. | September 19, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 4 | Buff Tuff | In this country-inspired music video, Buff the Bat-Truck shows off his strength as he tows the bad guys out of town and lifts the spirits of his fellow Batwheels with his sensitive side, all while protecting the people (and critters) of Gotham. | September 26, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 5 | Faster | It's time to go, go, go with Batgirl's motorbike Bibi as she zigs and zags her way to victory in this high-energy music video - it doesn't matter if it's a stunt jump or a speeding supervillain, Bibi always gives it her all and then some! | October 3, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 6 | Fly | Tour the glittering night sky with Batwing, Gotham's flying protector with a penchant for posing, as she dips, dives, and dodges through buildings and water to take on villains and bail out a friend or two - set to her funky-fresh theme song. | October 10, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 7 | Spooky Batcave | A series of spooky sounds and sights leads the Batwheels to believe that the Batcave is haunted by a B-B-Bat-Ghost! | October 17, 2022 (Cartoonito) October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) |
|
| 8 | Robin's Ride | Robin's ride Redbird is on the case in this radical music video, as he sneaks and sleuths his way to stop Gotham's villains with his speed and detective skills - it's no mystery why Redbird is one of the best! | October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) October 24, 2022 (Cartoonito) |
|
| 9 | Bam's Bubble Trouble | An errant piece of bubblegum stuck inside Bam threatens to blow up Batman's chance at stopping Joker on a fast-paced mission through the Gotham streets. | October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) October 31, 2022 (Cartoonito) |
|
| 10 | Wheelin' and Dealin' | After losing one of his wheels on his way to stop Prank, Bam comically attempts to replace his tire with all sorts of zany objects while chasing the prankster van around the city. | October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) November 21, 2022 (Cartoonito) |
|
| 11 | Interview with a Crime Fighter | Batman discusses the Batmobile's amazing capabilities and features during an interview at Gotham's auto show, featuring impressive clips of Bam in action as he swoops in to save the day. | October 18, 2022 (HBO Max) December 5, 2022 (Cartoonito) |
|
| 12 | The Best Present in the World | A heart-warming holiday-themed music video where the Batwheels sing about what's most important to them - friendship. | December 12, 2022 (Cartoonito) December 13, 2022 (HBO Max) |
Production[]
The series was first announced on October 6, 2020 with a promo image of Bam from the show.
On September 13, 2021, the day Cartoonito has launched, the cast was revealed along with the logo for the series.
On May 19, 2022, it was announced the series would be released in Fall 2022.[3] On September 19, 2022, it was announced the series would be released on October 17, 2022.[4]
Trivia[]
- This is the second preschool show based on a DC Comics property, compare to Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends for Disney Junior. The first preschool show based on a DC Comics property was Krypto the Superdog.
- Ethan Hawke, who voices Batman, was originally offered to play the Dark Knight in the 1995 film Batman Forever, but turned down the offer, a decision he came to regret.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ https://deadline.com/2022/07/batwheels-rolls-out-first-teaser-comic-con-sets-prequel-hbo-max-cartoonito-1235075633/
- ↑ https://www.animationmagazine.net/2022/12/cartoonito-hits-the-gas-on-batwheels-season-2/
- ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/batwheels-gina-rodriguez-xolo-mariduena-villain-lineup-1235149486/ ‘Batwheels’ Adds Gina Rodriguez and Xolo Mariduena to Supervillain Lineup (Exclusive)
- ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/batwheels-exclusive-teaser-trailer-release-date-cartoon-network Batwheels: Exclusive Teaser Trailer and Release Date Reveal
Warner Bros. Animation Series
| Looney Tunes compilation shows | |
| Bugs and Daffy Tonight • ToonHeads • The Tex Avery Show • Acme Hour • The Bob Clampett Show • The Chuck Jones Show | |