Warner Bros. Animation is revving up a new preschool series called Batwheels for Cartoon Network and HBO Max. The adventure-comedy stars anthropomorphized vehicles, including the Batmobile and Batwing plane from the DC Universe, which team up to fight crime in Gotham City.
Sam Register (Looney Tunes) and Michael Stern (Doc McStuffins) are attached as executive producers. Simon Smith (Baymax Dreams) will serve as supervising producer, with Bang Zoom’s Steven Fink Bang signed on to produce.
Batwheels marks the beginning of WB Animation’s foray into preschool content, according to Tom Ascheim, Warner Bros. president of global kids, young adults and classics, in a statement. With shows like Teen Titans Go!, the division is no stranger to superhero programming, but bringing that focus into the preschool space is a first for the studio.
Batman’s fleet won’t be the only superhero franchise vying for the attention of very young viewers. Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends is set to debut on Disney Junior in 2021.
HBO Max has also been stacking its catalogue with new superhero content since its launch, picking up 41 Entertainment’s S.M.A.S.H! for four-to seven-year-olds, and live-action comedy DC Super Hero High, about a group of students who have to manage school while training to become DC superheroes.