Despite some of the uncertainty regarding animation under the Warner Bros. Discovery banner, DC's preschool animated series Batwheels is officially slated to return for a second season on HBO Max and Cartoon Network.
Variety has exclusively confirmed that Batwheels has been renewed for Season 2. The outlet notes that the Warner Bros. Animation production has proven to be a success with its target demographic on both platforms it calls home. DC's Batwheels currently ranks as the number one original preschool series among boys aged 2 to 5 on Cartoon Network. It is also the most-watched original preschool series on HBO Max, according to data provided by the streamer.
"It was weird to wake up a couple of weeks ago and read our obituary as we were alive," Michael Ouweleen, president of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, told Variety. "We've got more stuff coming next year than we had this year." Still, Ouweleen acknowledges the changes going on at the network, and the adjustments that will need to be made. "It's definitely a pivot, through the merger and through this kind of industry-wide correction that we're all seeing and navigating through," he said.
Cartoon Network Is Going Through Changes
Ouweleen's comment about reading Cartoon Network's "obituary" seems to be in reference to errant speculation that the network as we know it would cease to exist, which emerged after it came to light that Warner Bros. Discovery was merging Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation under a single entity. At the time, WBD was quick to dispel the idea of Cartoon Network's demise, with a representative noting that Cartoon Network Studios was still working on numerous projects for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and HBO Max. It's also been reported that the merging Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios will not affect output or show development.
Still, animation has certainly taken a hit since Discovery's acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T. When numerous titles were purged from HBO Max earlier this year, animated series felt the brunt of the cutbacks. Meanwhile, the upcoming DC animated show Batman: Caped Crusader will no longer stream on HBO Max, with Warner Bros. instead opting to shop it to competing services. WBD has made other cuts to animation as well, and Cartoon Network has not been immune. Most recently, Adult Swim pulled the plug on Tuca & Bertie, which aired its second and third seasons on the Cartoon Network's mature-audiences block after being canceled by Netflix after one season.
"I was glad that we were able to give it two more seasons and be able to let that thing evolve in front of people," Ouweleen told Variety regarding Tuca & Bertie's cancellation. "We're not looking to cancel shows. It's just we have to allocate the money we have in ways that we think are going to have the biggest impact and please the most number of people. You want to keep those creative relationships with people and see what else you can do."
He continued "The go-forward notion is Cartoon and Adult Swim will be the main source of animation at Max and we're gearing up to share with them all the stuff we have in development right now. We talk to those guys every week, pretty much and coordinate and plan our activity together."
Batwheels Returns for Season 2
Batwheels was initially announced in October 2020, and ultimately premiered on HBO Max earlier this year on Sept. 17. The show's premiere episode then aired on Cartoon Network's preschool block, Cartoonito, on Oct. 15. The first batch of subsequent episodes aired on Cartoonito on Oct. 17 before dropping on HBO Max the following day. Thus far, Batwheels Season 1 has released 17 episodes, with the most recent one hitting Cartoonito on Dec. 5 and HBO Max on Dec. 6. The series has also released a number of stand-alone shorts on both platforms.
Batwheels centers on Bam (Jacob Bertrand), an anthropomorphic version of Batman's (Ethan Hawke) trusty car, the Batmobile. In the series, Bam teams up with his fellow superheroic vehicles to fight crime across Gotham City. Bam's allies in the field include Redbird (Jordan Reed), Robin's car; Bibi (Madigan Kacmar), Batgirl's motorcycle; Buff (Noah Bentley), a monster truck; and the Batwing (Lilimar), Batman's jet.
Batwheels is currently streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Variety