How the ‘Mighty Monsterwheelies’ Showrunners Rolled Classic Ghoulies into an Accessibly Spooky Pre-K Show

It’s October, and all-things Halloween reign supreme across our screens this month! One charming trick-or-treat morsel is the new DreamWorks Animation series Mighty Monsterwheelies, which takes inspiration from classic horror movie meanies and the popular rescue vehicle framing for preschool television to create an animated Frankenstein’s Monster — in a good way!

With the show launching on Netflix this week, we posed a few questions to showrunners and executive producers Kyel White (writer on The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday, Abominable and the Invisible City and Fast & Furious Spy Racers) and Stephanie Simpson (Hilda, The Octonauts, Wishbone) about how they developed the colorful world of Motorvania.

Animation Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about the origins of the show?

Kyel White: The initial conceit of the show came from the desire to introduce the classic Universal Monsters to a preschool audience in a way that was both accessible and not too scary. We thought a fun way to do that was to flip these iconic characters from being seen as the “monsters” of the story into the “heroes.” From there, it seemed like an organic progression to combine these characters with real-life heroes that kids are familiar with — firefighters, paramedics, mechanics, etc. — and thus, the Monsterwheelies were born.

When did you start working on Mighty Monsterwheelies?

Kyel: I started working with the development team back in Fall 2021.

Stephanie Simpson: And I came on at the end of 2021.

What do you think sets this show apart from other similar toons for young audiences?

Stephanie: Preschool shows don’t typically have the dynamic, high-octane action sequences that we do, so it’s fun to showcase that while also balancing the danger and peril with heart and humor that reassures the audience that everything will turn out okay.

Where is the animation produced and what are the main animation tools used?

Kyel: Our animation is produced at Lemon Sky, where they use Maya for animation and Nuke for lighting & comp.

What do you love about the show?

Kyel: I really love these characters. They’re all so compelling and fun in their own distinct ways that really make them seem real and help bring the world to life. Also, we basically got to produce a mini action movie every episode and what’s not to love about that!

What were your toughest challenges?

Kyel: One of our biggest challenges was finding exactly what Motorvania would look like and finding a balance between making it look too “Halloween-y” and too much like a generic, all-automotive city. We landed on this Tudor style, which we all really love because it both is a nod to the villages of the classic movies but also feels timeless and appealing for kids.

Stephanie: Another challenge came in taking these bulky, square-shaped vehicles and making sure they could still be expressive. We wanted to make sure that there was weight and sturdiness to them so seeing them pull off their big action hero moments was believable, but also making sure they could convey emotions in a realistic way.

Any favorite characters or episodes?

Kyel: I love episodes like “No Need for Speed” or “The Big Bounce” which showcase the whole team working together but also give each character their individual hero spotlight moment.

Stephanie: It’s too hard to pick a favorite character — I love them all! I love “Welcome to Motorvania” because it’s such a fun, non-stop ride.

What do you hope young kids take away from the show?

Stephanie: I hope that young kids take away the feeling that they too can be heroes, and that they are all Monsterwheelies at heart.

DreamWorks Animation’s Mighty Monsterwheelies is now streaming on Netflix.