The Hot Wheels animated films are forgotten gems of youth car culture

(Disclosure: Boredom struck, and off I went on this nostalgia trip. That's all there was to wanting to binge the series in my hotel room on YouTube where it is free-to-watch in HD. Apologies in advance that some YouTube thumbnails and movie posters don't appear in higher resolution. It can be tricky to source free, high-res pictures from Cartoon Network specials that released at the same time as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.)

The first years of the new millennium were a simple time for Generation-Z. No adult responsibilities or global crisis to give one, singular fuck about. The Spongebob movie released during this time, and Cartoon Network and Need For Speed were well into their respective golden ages. On the big screens, an RB26 Mustang battled a Fairlady Z down a touge road not long after Obi-Wan and Anakin had their now-legendary duel on Mustafar. The most significant memory from then that I can call back on is a toss-up between getting a new Matchbox Super Blast fire truck for my fifth birthday or seeing Squidward's band perform "Sweet Victory" for the very first time.

Of all the colorful, childhood experiences Zoomers cling to dearly, however, there remains a peculiar gem that seems to elude memories to the point where it would have been completely lost to time without the power of the internet. A shame considering the impact it had on the toy brand that birthed it as well as youth car culture of the era. Well, I say no more time for dilly-dallying. Bust out the Lunchables and don your Heelys (that was a Gen-Z thing, right?) because it's time to get cultured and discuss the lovable oddity that is the Hot Wheels animated movie franchise.

Overview

In the early-to-mid 2000s, Toy company, Mattel, partnered with Canadian animation company, Mainframe Entertainment, to produce five animated films to inject life into the Hot Wheels brand and give youngins of the Bush Era a Fast & Furious-like saga of their own. The result was a cinematic universe that was based on a toy car lineup but featured actual heroes with real-world problems facing a fleshed-out villain. Sure, many characters are a little cliché and lacking development, and there's an inevitable corniness to the dialogue, but hey! This is first and foremost a kid's movie that just so happens to have an ounce of car guy cred.

Hot Wheels: World Race was released in 2003 on VHS and DVD and was also aired on Cartoon Network.

Hot Wheels: World Race was released in 2003 on VHS and DVD and was also aired on Cartoon Network.

Kicking off the series was Hot Wheels: World Race which was divided into a five-episode miniseries that aired on Cartoon Network in summer of 2003. The episodes were parts of a full-length feature film which was later released on DVD and VHS in its entirety in December of that year.

From January to October of 2005, Mattel and Mainframe Entertainment launched four sequel movies and an accompanying miniseries under Hot Wheels: AcceleRacers. In chronological order, there was Ignition, The Speed of Silence, Breaking Point, and The Ultimate Race. Like World Race, AcceleRacers also managed to be aired on Cartoon Network as well as be released on DVD.

The basic gist without spoiling much is that a band of racers from all walks of life are recruited by the elderly Elon Musk, Dr. Peter Tezla, to essentially save the world in his violently fast cars which are animated renditions of famous Hot Wheels models. World Race follows this group as they are divided into separate teams competing against each other to reach the Wheel of Power, an ancient and powerful artifact created by aliens with a peculiar passion for motorsports. Yes, I'm serious. Later, these teams must face a malevolent force also seeking the Wheel for, you guessed it, some evil shit. AcceleRacers, set two years later, features most of the same major characters who have since settled down and joined one of two rival street racing crews, the rice rocket Teku and the meathead Metal Maniacs. Together, these rival factions must race through a variety of extradimensional realms created by the same aliens to thwart the evildoers who are back their bullshit and also turn out to be robots. Yes, I'm still serious.

Because in every kid's movie, there has to be a non-human supporting character.

Because in every kid's movie, there has to be a non-human supporting character.

The series seemingly revolves just as much around its cast as it does the cars. Plenty of colorful characters are featured such as happy-go-lucky Puerto Rican, Banjee Castillo, cool and collected muscle car hot shoe, Taro Kitano, and the Wicked Bitch of The West, Gelorum. The cast features of a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, personalities, and annoyance levels. Some are fairly decent sources of drama to keep things interesting for older audiences, others are obvious ploys by the writers as comic relief for the 90% of the audience who are beneath the age of 10.

The Sean Boswell of the series and Blink-182 reject, Josef "Vert" Wheeler, was made to be as real and relatable as possible... Or at least as real as you can get in a movie where cars can do 300 mph in reverse and fall from the stratosphere without a scratch. He's a relaxed, middle-class, southern Californian teenager living in with his widowed military father and speaks with a strong, mildly-annoying "dude" accent. Think of the stereotypical skater/surfer bro or perhaps that old custom character of yours from Tony Hawk: Underground 2. Throughout the franchise, he seemingly struggles to stand out amidst a roster of much older and experienced drivers, evident in his constant screw-ups later on that often leave him without a car, but manages to establish himself over time as one of the best. It's an underdog story we've all seen a few dozen times before, but it's totally acceptable and pleasant to see here especially as a bed-wetting child hoping to one day hoon like Vert can. And just look at him. His whole aesthetic screams, "early-2000s protagonist." You could tell his role in the story without even hearing a word of dialogue.

The obvious "tough guy" and major character of World Race and AcceleRacers, Taro Kitano stands before a '70 Plymouth Road Runner, one of the few licensed cars in the series.

The obvious "tough guy" and major character of World Race and AcceleRacers, Taro Kitano stands before a '70 Plymouth Road Runner, one of the few licensed cars in the series.

The Awesome

Firstly, the cars. We can't talk about a Hot Wheels movie without first discussing the cars we all grew up hurling at our friends like apes now come alive as animated hero cars. Reverb, Slingshot, Ballistik, Twin Mill, and, yes, Deora II are all alive on the screen spitting flames and shouting from their oversized exhaust outlets. Licensed cars make an appearance as well such as Taro's Road Runner and Lani Tam's '55 Chevrolet Nomad.

In AcceleRacers, cars are less extroverted than some of the outlandish models used in World Race and are more akin to caricatures of normal-ish tuners/muscle cars of the time. Even so, they are still ridiculously overstyled in that signature Hot Wheels manner. The characters of Brian Kadeem and Kurt Wylde drive what are essentially Le Mans prototypes where as the rest of the Teku and Maniacs pilot what may as well be SEMA showpieces. That means big wheels, tall wings, totally period-correct liveries, and ear-bleeding sound systems. Cars like Slingshot and Deora II return, but are rendered inoperable early in the story and force the characters to switch to new cars, likely just to further differentiate the vehicle lineup from that in World Race.

Yes, the cars go like you'd expect them to. They rip around these goofy, orange tracks and through nonsensical loop-the-loops just as they did in toy form. Cars go 300 mph, spit flames from the exhaust (and the tires) when they hit that Nitrox 3, and even feature Pokémon-like special abilities. In World Race, they even pulled wheelies because screw it. It's Hot Wheels. Beat that, bitches. There's not much else to discuss here, but then again, there's not much else the audience could want from a Hot Wheels movie. Faithful to the source material would be an accurate observation.

There's a little of bit extra flair to the characters which add a surprising amount of depth and humanity to movies about a bunch of toy cars. It's not simply just, "Here is a bad guy, now let's go get that fucker." Characters, whether cringe or likable, deal with real-world problems, some of which you can't really believe play such a big part in, ahem, A CHILDREN'S MOVIE.

What do I mean? Well. Um. Struggles don't really entail heroes trying to harness the power of friendship to stop their foes. It's more like, "I'm gonna fucking kill you for letting me rot in jail, you rat," or, "I'll have my revenge for killing my brother in that race, you son of a bitch." Once more, I would like to affirm that I am serious. Had this not aired on Cartoon Network, many bad words and offensive slang would have been spoken. Original? Not in the slightest. But I was still surprised to see all this when I revisited, especially given the target audience, and it's hilarious to look back on today. Seven year-old me surely wasn't focused on these blood feuds when watching it new. I just wanted to see brightly-colored cars go zoom, but it surely made for some added spice for any parent or older sibling who watched this with a younger audience.

The rivalry between these characters in particular is a major, overarching plot throughout the AcceleRacers movies.

The rivalry between these characters in particular is a major, overarching plot throughout the AcceleRacers movies.

Other human problems make themselves known throughout the films such as an agency spy caught on the wrong side of a conflict and the main character struggling with his own self-worth. There was even a moment my 22 year-old self feared for a character's life because a car's ejection system didn't work. Again, maybe not something many youth may have cared about so much nor are they original ideas, but it works here and gives the characters more than just a singular antagonist to fret over.

Ginger Hulk Hogan and Elon Musk 2.0 break up a dispute between two Cyberpunk 2077 characters (2005, colorized).

Ginger Hulk Hogan and Elon Musk 2.0 break up a dispute between two Cyberpunk 2077 characters (2005, colorized).

Lastly, the coolest part of the series, beyond all the intense racing sequences and deep-cutting rivalries is actual gearhead cred sprinkled throughout. There is actually some car guy knowledge that is shared with the audience by these movies. Just some. No, I'm not saying strips of fire coming off the tires as a car lays elevens and pops wheelies provide any useful information, but younger audiences will still learn about certain aspects of racing such as drafting and racing lines. Numerous times do characters call out to teammates to draft on each other to cut drag and attain higher speeds, and, on another occasion, a teammate calls out to Vert to hit his apexes properly to corner faster.

In AcceleRacers, the various realms are intended to teach various skills such as navigating in the dark, tuning out distractions, and car control in the wet. Terms like countersteer, oversteer, hydroplane, and traction are tossed around quite a bit. In a short from the accompanying miniseries, the characters are even forced to develop new tires after seeing how road conditions in some of the realms had adverse effects on their rubber. It's bits and pieces of genuine car guy know-how for those old enough to only drive Power Wheels cars.

The Awful

Not once have I ever said any of these movies were perfect. Very far from it, actually. But did you really expect Pixar-perfection from a television special about Hot Wheels? I know it's about to get really nitpicky in here, but I must critique something, so do bear with me.

Look at that Pixar-level animation quality.

Look at that Pixar-level animation quality.

I really shouldn't beat on the animation because these were clearly produced on a budget, but we have to discuss it as well as some character designs for just a moment. World Race doesn't look terrible. Rather, it looks like cutscenes you would find in some cell-shaded video games which I find charming. AcceleRacers on the other hand looks like someone took the PC version of Saints Row and dropped the texture and quality settings to their bare minimum. Most villain cars just explode when breathed on, and hero cars don't seem to ever take damage in any way unless the plot necessitates it. Some of the lighting is awkward and poorly rendered, and a few of the character models just look plain ugly. In a way, it's kind of comical and ensures no one truly takes these movies too seriously like I am at this very moment.

Muscular characters appear more like a roid-raged gorillas rather than humans, and everyone has feet so comically large, it makes you question how they can heel-toe so well. Proof of the strange design is the downgrade of Taro Kitano from World Race to AcceleRacers. I understand if they were attempting to make him appear more Japanese-like as he is supposed to, but look at how they massacred the man. I promise you that is the same character.

Oh well. It is, as you've guessed by now, a children's movie, and these designs are distinct and attention-grabbing. Besides, the animation quality and art style must have definitely been more than suitable for television airtime in 2005.

Dialogue is about what you'd expect which is to say nothing special. It's just basic, uninspired lines that get the job done, but at least every character has their own distinct voice that suits them superbly. There's the EDM-loving character of Shirako Takamoto who plays the role of "smooth, cool guy" for the Teku who speaks mostly in idioms and metaphors pertaining to music, even when faced with grave danger. The leaders of the rival teams go back and forth with cheap insults with curse words painfully substituted with family-friendly equivalents, and two brother characters engage in cheesy, overblown arguments over who's fault it was that the other wound up in prison. Even the protagonist constantly sounds as if he's auditioning for yet another Tony Hawk: Pro Skater game.

Remember how I gave this franchise some credit for teaching the younger viewers about racing techniques? Emphasis on "some" because there is plenty that it also gets horrendously wrong in ways I just can't ignore, particularly in the garage segments. First of all, who in the hell tightens the lug nuts on their wheels with an open end wrench? It happened on-screen at least once. Also, who fastens their nitrous tanks to the undercarriage near the driveshaft and exhaust? Is it some drag racer technique I'm clearly too stupid to understand? There was even a very brief scene of a character installing wheels on a car where you can just barely see that the brake rotor is affixed to the back of the wheel and not the hub assembly. Fascinating. But hey, their cars can top out at 300 mph and do wheelies while mine can't, so clearly they know how to build a good car.

The absolute worst part, however, is not the fault of the movies themselves or even the animation studio, but the horrendous cliffhanger ending. Without spoiling it, I will say it would have served as a great ending for leading into another movie or into a long-running show, but it didn't. It left audiences with many questions which still infuriate me just as much now as it did when I was a pipsqueak. According to an anonymous project member from Mattel who responded to a fan email in February of 2016, a revolving marketing team was supposedly to blame for the premature demise. They reportedly worried that the films were exceeding the popularity of the Hot Wheels brand itself, and the plug was pulled to preserve the toy line's image, a move the project member simply put as, "crap." Ideas for the sequels were then repurposed into the unremarkable Battle Force 5 television show which had no continuity with any of the previous movies other than the character of Vert Wheeler. The project member also goes on to state that numerous marketing team changes lead to the demise of many other great projects within Mattel.

When they hit the nitrous button in Fast & Furious, the exhaust spits flames. In the world of Hot Wheels, the whole car spits flames.

When they hit the nitrous button in Fast & Furious, the exhaust spits flames. In the world of Hot Wheels, the whole car spits flames.

Worth a trip in the WABAC Machine?

Abso-freaking-lutely, yes.

Weird animation quality and corny dialogue aren't enough to dissuade me from enjoying these childhood relics. As objectively terrible as they are, these gems do deserve some recognition for all they get subjectively right. It truly is something that's reasonably enjoyable to watch for families with open minds and gasoline in their veins.

I'm unsure how many people my age grew up having watched these and felt as nostalgic as I have. In fact, I'm not sure how many people remember these at all. I do, however, have a close friend from high school who certainly has, and we can both revert back to our childish, prepubescent selves whenever a moment comes about for us to reminisce back on these films. They showcased unique, animated driving sequences and taught actual skills with our favorite toys which have now become hero cars just the same as O'Connor's Supra or the Bullitt Mustang. As a five year-old at the time of its premier, World Race had me yearning to pilot Deora II myself, and AcceleRacers had me eager to take on some baddies in Reverb blasting punk rock as I hit every apex at triple digit speeds.

Scoff at these if you must, but for it to be able to uplift me as a young car kid collecting Hot Wheels was an impressive feat to say the least. For my adult self to keep feeling a sense of nostalgia for its impact and ability to inspire youth car culture is a greater accomplishment. It's a shame there were never any more of these made, as the youth could really use something silly like these to feed their imaginations and develop a lust for machines that could flourish into a lifelong hobby.

For now, however, it is farewell to the franchise that will never see a proper ending. In spite of its shortcomings, I will always look back on the saga with a smile, grateful for the animated thrill ride it took me on over a decade and a half ago. So grab your kids. Grab your younger siblings. Find these treasures on YouTube where they reside free to watch from a few channels, and enjoy the adventure. As the little ones enjoy the over-the-top and cartoonish racing, you chuckle at the quirky animation, plot-thickening side drama, and awkward dialogue. Maybe you'll grow to love it, or perhaps you'll absolutely admonish its existence, but it will be an experience either way. As Vert Wheeler said to his father, "Just ride the wave."

Credit to YouTube channel, ValkenVügen, for uploading a marathon of the series where it's remained free-to-watch for over two years.

Credit to YouTube channel, ValkenVügen, for uploading a marathon of the series where it's remained free-to-watch for over two years.

YouTube

Hot Wheels Highway 35/AcceleRacers Remastered

This is the playlist where I upload all the Highway 35/AcceleRacers movies but in a higher quality than the rest of YouTube