Creator Kyel White and EP Stephanie Simpson talk about their new animated adventure-comedy series from DreamWorks Animation, which turns some of Universal Pictures’ most well-known cinematic ‘monsters’ into heroic rescue vehicles; show debuts October 14 on Netflix.
For those who may – or may not – have a prized, woven hardcover of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” sitting proudly, front and center, on the family bookshelf, with Halloween approaching, many households have begun discussing if, and how, it’s appropriate to introduce the younglings to some of the greatest “Monster” masterpieces.
From bloodthirsty Dracula to slimy swamp creatures, Universal Pictures, with its “Monsterverse” properties, has a plethora of Halloween-appropriate stories for spooky movie nights… but most would likely traumatize a child in the same swing.
But, as usual, DreamWorks Animation is taking stereotypically scary monsters and turning them into not only friends, but actual heroes kids can aspire to emulate. In addition to creating family-friendly horror series like Curses! and Fright Krewe, the studio is also bringing the holiday spirits – plural – to preschool-age viewers with Mighty Monsterwheelies, premiering on Netflix Monday, October 14.
The show is set in the all-vehicle town of Motorvania, where a team of half-monster - half-rescue vehicle heroes called the Mighty Monsterwheelies whiz around doing everything in their power to protect their community. No challenge is too big, or too small as the wheeled champions supercharge their way through stopping fires, floods, meteors, and the devious plans of troublemakers like Phantom Freeze and Invisible Van, proving even monsters can be heroes!
Check out the full trailer:
The voice cast includes Tru Valentino as Bolts Frankenstein; Grace Lu as Axyl Bride; Cal Brady as Sonnie Dracula; Matt Lowe as Sweeps Wolfman; Sandra Saad as Gill E. Creature; Chester Rushing as Wraps Stretcher; Weird Al Yankovic as Mayor Van Helsing; Sean Astin as Invisible Van; and Ashley Park as Phantom Freeze.
Fast & Furious Spy Racers writer Kyel White developed the show while Stephanie Simpson, known for her work on Hilda and The Octonauts, serves as executive producer. Vancouver's Doberman Pictures worked on the boards and designs for the series; Malaysia’s Lemon Sky Studios assisted with the animation. We sat down with Simpson and White to discuss the show’s origins, challenges of converting monsters to trucks and Universal Easter eggs to look out for in each episode.
Victoria Davis: How did this series come about? How long had the idea of Monsterwheelies been circulating in your minds before it was put into active development and production?
Kyel White: The initial concept came from wanting to introduce the classic Universal monsters to a preschool audience in a way that was accessible and not too scary. A fun way to do that was to flip them from being seen as the “monsters” of the story into the “heroes.” So, we combined them with real-life heroes that kids are familiar with: firefighters, paramedics, mechanics, etc.
VD: And turned them into the vehicles said heroes drive.
KW: Exactly. We started working on the show in 2021 and went into production in 2022, so it was a pretty quick turnaround.
VD: How did you decide which monsters to include from the Universal vault? Do you have personal favorites?
KW: We decided to include the most iconic and familiar monsters. Everyone who worked on the show had a different favorite classic monster. I’m personally a big Dracula fan.
VD: And you, Stephanie?
Stephanie Simpson: For me, it’s a tie between the Monster from Frankenstein and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
VD: As a Dracula and Frankenstein fan myself, I was really impressed with how your team took these monster characters we all know well and transformed them into rescue trucks. What was that transformation process like? Was it a big challenge?
KW: Some of the matches came pretty organically, like having Gill E. (based on the Creature) be a lifeguard vehicle or Sonnie being able to transform into a helicopter, calling back to Dracula’s ability to transform into a bat. For others, we tried to put a fun twist on a monster’s characterization in the films. For example, Frankenstein’s monster in the original story is afraid of fire. So, in our world, his counterpart Bolts is a firetruck.
SS: After that, the challenge was finding the iconic parts of the monster design to incorporate into the rescue vehicle. Both the monster and the truck needed to be easily recognizable as one entity. It took quite a bit of trial and error to get the balance right.
VD: These trucks move fast, as do the monster-inspired and rescue-efficient accessories on their bodies. The one that immediately comes to mind is Sonnie’s helicopter transformation. How did you make sure these accessories worked seamlessly with a moving vehicle in animation where the transitions and executions wouldn't appear choppy or forced?
SS: The accessories have extra pieces that overlap and give some secondary action to make the movement feel authentic. Shot selection and camera angles are key to making the most of every second.
VD: The animation is very geometric and almost LEGO-adjacent. Was that intentional? How did you decide on the animation style and design?
SS: We decided early on that we wanted the audience to feel the weight of these monster-sized vehicles. They needed to be both fast and heavy. Matt Engstrom, our supervising producer, made sure that we emphasized fishtailing, burnouts, and landings that had some bounce and suspension. Lemon Sky then did an amazing job of capturing the speed and the weight in the animation.
VD: What would you say was the biggest challenge in creating this series?
SS: Most preschool shows do not have the kind of cinematic action and dynamic pacing that our series embraces. Our challenge was to take our young audience on a high-octane ride while also keeping them connected to the humor and the heart of these characters.
VD: Speaking of, what are some of the big narrative themes being tackled in this series that you want kids to pay attention to?
KW: I think the overall message of the series is that everyone can be a hero. Whether you’re a big, strong firefighter or the smallest kid in class, there’s a place for you in the world and a way for you to make your community a better place.
SS: Yes! We want kids to know that there’s more than one way for them to be a hero.
VD: One of the best parts of creating a series is getting to play a bit with the visuals and humor. Are there monster movie Easter eggs people should look out for as they watch the episodes?
SS: Each Monsterwheelie has a number on the license plate, and that number is the year that the Universal movie came out that introduced the monster they are based on.
Sweeps, our Wolfman/Garbage Truck, also has a favorite toy, a ball that looks like a full moon. He loves this ball so much that he’s given it a name: Larry. Larry is a nod to Larry Talbot, the main character from the original Wolfman movie. We also incorporated the classic Tesla coils and electricity that appeared in Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory, and we use them in every episode as a regular feature in the Monsterwheelies’ Castle.
I don’t want to give away all the fun, but those are some of the deep cuts that we hope fans of the original Universal monster movies will appreciate.