Motorcity is an American animated television series[1][2] created by Chris Prynoski[3] and produced by Prynoski's studio Titmouse, Inc., Robin Red Breast, Inc.[4][5] and Disney Television Animation.[6]Motorcity is set in a fictional, futuristic version of Detroit named Detroit Deluxe, owned by the evil billionaire Abraham Kane; it is an elevated metropolis built over the old Detroit whose citizens are subject to strict laws and restricted freedom. Below the city lies a group of rebels calling themselves the Burners, led by Mike Chilton, who aspire to protect their underground home and safe haven, Motorcity, from Kane's tyranny.
Prynoski conceived the idea for Motorcity in the 1990s while working at MTV, citing The Dukes of Hazzard, Star Wars, and his personal knowledge on car culture in Los Angeles as inspirations for the show. Two pilots were produced, and he pitched the show to Disney investors in 2009. Prynoski shelved production of Motorcity after he founded Titmouse, Inc., but picked up production again after partnering with Disney Television Animation. Motorcity premiered on Disney XD on April 30, 2012, and concluded on January 7, 2013. As revealed by Prynoski, the series was not renewed for a second season. Motorcity was Prynoski's first co-production with Disney; he would go on to co-produce future projects with the company, including Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, Kiff, and StuGo.
Synopsis
This show occurs in a fictitious futuristic Detroit, which is an elevated metropolis built over the old Detroit, classified as Detroit Deluxe. It is owned by evil billionaire Abraham Kane (Mark Hamill). Ruling the citizens under strict laws, and banning personal freedoms including automobile transportation, Kane now faces one last obstacle: a group of hot-rod wielding rebels who call themselves the Burners. Led by Kane's former cadet Mike Chilton (Reid Scott), the Burners rise to stop Kane from conquering Detroit's last oasis of freedom—an underground refuge dubbed Motorcity.[7]
Mike Chilton (voiced by Reid Scott)[5] is the leader of the Burners and the main protagonist of the series. Mike is a cool, quick-witted, relaxed, funny, gutsy, kind, impulsive 17-year-old who does things his own way and usually has things under control.[7] He takes very few things seriously, except for his mission of taking down Kane, and easily keeps his team ready for whatever Kane throws their way. He used to work as Kane's cadet before Kane's cruel nature drove him to quit and fight against him as a Motorcity rebel.[7]
Chuck (voiced by Nate Torrence)[5] is Mike's best friend and computer expert for the Burners.[7] Thanks to his large brain, Chuck can always find an escape route or a solution to whatever problem the Burners are in, and is usually improving the Burners' computer and security systems. Although he's usually terrified of whatever dangerous situation Mike has put him in, he's incredibly loyal. He's the only Burner who can't drive, and fears rejection from the others if they ever found out.
Julie Kane (voiced by Kate Micucci)[5] is the Burners' infiltration expert and inside connection to KaneCo., using her "internship" there to gather info on Kane's plots. She is highly skilled and has a strong sense of patience that allows her to see the best in people. Unknown to her Burner teammates, she is actually Kane's daughter, though she makes it no secret that she is against her father's wicked crusade.
Dutch Gordy (voiced by Kel Mitchell)[5] is the Burners' creative technological genius. Having escaped Kane's futuristic empire, Dutch is wary of Deluxe and hates to go back, even to fight Kane. He is initially mistrustful of others, but is likable after getting to know him and his knowledge and loyalty makes him a steadfast teammate. Dutch is an artist at heart and values solitude when pursuing his passion, but he's always ready to upgrade the Burners' hot rods with one of his latest weapons or gadgetry.
R.O.T.H. is Dutch's cube-shaped robot assistant who has helped the team on a number of occasions. He was one of Kane's attack bots until Dutch reprogrammed him as his helper. He has been shown to have a phobia of metal-destroying things, like miniature robots that disintegrate metal, though the attack bots are not made out of metal.
Texas (voiced by Jess Harnell)[5] is a violent, gung-ho powder keg who is dedicated to the Burners and his fierce determination usually makes him the first one on the battlefield when a fight breaks out. Texas is never the voice of dissent and tends not to think twice before charging in and smashing something with any body part that is armed and ready. He is noted to be Mike's self-appointed second-in-command and dreams of one day leading the Burners, but would never question Mike's authority without a reason. He often speaks in 3rd person and yells his name when attacking foes.
Jacob (voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray) is a hippie or biker type in his mid-60s and Kane's former partner. He's full of scientific and technological knowledge, which is often buried under organic food talk.
Allies
Claire (voiced by Dana Davis) is Julie's best friend and confidant for her dual identities. Claire is a sort of "valley-girl" who lives in Deluxe and has shown to be uncomfortable in the slums of Motorcity, considering it 'weird' and 'scary'. As of her second appearance, she states Chuck is the least weirdest thing about the Burners.
Dr. Hudson (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a scientist who was Jacob's student when KaneCo was trying to help people. He stayed while Jacob left when Kane started pushing them into more "dangerous" experiments. After being rescued by the Burners and making amends with Jacob, Hudson now assumedly assists them in his new lab in Motorcity.
Rayon (voiced by Bumper Robinson) is the Leader of a gang called the Skylarks, the owner of the Skylark Motel and a regular client of the Burners. Rayon believes the Burners to be his allies and trust them much more than some of the other gangs in Motorcity. He is always willing to give Mike information or help when it does not interfere with his business.
Darr Gordy (voiced by Roshon Fegan) is Dutch's brother and new cadet to Kane. At first he planned on turning in the Burners, but after seeing Dutch save some Deluxians he reconsidered and was made a Burner...technically. He is now another inside connection to Kane.
Tennie (voiced by Aimee Garcia) is an engineer and love interest of Dutch. She, her father, Bracket and the Burners worked together to defend her home against Kane's bots.
Foxy (voiced by Jennifer Hale) is the Leader of the Amazons, an all girl gang in Motorcity that specializes in fast and high tech vehicles that resemble Formula One Cars. She is somewhat distrusting of the Burners but becomes more of an ally after befriending Claire even helping save them from the Duke.
Villains
Abraham "Abe" Kane (voiced by Mark Hamill)[7][8] is the billionaire owner of Detroit Deluxe who serves as the main antagonist of the series. Kane is a wicked, megalomaniac industrialist who was responsible for building the new Detroit called Detroit Deluxe atop the old one, now named Motorcity.[8] He is determined to take over all of Detroit, and plans to do so by wiping out the Motorcity population.[7][8]
Tooley (voiced by Jim Breuer) is Kane's dimwitted but loyal right-hand man. What Tooley lacks in competence or intelligence, he makes up for in strength, blind loyalty, and devotion to Kane and his agenda. He also appears to have a crush on Julie which she will at times exploit to gain information from him to assist the Burners.
Kaia (voiced by Laraine Newman) is the leader of an eco-friendly resistance group called "Terra" who live in a village outside Detroit that was destroyed by KaneCo's waste dumping and fight using rapidly growing mutant plants as their weapons to take revenge on Kane as well as the Deluxe population. As a side effect of the dumping, the Terra themselves had been mutated and are forced to conceal their appearances behind gas masks and headbands. While allied at first, Kaia and her followers are now enemies of the Burners, primarily because of the Terra's attack on innocent Deluxe citizens.
The Duke of Detroit (voiced by Dee Snider)[4][9] is a self-absorbed collector and lover of cars who owns a palace filled with guards and mint condition automobiles. He instructs Mike that respect is conveyed through actions, and when Mike doesn't issue the Duke's kind of respect, he plots to take Mike's car Mutt as a means of payback. The Duke has occasionally put the Burners' rides at stake simply for his and others entertainment, going as far as putting the Burners' in a combat situation while they transported a large container with unstable chemicals with the safety mechanisms of said container compromised as part of a reality show staged by him.
#2 (voiced by Tara Strong) is the Duke's Number 2, Not much is known about her except for the fact that she is extremely devoted to him and is very involved with his plans. She speaks with a New York accent and is always chewing bubble gum.
Cyborg Dan (voiced by Dave Wittenberg) is a robot who works for the Duke. He seems to be very high up in the Duke's organization but his rank or how he became involved with the Duke is not known. The Duke used him to demonstrate a nuclear reactor for the Burners resulting in his face being melted off. He blames Mike for this despite it having absolutely nothing to do with him.
Red (voiced by Eric Ladin) is a ghost from Mike's past who was indirectly responsible for Mike coming down to Motorcity. A year ago, he lived in a supposedly abandoned building complex until it was destroyed by an attack from KaneCo. led by Mike. Though Mike betrayed Kane, fought his own men, and rescued the people, he still blames Mike for leading the attack to begin with. He spent the next year training, forging armor, and plotting revenge against Mike; after losing against him, Red joined with Kane and serves as an elite soldier of his, now with upgrades to his suit and weaponry.
A 90-Second Trailer that showcased of what the show was about.[10] Note: This is a teaser trailer for the pilot that was pitched in 2009.
2
"Motorcity" (pilot)
Frank Conniff
Chris Prynoski
2009 (original) July 2012 (theatrical and online)
0.2
Note: An expanded version of this short serves as the basis of the season 1 episode "Battle for Motorcity". This pilot was pitched and shown in 2009 to test the show to Disney investors, before being greenlit.[11]
When the Burners get a distress call from Kane Co., they rescue a scientist who was forced into building a power cell strong enough to destroy Motorcity.
Kane uses a climator to cause a huge blizzard in Motorcity, and Mike goes missing. Julie, Dutch, and Texas must put aside their differences to save Mike.
4
"Texas-ify It!"
Chris Prynoski
Story by: John O'Bryan, Craig Lewis, & Darrick Bachman Teleplay by: John O'Bryan
The Burners team up with another resistance group called the Terra, whose home has been turned into a Toxic waste dump by Kane Co. and Texas, who has been feeling unappreciated, becomes very popular with their new allies. However the Burners soon discover that their new allies are hiding some dangerous secrets.
An incident with Kane's robots causes Mike to become overprotective of his friends, and the Burners being separated. Mike, Chuck, and Julie come across Motorcity's "The Duke of Detroit," who Mike's disrespectful nature puts him at odds with. This leads to negative reprocussions as the Duke places a bounty on the Burners' heads, and every rebel group in Motorcity wants to get their hands on it.
Kane celebrates Mike's one-year anniversary as a Motorcitizen by sending a swarm of metal-eating robomites to destroy Motorcity. As the Burners try to stop Kane's latest attack, they find themselves sabotaged by a mysterious masked villain with ties to Mike's checkered past with Kane.
Chuck has been building his own car for a while, but is still missing a part. When Mike gets it from the Duke of Detroit's 'territory,' the two propose a wager - Chuck vs. the Duke's best drivers with Mutt as the grand prize. To make things more complicated, Chuck reveals to Mike he doesn't know how to drive; to help his friend, Mike decides to give Chuck a 'crash course' in driving.
Dutch has had enough of The Burners monopolizing his time with car maintenance and goes off to work on his other passion, art. But when Kane releases a terrible virus that turns everyone, including The Burners, into mindless beasts, Dutch must use his wits and imagination to save the day.
9
"Ride of the Fantasy Vans"
Chris Prynoski
Story by: George Krstic Teleplay by: Greg Ernstrom
When two of Chuck's friends from his Live Action Role Play (LARP) world go missing, the group turns to The Burners for help. But the Burners are in for a huge surprise when they find themselves facing off against Utilitons, evil robots that both they and Kane fear.
After a few weeks of harmony in Motorcity, Mike jumps at the chance to bring a container of hazardous waste back to the refinery. Once on the road, the Burners discover that the job is all part of The Duke of Detroit's dangerous new reality show, with Mike and the Burners trapped as the stars.
When Julie's loyalty to the Burners is questioned, she decides to prove herself by using a KaneCo Safe-T-Suit to pull off a dangerous mission alone. What she doesn't realize is that Kane has the power to control the person inside each Safe-T-Suit, which he takes full advantage of by turning her against her own teammates.
When Kane develops a booster that increases physical abilities and eliminates fear, Chuck tries it and things start to get weird.
Note: This episode was previously scheduled to air on June 14, 2012. It was also leaked onto iTunes and quickly removed. It officially aired in the US by Friday, October 19, 2012. This episode aired in the UK on Saturday, August 18, 2012.
It's Halloween in Motorcity and Dutch has planned a get together with Tennie, Chuck and Claire. But when the Terra Dwellers ambush The Burners with a special gas, the team is forced to face their biggest fears while preventing the Terras from destroying the foundation of Detroit Deluxe.
When Kane steals a treasure trove of vintage cars from right under the Burners' noses, Julie must use her daughterly charm to distract Kane as her teammates attempt to get the cars back. But things don't go as planned when an unexpected visitor returns to settle a personal vendetta with the team.
15
"Reunion"
Chris Prynoski
George Krstic
Andy Suriano, Ed Tadem and Jamie Vickers
December3,2012(2012-12-03)
MC113
N/A
After a Burner mission goes awry, Dutch is forced to hideout in Detroit Deluxe, where he has an unexpected reunion with his parents.
16
"Julie and the Amazons"
Chris Prynoski
Greg Ernstrom
Andy Suriano, Ed Tadem and Jamie Vickers
December10,2012(2012-12-10)
MC115
N/A
After Burner-logoed cars infiltrate Motorcity, the Burners must prove their innocence in 24 hours or face the Duke of Detroit's wrath.
17
"The Robo-Roundup"
Juno Lee
Darrick Bachman
Sung Jin Ahn, Eugene Lee and David Woo
December17,2012(2012-12-17)
MC116
N/A
Texas unwillingly enters Mama's Boys Rodeo Roundup with his favorite bot, Roth, as his partner. But when Texas loses, he offers up Roth to settle his debt, forcing The Burners to figure out a way to rescue him.
18
"Threat Level: Texas!"
Juno Lee
George Krstic
Sung Jin Ahn, Eugene Lee and David Woo
December24,2012(2012-12-24)
MC117
N/A
Texas is captured by Kane's forces, and he tries to convince Tooley that he is the real power behind the Burners.
19
"Vega"
Juno Lee & Chris Prynoski
Greg Ernstrom
Sung Jin Ahn, Eugene Lee, Ed Tadem and David Woo
December31,2012(2012-12-31)
MC119
N/A
Part 1 of 2. A mysterious prisoner breaks out of a detention center by using a powerful device that takes out all of Kane's bots. The Burners then make an unlikely alliance with the Duke of Detroit in hopes of finding the potential ally before Kane.
20
"A Better Tomorrow"
Juno Lee
Greg Ernstrom
Sung Jin Ahn, Eugene Lee, Ed Tadem and David Woo
January7,2013(2013-01-07)
MC120
N/A
Part 2 of 2. With Mike Chilton held in captivity and Kane's Genesis Pod moments away from being activated, the Burners must work together to fight the biggest threat they have ever faced and prevent Motorcity from being destroyed forever.
Note: This is the final episode of the series.
Production
Series creator Chris Prynoski, at the Magic City Comic Con in 2015.
Background
According to series creator Chris Prynoski, he got the idea for the show in 1991 and "even made a trailer for it," adding that he showed it to development executiveEric Coleman, who was at Nickelodeon at the time; Coleman took a liking to it. Prynoski had revealed that he grown up worshipping car culture in Los Angeles and his inspirations for Motorcity were The Dukes of Hazzard and Star Wars.[8][28]
Around 1999 to 2000, Prynoski began development of Motorcity.[29][30] It was planned to have a series of 26 episodes, each one lasting for 22 minutes.[31] Project was shelved after Prynoski founded his T-shirt company and later the animation studio Titmouse, Inc., and began work at Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Eric Coleman would begin his tenure at Disney; during this time, he asked Prynoski whether he still had Motorcity.[28]
Development
After partnering with Disney Television Animation,[6] in October 2010, production of Motorcity, which was scheduled to come out in the fall of 2011, began.[32][33][34][35] However, Motorcity was delayed out of 2011, with the latest date being given around winter 2012.[36][37] Ultimately, in April 2012, the show was announced to be premiering on April 30, 2012, on Disney XD.[38][39][40][41][42][43]
Prynoski had also revealed that about 80 people had worked on the show, consisting of people from Europe and Japan, such as art director Antonio Canobbio, show director Juno Lee,[28] and vehicle designed Brandon Cuellar.[44] The first season was planned to have 20 episodes. Though it was not designed as a serial, Prynoski stated that "once the first few episodes set the stage, there will be more of a story arc. As the season unfolds, viewers can expect character-focused episodes that dig a little deeper into each of the Burners' personalities and backstories."[45][8]
Animation
Motorcity's animation was made with a combination of 2D and 3D elements and effects, using software such as Adobe Flash, Adobe After Effects, Autodesk Maya for 3D models, and Adobe Photoshop for creation of elements and backgrounds, provided by Nepal-based studio Incessant Rain.[28][46]
Additionally, for the production of the show, Prynoski's production company Titmouse, Inc. created Facinator, an exclusive custom plug-in tool, that allows for the manipulation of 2D rigged head models from a wide array of angles, which not only made some of the specific angles of the characters easier, but also to make them look like they were animated as a 3D model. The purpose of use and creation of Facinator for Motorcity was to blend CGI well with the rest of the animation.[47][48][49][50][51][52]
The series debuted on Disney XD in the United States on April 30, 2012,[5][38][39] followed by premieres in Canada (May 26),[59] Japan (September 22),[60] and Latin American countries in July 2021, after first premiering online in 2013.[61] Disney XD aired a marathon of the series in the United States on July 27, 2020.[62]
International broadcast and streaming
On January 1, 2022, all episodes from Motorcity were made available on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.[63] The series premiered on Disney Channel in Latin American countries on September 16, 2023.[64]
Related media
Planned toyline
A toyline for the show was planned while it was in development, but ultimately shelved. Artist Denis Canon's Tumblr reveals that the toyline was planned to have been made by Mattel. The only things made public of this toyline was a replica of Mutt's dog bobblehead.[65][66][67]
Video game
Motorcity: Drive is a six-level, 3D racing, shooter game, that came out for mobile devices on March 26, 2012; it has since been delisted.[68][69][70] Players control Mike and fellow Burner Chuck as they attempt to outrun, maneuver around, and destroy Kane's evil bots. They drive Mike's souped‑up hot rod, Mutt, and man weapons such as the Gatling laser, Plasma Blaster, or Pulse Bomb.[68][69][70]Motorcity: Drive received mixed reviews from critics,[71]
Reception
Critical reception
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the show 4 out of 5 stars; and described the series as "too dark and intense for young kids". But she argued that "it's a rare to find an action-adventure cartoon that illustrates underlying social messages promoting awareness and activism". And overall recurring theme of "residents freedom". She also argued that "series is intended for a slightly older audience, since name-calling and violence are routine, but are examples of positive problem-solving and critical thinking".[72]
On November 5, 2012, it was revealed on the fan-run peopleofmotorcityTumblr page that the series would not be renewed for a second season.[79] An article by Screen Rant attributes this to Disney moving the show around different time slots, airing episodes out of order, and episodes airing in other countries before the United States, which led to Motorcity's ratings decreasing and, ultimately, Disney making the decision to cancel the show.[80] Despite its, at the time, impending cancellation, the showrunners were able to finish production of the show in time, producing a two-part series finale that aired in April 2013.[81]
Attempted revival
On April 29, 2013, crew member George Krstic posted a tweet that Prynoski's production company, Titmouse, was having a meeting on bringing back Motorcity and Megas XLR.[a][82] No further news has been confirmed.
Notes
↑ Titmouse did animation work for Megas XLR's main titles and first season.
↑ Productions listed here had Disney Television Animation's involvement go uncredited.
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