Warner Archive // Released January 25, 2011 // Not Rated
The Pitch
Zoom into gear with Wheelie, the world’s greatest stunt racing car, and his girlfriend Rota Ree as they outmaneuver the sneaky motorcycle gang Chopper, Revs, Riser and Scrambles in this 3-Disc, 13-Episode Complete Series Collection! Not the smartest bike in the bunch, Chopper’s schemes range from scaring Wheelie with ghost cars at the car cemetery, tricking a trail bike into spying on Wheelie and cheating at a tractor-roping competition, plus many more shenanigans that never end well for the gang. Besides outwitting Chopper in these 39 adventures (3 per episode), Wheelie aids other vehicles needing a helping wheel, like a lost scooter, a sick tow truck and a stranded bulldozer. Honk for great family fun and motor to the couch for a night of drive-in entertainment!
The Review
Decades before Pixar anthropomorphized vehicles for Cars, Hanna Barbra launched their series, Wheelie & The Chopper Bunch, which despite lasting for only a single season, is still fondly remembered today.
Wheelie, a red Volkswagon Beetle, spends the entire season of 39 six minute vignettes (which form the thirteen episodes), wooing his convertible girlfriend Rota Ree (through a series of romantic clanks, beeps and engine churning sounds by voice legend Frank Welker). Wheelie also has to contend with nemesis Chopper and his gang only to have things wrapped up with a moral lesson by the six minute mark.
Like most Hanna Barbera cartoons of the Seventies, Wheelie & The Chopper Bunch suffers a bit from nostalgic blinders. It’s not nearly as good as you remember or want it to be. The animation and stories are both simplistic and really geared toward a young audience. Nevertheless, it’s nice that the Warner Archive continues to release lesser known programming. Recommended for completists or younger viewers.
