Hot Wheels: Highway 35/Acceleracers (found work on animated film; early-mid 2000s): Difference between revisions

From The Lost Media Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
mNo edit summary
(22 intermediate revisions by 9 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{NeedingWork|bloated writing and lack of clarity}}
{{InfoboxFound
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>Hot Wheels World Race and Acceleracers (extra unmade material work)</center>
|title=<center>Hot Wheels World Race and Acceleracers (extra unmade material work)</center>
|image=Acceleracers-_Ignition_cover_art.jpeg
|image=Acceleracers-_Ignition_cover_art.jpeg
|imagecaption=Acceleracers Ignition cover image
|imagecaption=''Acceleracers Ignition'' cover image.
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
|datefound=04 May 2020
|foundby=Ferrashi
}}
}}
In 2003, Toy Maker Mattel celebrated the 35th anniversary of their world famed ''Hot Wheels'' toy line with the release of a 5 part CGI miniseries '''''Hot Wheels Highway 35: World Race''''' on DVD and was later aired on the Toonami Saturday Video Entertainment System programming block<ref> [http://toonami.wikia.com/wiki/Saturday_Video_Entertainment_System#Programming The Toonami Wikia article on the block.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref> and rereleased as a direct to tv compilation film. The film and accompanying video game and toyline were a smash hit and ensured a sequel two years later in 2005, as a series of TV films aired on Toonami as '''''Hot Wheels: Acceleracers''''',<ref> [http://toonami.wikia.com/wiki/Hot_Wheels%3A_AcceleRacers The Toonami Wikia article on ''Hot Wheels Acceleracers''.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref> which involves some returning characters and new characters fighting against the evil Robotic Racing Drones in mysterious alien worlds known as Racing Realms.  
In 2003, Toy Maker Mattel celebrated the 35th anniversary of their world famed Hot Wheels toy line with the release of a 2 hour CGI movie entitled '''''Hot Wheels Highway 35: World Race'''''. It was released on DVD and was later aired on the Toonami Saturday Video Entertainment System programming block. The film, accompanying video game and toyline were a smash hit and ensured a sequel two years later in 2005, as a series of TV films aired on Toonami as '''''Hot Wheels: Acceleracers''''', which involves some returning characters and new characters fighting against the evil Robotic Racing Drones in mysterious alien worlds known as Racing Realms.  


Despite Mattel's intentions of the line being apart of a "aging up initiative" for the Hot Wheels line and the support of young kids, many older fans of ''Highway 35'' and various casual viewers loathed it for the darker tone in the story, the convoluted broadcast time and feeling it lacked the heart of ''Highway 35'' (including Toonami themselves, going as far to referring the show as ''"Mattel's Bionicle"'').<ref> [https://youtu.be/ZWjNOrLhPqI?t=54m4s A YouTube video explaining the story of ''Hot Wheels Acceleracers''.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref> Along with poor toysales and Mainframe's budgetary problems that led to them shutting down and reform as Rainmaker Entertainment, the show ended on its 4th episode ''The Ultimate Race'' with a cliffhanger.
Despite Mattel's intentions of the line being apart of a "aging up initiative" for the Hot Wheels line, many older fans of ''Highway 35'' and various casual viewers loathed it for the darker tone in the story, the convoluted broadcast time and feeling it lacked the heart of ''Highway 35'' (including Toonami themselves, going as far to referring the show as ''"Mattel's Bionicle"'').<ref> [https://youtu.be/ZWjNOrLhPqI?t=54m4s A YouTube video explaining the negative reaction of ''Hot Wheels Acceleracers''.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref> Along with poor toy-sales and Mainframe's budgetary problems that led to them shutting down and reform as Rainmaker Entertainment, the show ended on its 4th episode ''The Ultimate Race'' with a cliffhanger.


==The Discovery of the Promo==
==Acceleracers Season 2 Cancellation==
In mid 2016, a redditor on the r/Acceleracers subreddit named Sun619 told the subreddit that he had found a promo on YouTube that made him think ''Acceleracers'' was continuing via Warner Brothers (who had distributed the films back when they were producing episodes).<ref> [https://www.reddit.com/r/Acceleracers/comments/4rpya2/the_script_to_continue/ Sun619's Reddit post.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref> When others asked Sun619 for a link, he said he couldn't find it again and that the video had been taken down shortly after it was uploaded.
Starting in 2005, as the third and fourth installments were airing, Hot Wheels had plans for a second season of ''Acceleracers''. Concepts that Hot Wheels created for it included transforming vehicles, the return of character "Banjee Castillo", and more realms. The Hot Wheels design team designed and made prototypes of a few vehicles for a standard 1:64 vehicle line, as well as a larger scale toy line that featured action figures and transforming vehicles. Patents have surfaced of the transformable vehicles.<ref>[https://patents.google.com/patent/US20060270315A1/en?inventor=Fraser+Campbell&assignee=mattel&oq=inventor:(Fraser+Campbell)+mattel Transforming vehicle patent.] Retrieved 02 May '19</ref> Images for the action figures have surfaced online,<ref>[https://www.hobbydb.com/subjects/hot-wheels-first-appearance-at-san-diego-comic-con-2005-event Action figure prototypes.] Retrieved 02 May '19</ref> as well as a prototype image of the unreleased vehicle "Titanium".<ref>[https://www.hobbydb.com/catalog_items/titanium The unreleased prototype of Titanium.] Retrieved 02 May '19</ref> It has also been stated that Takara helped with the transforming designs. Due to a rotating marketing team at Mattel during the conception, the project was ultimately cancelled before any film was put into production by Mainframe Entertainment.<ref>[https://old.reddit.com/r/Acceleracers/comments/9ny314/why_acceleracers_was_cancelled/?st=jv6bqzzw&sh=8592bf9c A Reddit post showing an anonymous person who worked on the season 2 conception.] Retrieved 02 May '19</ref>


For a while, people doubted the legitimacy of Sun619's comment until June 30, 2017 when another r/Acceleracers redditor named kevinm0388 had gotten in contact with former writers and Mainframe animators about the matter and confirmed that such a promo did exist and was made for Warner Brothers and Mattel roughly in late 2005 to early 2006.<ref> [https://www.reddit.com/r/Acceleracers/comments/6ihk47/confirmed_short_promo_of_5th_acceleracers_was_read/ kevinm0388's Reddit post.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref><ref>
==Unresurfaced ''Highway 35'' Extended Footage==
[http://i.imgur.com/TBX7Dz4.jpg An Acceleracers Writer confirming the existence of the Promo.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref> and upon the revelation that ''Acceleracers'' action figures were to be made featuring the characters that Sun619 mentioned being in the promo (including RD-K1 leading the Drone, and Banjee Castillo, a character who was once long thought dead in the show, being alive on the Silencerz team), thus confirming his account on the trailer.<ref>[https://www.hobbydb.com/catalog_items/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keyword_query=acceleracers+action+figures A Hobbydb website listing the SDCC 2005 action figures.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref>
In addition, episode 4 of ''Acceleracers'' prequel ''Highway 35'' had a rare VCD release in Southeast Asia that contained extended and deleted scenes from the episode.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170224140409/http://accelepedia.com/detail.php?db_id=390 Archived Accelepedia article on the deleted scenes.] Retrieved 04 Jan '21</ref> One scene is a short clip where a character named Dan Dresden says <blockquote>"Yeah, I'm willing to put aside competition...for now."</blockquote>
 
According to Rainmaker Studios, the only way they can release the promo is if Mattel approved of the release and the toys were turned into a McDonald's toyline.<ref>[https://imgur.com/a/3sPbJ Another image of what could have been the McDonald's toyline.]  Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref> Mattel when asked about the matter, reiterated the same thing Rainmaker said and didn't elaborate further.
 
On January 3rd 2018, a Discord User ReeceTheR asked one of the former animators on ''Acceleracers'' William Lau about info regarding the Unmade films of ''Acceleracers''. <ref>[https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/334669039945252865/398594222380417024/acceleracer5info3.jpg First picture of the conversation between Reece and William] Retrieved 4 Jan '18</ref> He provided info that a McDonalds toyline called Hot Wheels Stunt Strikers was originally meant to be an ''Acceleracers'' sequel and TV spin off and would have presumably had 6-8 drivers from the previous films on a single team again proving Sun617's comments once again. He also mentioned that the Executive Producers told them to simply call the line "Hot Wheels Strikers" <ref> [https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/334669039945252865/398593565552541697/acceleracer5info4.jpg the confirmation of the alternate title] Retrieved 4 Jan '18</ref> and that was all he knew about the lines future.
 
Later in January 27th, 2018, Discord user DaimosZ asked William Lau if the promo was a direct sequel to Acceleracers concluding that shows story arc or was a whole other series all together to which he replied that it was indeed a hard reboot and that due to internal changes in Mattel it got cancelled altogether. He also mentioned his memory was foggy since then so it possibly could have been a sequel to Acceleracers but he cannot remember exactly if that was the case. <ref>[https://i.redd.it/j2349djyfvc01.png The interview between William Lau and DaimosZ] Retrieved 29 Jan '18</ref>.
 
Around that same time, the Hot Wheels Discord discovered that Sony-once thought to be working on a 5th and 6th movie-only owned the rights to the soundtrack and that the soundtrack had 2 documents for two albums with the Acceleracers branding and that  <ref>[http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=1&ti=1,1&Search%5FArg=Acceleracers&Search%5FCode=FT%2A&CNT=25&PID=nSj1X7iiIGv0zeFL1FhVBoGe0-&SEQ=20180129185910&SID=1 the US Copyright offices records for the Sony-Acceleracers connection] Retrieved 18 Feb '18</ref>. indeed Warner Brothers was still releasing the Acceleracers films as late as 2012 in their 4 kids favorites dvd packs thus rendering the Theory mute.<ref> [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/359015601877811200/407687561386000385/91F9ypJU6JL.png dvd cover for the 4 kids favorites release of the Acceleracers movies] Retrieved 18 Feb '18</ref>.
 
==Sony's Involvement in the Unmade Films==
Sony had also trademarked the ''Hot Wheels: Acceleracers'' series after it ended and copyrighted each film along with "2 Production Materials" in 2009, the same time as Warner Brothers released ''Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5''. The 2 scripts that writers mention drafting were presumably the aforementioned "Production Materials" and allegedly Sony had plans on continuing the series and made a promo for a sequel film to show to potential investors (which may have been the previously stated promo from Sun619).<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/Lost_Films/comments/7dm3ed/possibly_lost_media_hot_wheels_acceleracers_5th/ The Lost Films page of Reddit discussing the film.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref>
 
In January 2nd 2018, test footage for ''Acceleracers'' was shown on a Vimeo portfolio by a studio called "DQ Productions" showing off previously unknown scenes and models, including Mark Wylde, one of the shows characters driving the car Reverb in the Water Realm and through a city. <ref> [https://vimeo.com/51170015 the DQ Entertainment test footage] Retrieved 4 Jan '18</ref> It is unknown when the footage was made nor is it clear if this is the aforementioned Promo.
 
==''Highway 35'' Unresurfaced Extended Footage==
In addition, in episode 4 of ''Acceleracers'' prequel ''Highway 35'' that originally aired on August 2, 2003 on the Toonami Video Entertainment System block and on a rare VCD in Southeast Asia that contained extended and deleted scenes from the episode.<ref>[http://accelepedia.com/detail.php?db_id=390 The Accelepedia article on the deleted scenes.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17</ref> Some scenes have resurfaced in the Spanish dub, including an extended intro that features the drivers introducing themselves to the audience.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlINU4knENk ]
One scene has yet to resurface in any language is a short clip where a character named Dan Dresden says ''"Yeah, I'm willing to put aside competition...for now."''


On May 4th, 2020. YouTube user Ferrashi posted the lost scenes of Episode 4 to YouTube in English nearly 17 years since it originally aired. The source of the scene is from a rare DVD release of Episode 4 bundled in with the ''Hot Wheels Hot Hits Volume 5'' CD. The first volume of this CD series released in at least America and Australia in April 2003 with only the CD and a CD-ROM, with subsequent releases being available only in Australia. Volumes 2 to 5 contained Episodes 1 to 4 of the ''World Race'' on DVD.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
{{Video|perrow  =1
{{Video|perrow  =2
   |service1    =youtube
   |service1    =youtube
   |id1          =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlINU4knENk
   |id1          =EExoivi8Kas
   |description1 =Unreleased footage from the episode "Frozen Fire" (Spanish dub).
  |description1 =Unreleased footage from the episode "Frozen Fire".
}}
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =xLw7ysYkDI0
   |description2 =Unreleased footage from the episode "Frozen Fire".
}}
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
File:titanium_sealed.jpg|thumb|Titanium. A Silencerz car designed by Fraser Campbell for Season 2.
File:thunderblade_top.png|thumb|A Metal Maniacs car designed by Fraser Campbell. It was reworked for Stunt Strikers as "Thunderblade" as well as the Hot Wheels mainline as "Rogue Hog".
</gallery>
==External Links==
*[http://toonami.wikia.com/wiki/Saturday_Video_Entertainment_System#Programming The Toonami Wikia article on the block.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17
*[http://toonami.wikia.com/wiki/Hot_Wheels%3A_AcceleRacers The Toonami Wikia article on ''Hot Wheels Acceleracers''.] Retrieved 22 Nov '17


==References==
==References==
<references/>
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Lost animation]]
[[Category:Found media]]
[[Category:Lost literature]]
[[Category:Lost TV]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]

Revision as of 07:43, 3 March 2021

Acceleracers- Ignition cover art.jpeg

Acceleracers Ignition cover image.

Status: Found

Date found: 04 May 2020

Found by: Ferrashi

In 2003, Toy Maker Mattel celebrated the 35th anniversary of their world famed Hot Wheels toy line with the release of a 2 hour CGI movie entitled Hot Wheels Highway 35: World Race. It was released on DVD and was later aired on the Toonami Saturday Video Entertainment System programming block. The film, accompanying video game and toyline were a smash hit and ensured a sequel two years later in 2005, as a series of TV films aired on Toonami as Hot Wheels: Acceleracers, which involves some returning characters and new characters fighting against the evil Robotic Racing Drones in mysterious alien worlds known as Racing Realms.

Despite Mattel's intentions of the line being apart of a "aging up initiative" for the Hot Wheels line, many older fans of Highway 35 and various casual viewers loathed it for the darker tone in the story, the convoluted broadcast time and feeling it lacked the heart of Highway 35 (including Toonami themselves, going as far to referring the show as "Mattel's Bionicle").[1] Along with poor toy-sales and Mainframe's budgetary problems that led to them shutting down and reform as Rainmaker Entertainment, the show ended on its 4th episode The Ultimate Race with a cliffhanger.

Acceleracers Season 2 Cancellation

Starting in 2005, as the third and fourth installments were airing, Hot Wheels had plans for a second season of Acceleracers. Concepts that Hot Wheels created for it included transforming vehicles, the return of character "Banjee Castillo", and more realms. The Hot Wheels design team designed and made prototypes of a few vehicles for a standard 1:64 vehicle line, as well as a larger scale toy line that featured action figures and transforming vehicles. Patents have surfaced of the transformable vehicles.[2] Images for the action figures have surfaced online,[3] as well as a prototype image of the unreleased vehicle "Titanium".[4] It has also been stated that Takara helped with the transforming designs. Due to a rotating marketing team at Mattel during the conception, the project was ultimately cancelled before any film was put into production by Mainframe Entertainment.[5]

Unresurfaced Highway 35 Extended Footage

In addition, episode 4 of Acceleracers prequel Highway 35 had a rare VCD release in Southeast Asia that contained extended and deleted scenes from the episode.[6] One scene is a short clip where a character named Dan Dresden says

"Yeah, I'm willing to put aside competition...for now."

On May 4th, 2020. YouTube user Ferrashi posted the lost scenes of Episode 4 to YouTube in English nearly 17 years since it originally aired. The source of the scene is from a rare DVD release of Episode 4 bundled in with the Hot Wheels Hot Hits Volume 5 CD. The first volume of this CD series released in at least America and Australia in April 2003 with only the CD and a CD-ROM, with subsequent releases being available only in Australia. Volumes 2 to 5 contained Episodes 1 to 4 of the World Race on DVD.

Gallery

Unreleased footage from the episode "Frozen Fire".

Unreleased footage from the episode "Frozen Fire".

External Links

References