Made in Hollywood: 'Motorcity' on Disney XD Airs Mondays

Disney XD's newest show premiered Monday adding futuristic muscle cars with slick animation to its line up of original programming.

Set in a futuristic version of Detroit, adults watching the show may notice some parallels between the city's recent financial troubles and the futuristic version, but the show ultimately aims for fun and fantasy among kids.

The premise is based on a bankrupt Detroit, which is bought by billionaire Abraham Kane, voiced by Mark Hamill, who wants ultimate control over the city by taking away personal freedoms. He's even gone so far as to ban automobile transportation.

The Burners, a group of rebels led by 17-year-old Mike Chilton (voiced by Reid Scott), rise to the occassion by customizing their fleet of hot rods to stop Kane from taking over the last underground refuge known as Motorcity.

The show also features the voices of Kate Mucucci, Kel Mitchell, Nate Torrence and Jess Harnell along with Dee Snider as a recurring character.

• See a trailer of the show here.

The show is produced by Robin Red Breast, Inc., a subsidary of Titmouse, Inc., which is an animation studio based in Hollywood.

Hollywood as inspiration

Creator and executive producer Chris Prynoski leads a crew of more than 80 people, split between Hollywood and New York.

When Prynoski sat down with the writers to set story lines, he used the concept of Hollywood and the reality of the area as a source of inspiration. He made the writers watch the 80s movie, Valley Girl with Nicolas Cage, which sets the stage for a Valley vs Hollywood type of conflict that is mirrored in Motorcity.

"There's the vibe of Hollywood and then there’s an idea of Hollywood for people who don’t live in L.A. or know much about (it). I used to live in Hollywood, it’s a lot grittier place so the fact that Motorcity is not that shiny bright — it’s fun."

How it's made

He's most excited about the level and quality of digital animation his studio can bring to the show.

"I really wanted to push the envelope with this one and it’s tough to communicate the crazy ideas we’re trying to achieve through a traditional production pipeline," Prynoski said. "We’re doing this show in the states and it allows for the freedom to really operate off the cuff. When you ship a show you have to be incredibly planned."

Typically, animation for television is planned in the U.S. and sent overseas for the bulk of the labor.  With Motorcity, the animation is done locally in Hollywood. In fact, Prynoski expanded his Hollywood studio last year to a second building to accomodate the production.

Animators draw on computer screens resembling large iPads into a digital software program known as Flash.  Animators refer to this digital method of the traditional animation process as "tradigital" animation.

A new focus for Disney XD

Disney Television Animation Senior Vice President Eric Coleman said Motorcity is part of Disney's focus on developing original character-driven content. Upcoming original shows include Gravity Falls and Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja.

"Historically the animation studio had made shows based on exisiting properties that were spin-offs," Coleman said. "The success of Phineas and Ferb demonstrates that original (intellectual property) generated here within the studio can be a real driver for the company. It’s a huge franchise and priority."

Prynoski added it's an exciting time to be working with Disney.

"They are is entering an era that’s more like it’s legacy than it has in previous years," he said. "I feel like it’s getting back to its roots and really getting back to creator-based animation. They’re doing a lot of cool stuff."

Motorcity airs Monday nights on Disney XD at 9 p.m. Download the first episode for free on iTunes. A free racer game for Motorcity is available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch at www.itunes.com/appstore.

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