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Parents' Guide to

Team Hot Wheels: Build the Epic Race

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Nothing more than a Mattel-sponsored Hot Wheels ad.

Movie G 2015 44 minutes
Team Hot Wheels: Build the Epic Race Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Team Hot Wheels: Build the Epic Race Movie: Scene #1
  • Team Hot Wheels: Build the Epic Race Movie: Scene #2

Community Reviews

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age 3+

Based on 1 parent review

Jared B.
Jared B. Adult
March 15, 2017
age 3+

A better review

This movie is not as consumer oriented as other reviews may lead one to believe. Mattel marketed few products related to this movie, and as a Father of a son a love of hot wheels is almost inevitable. These movies have spurred my son's imagination. And while it may influence kids to want to play hot wheels that attention can be easily directed at the toys they already have. The movie features team work and cooperation as desirable, and determination as advantageous. There is quite a bit of cartoon violence that is exaggerated in a way that defies realism and is done for humor and effect.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

The members of Team Hot Wheels are looking forward to winning the Epic Race in Hot Wheels City. But the Road Pirates have other plans. They want to win the race and take all the loot from Hot Wheels City and will stop at nothing to make this happen -- even going so far as to send a monkey to infiltrate Team Hot Wheels and kick out Wyatt for all his hotdogging ways. It's up to Team Hot Wheels to win the Epic Race, defeat the Road Pirates, and keep Hot Wheels City safe.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This is nothing more than a 44-minute commercial targeted to kids. Early in the film, Gage (Grant George), the leader of Team Hot Wheels, exclaims, "Seems only yesterday, we were regular kids. Now, we're heroes!" The obvious message here is that if your child buys Hot Wheels products, he will be just as "cool" and heroic as the kids of Team Hot Wheels. The fact that there are no girls on Team Hot Wheels makes it even more obvious that this is marketed to boys between the ages of 4 and 9, to say nothing of the occasional forays into puerile humor and cartoon violence and the glamorization of driving at excessively fast speeds.

For parents who grew up with Hot Wheels cars, perhaps none of this is especially problematic. But for parents concerned about how the advertising industry uses methods such as "the nag factor" to market products directly to kids, bypassing any adult say in the matter, the cartoon is as blatant as it gets.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about cartoons based on toys. Why would toy companies put out shows like these?

  • How do the characters show how "cool" it is to drive Hot Wheels cars?

  • Do you think it's ethical to consciously market products directly to young kids? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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