Lakewood Boys

Lakewood Boys is an American animated television series created by Brian Lisbon for. The series tells a coming-of-age story that focuses on the misadventures of Baxter and Tristan Lakewood, two middle school-aged gray wolves and their shenanigans in the fictional city of Kingston. It includes various other characters, such as the boys' younger sister Luna, mother Linda, and father Xavier.

In the mid-2000s, Cartoon Network contacted Lisbon about pitching ideas for a series aimed at its older demographic, and he almost immediately pitched an animated comedy-drama. Lisbon began developing the show in the late 2000s under the working title The Brothers Lakewood, using characters he previously planned on using for a graphic novel. Cartoon Network would eventually greenlight a sixteen-episode first season.

Lakewood Boys is often noted for its soundtrack, blending of retro and modern technology, and mixing of 2D characters and 3D backgrounds. Though it is intended to be a family-friendly series, it is also noted for its commentary on and handling of serious or mature topics, including ageing (particularly puberty), bullying, abusive relationships, and prejudice.

The series was produced by Studio MP3 and, and animated by five South Korean studios over the course of its run. It was broadcast from October 19, 2012 to May 6, 2022, running for nine seasons and 170 episodes, making it Cartoon Network's longest-running series. On May 8, 2022, Cartoon Network confirmed that a feature film based on the series was in development under the working title Lakewood Boys: The Movie, as well as a spin-off series.

Premise
Lakewood Boys, which is set in a world of anthropomorphic animals, revolves around the shenanigans of two 11- to 13-year-old gray wolves, Baxter and Tristan Lakewood, in the fictional city of Kingston, during which they usually interact with their family—devious younger sister Luna, mother Linda, and father Xavier. Baxter and Tristan attend school at the often-chaotic Kingston Middle School.

Conception and early history
Before the creation of Lakewood Boys, Cartoon Network desired a series suitable specifically for its 13- to 16-year-old demographic. In the early 2000s, was the channel's Senior Vice President and General Manager, and he came across Lisbon's comic book series, Luckie the Maniac. Miller was impressed by the character designs and art style, as well as its mildly dark humor. At some point, Miller got in touch with the series' young adult artist, Brian Lisbon, who had no experience in animation at the time. After having a discussion about the series, Lisbon accepted an offer to pitch a series.

Around the time Lisbon was working on Luckie the Maniac #9, he sought to create a graphic novel about two anthropomorphic gray wolf boys in their "tween" years, which would be published by Luckie the Maniac's publisher, Krypton Press. Amidst working on it, Lisbon gave up on the idea, thinking he could never "get it off the ground", Lisbon used the characters to pitch his animated series, then titled The Brothers Lakewood. He originally intended on having the the two boys—now named Baxter and Tristan—be the sole children of the Lakewood Family. However, Cartoon Network's executives suggested adding a third child to make the show more "gender-neutral".