{"id":30852,"date":"2019-03-30T22:38:32","date_gmt":"2019-03-31T02:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=30852"},"modified":"2019-03-31T03:21:59","modified_gmt":"2019-03-31T07:21:59","slug":"a-tribute-to-batman-the-animated-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/30\/a-tribute-to-batman-the-animated-series\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tribute to \u201cBatman: The Animated Series\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I think one of the two reasons why Bruce Timm\u2019s iteration of Batman continues to be such a celebrated staple of animation is that Timm didn\u2019t just take Batman seriously, he took his audience seriously. Before then, if you wanted to see an animated version of Batman, you had to watch \u201cThe Super Friends,\u201d \u201cScooby Doo Movies,\u201d or the Filmation series. \u201cBatman: The Animated Series\u201d stands on its own in the annals of 90\u2019s animation and is still considered the gold standard by fans, right down to the voice actors.<\/p>\n

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Whenever I read a Batman comic, it\u2019s Kevin Conroy\u2019s voice that I hear in my head as Bruce and Batman, while Mark Hamill creepy cackle still echoes as Joker. That\u2019s why this series is so astounding. You\u2019d assume that as a show about Batman that took the source material so seriously, was mature and complex, and didn\u2019t always feature fist fights with massive Batman rogues, would be a blip during the \u201cextreme\u201d 90s. And yet, Timm\u2019s unique depiction of Gotham City, a mix of Frank Miller and Tim Burton, continues to thrill audiences and influence other animated series to this day. Before Timm, Burton was really considered the man who got Gotham right. Timm seemed to approach his animated series by paying homage to every single creator that came before him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Timm and the producers from Warner Bros. took small bits and pieces for his own incredible, bold new vision. The big obstacle during the creation of \u201cBatman: The Animated Series\u201d was getting around the censors, as most 90\u2019s animated children\u2019s shows were always under heavy scrutiny by censors and parents organizations. Among the main guideline for the series was that bad guys could not shoot guns that looked like real guns, sounded like real guns, or fired ammunition. Despite the heavy pressure by censors, show runner Bruce Timm fought tirelessly to not only include fist fighting in his series, but actual guns with bullets. This is made abundantly clear in the iconic opening where Batman dodges gun fire from thugs, and knocks them out with two fists.<\/p>\n

\u201cBatman: The Animated Series\u201d sticks to the basics of the iconic Batman lore.<\/p>\n

Bruce, who was orphaned as a child after witnessing his parents murdered by a thug, has devoted his life to fighting crime as Batman, Gotham City\u2019s \u201cDark Knight.\u201d By day he\u2019s a millionaire and CEO for WayneCorp, giving dignity to the legacy of his mother and father, and trying to maintain his secrecy. Voiced by the incomparable Kevin Conroy, Bruce is depicted as a man of much complexity and heartache who still battles his own personal demons. This inevitably seeps in to his personal life, as he experiences repeated relationship woes. The series re-introduced Batman\u2019s famous rogues with interesting new iterations (Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Two Face), and gradually exploring their characters for the audience. Luckily for fans, Bruce Timm who is known as a major Batman fanatic never strayed too far from the source material.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Surely the series could never be accused of being half-baked, with outstanding animation, brilliant production quality, and voice work that is absolutely mesmerizing. Timm\u2019s Gotham was an amalgam of neo-noir and futuristic technology, as every element of the environment seemed stuck in a timeless period where fedoras and trench coats were high fashion, yet a few episodes found Wayne battling cyborgs and the merciless Mr. Freeze with his freezing gun. The elements all seemed to snap together well, forming a magnificent series that wasn\u2019t just for kids who wanted to be a superhero. Many of Batman\u2019s villains operated within very interesting shades of grey, and very few of them were definitely evil. Timm transformed a lot of Batman\u2019s rogues in to people operating on their own moral codes that, demented as they may be, were their own credo for either garnering revenge or striking down society in some shape or form.<\/p>\n

For instance Lyle Bolton (aka Lock-up), introduced in Episode 9, Season 3, was an abusive security guard at Arkham who thrived on inflicting pain on the prisoners. When Bruce and Arkham\u2019s superiors are made aware of his abusive habits, there\u2019s a very interesting debate made about what constitutes proper punishment and what is just inhuman. Surely the Arkham residents are maniacs, but do they deserve to be dehumanized by a sadist? Boltom eventually becomes a masked villain named \u201cLock-Up\u201d committed to getting revenge on Batman for being the root of Gotham\u2019s \u201copen wound.\u201d There\u2019s also Two Face who, deep down, really was a noble and beneficial element of society as Harvey Dent, eventually embracing his inner demons, and transforming it in to an outer monster for the world to see.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>You could call Two Face a villain, but evil? That\u2019s up for debate. Especially with his excellent two part origin \u201cTwo Face.\u201d The question is also carried over in to \u201cHeart of Ice,\u201d the brilliant introduction of Mr. Freeze, a bonafide made man with a thirst for vengeance whose own horrific genetic mutation, and desperation to save his sick wife becomes a matter of asking what\u2019s villainy and what\u2019s pure evil? Batman: The Animated Series is also notable for being the first in Timm\u2019s massive arc that would stretch into Justice League Unlimited not to mention for introducing fan favorite character, Harley Quinn. After ending its run on FOX, the series carried over to Kids WB in 1997 and once again was rebranded as The New Batman Adventures.<\/p>\n

There the animation and setting were given massive overhauls in terms of style with sleeker, albeit less detailed, animation. The new remodeling was a source of debate for many years among fans, some of whom loved it, while others despised it. This new overhaul opened the series up to new characters including a more prominent role for Bat Girl, Nightwing and the introduction of a new Robin: Tim Drake. When paired with Superman: The Animated Series, the show finished its run 1999, rebranded one last time as The New Batman\/Superman Adventures. This new formula allowed for a closer synergy between the series, opening the door for a lot of crossovers and new villains to make their appearance. One episode even found Batgirl and Supergirl teaming up to battle Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.<\/p>\n

It even set the stage for the meeting of Batman and Superman in World\u2019s Finest, a three-part episode of “Superman: The Animated Series” where the pair joined forces to battle Lex Luthor and the Joker. \u201cBatman: The Animated Series\u201d is a very important turn in contemporary animation and really lent credibility to the idea that just because an animated show is marketed for kids, it doesn\u2019t have to be sugary, obnoxious pabulum intended to sell toys. Batman: The Animated Series is art.<\/p>\n