Batman: The Animated Series (often shortened as Batman TAS or BTAS)[1] is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, it originally aired on Fox Kids from September 5, 1992, to September 15, 1995, with a total of 85 episodes.[2][3][4] Mid-way through the series' run, it was re-titled The Adventures of Batman & Robin.
Batman: The Animated Series has received widespread acclaim since its release and was hailed as a groundbreaking superhero show, receiving praise for its writing, art design, voice acting, orchestrated soundtrack, and modernization of its title character's source material.[5][6] Its critical success led to the show winning multiple Daytime Emmy Awards,[7] as well as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Programming.[8]
After the series ended its original run, a follow-up titled The New Batman Adventures began airing on Kids' WB in 1997 as a continuation of the series, featuring a revamped animation style. Lasting 24 episodes, it has often been included in the same syndicated re-run packages and home media releases as the final season. Batman: The Animated Series also became the first in the continuity of the shared DC Animated Universe, which spawned further animated TV series, feature films, comic books and video games with much of the same creative talent, including the 1993 theatrical release Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
During the series' production, producer Alan Burnett wrote an episode without dialogue entitled "Silent Night" to explore more of Batman's sexual life, but this was never produced. Burnett also intended to make an episode featuring a female vampire that would bite Batman to suck his blood, but plans never materialized.[9]
The series is also notable for its supporting cast. Numerous known actors provided voices for a variety of recognizable villains. Most notable was Mark Hamill, previously famous for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, whose prominence as a voice actor was heightened through his "cheerfully deranged" portrayal of the Joker.[10] The role was originally given to Tim Curry, but he developed bronchitis during the initial recording sessions.[11] John Glover, who later voiced the Riddler, also auditioned for the Joker role. Hamill, who found himself to be the biggest fan of the Batman comics among the cast, credited the laughs he had honed on stage in Amadeus with landing him the role. The recording sessions, under the supervision of voice director Andrea Romano, were recorded with the actors together in one studio instead of taking separate recordings, as is typical. This method would later be employed for all subsequent series in the DC Animated Universe. Al Pacino was considered to voice Two-Face in the series, but he declined the offer;[12] Richard Moll was instead cast in the role. Other actors included Ron Perlman as Clayface, Roddy McDowall as the Mad Hatter, David Warner as Ra's al Ghul, Michael York as Count Vertigo, Kate Mulgrew as Red Claw, George Murdock as Boss Biggis, Ed Asner as Roland Daggett and George Dzundza as the Ventriloquist.
One of the series' best-known inventions is the Joker's assistant, Harley Quinn, who became so popular that DC Comics later added her to mainstream comic book continuity. The Penguin underwent change for the series; his appearance was remodeled after the version seen in Batman Returns, which was in production simultaneously with the series' first season. New life was also given to lesser-known characters for the series, such as the Clock King. In addition, dramatic changes were made to other villains such as Clayface and Mr. Freeze, the latter of whom was changed from a gimmicky mad scientist to a tragic figure whose "frigid exterior [hid] a doomed love and vindictive fury".
In order to complete the first season's 65 episodes, Warner Bros. Animation outsourced the series to several different overseas animation houses: Spectrum Animation, Sunrise, Studio Junio and Tokyo Movie Shinsha in Japan, Dong Yang Animation, Koko Enterprises Ltd. and AKOM in South Korea, Jade Animation in Hong Kong, Blue Pencil in Spain and Network of Animation (NOA) in Canada.[13] TMS also animated the first season's opening theme sequence. AKOM was eventually fired due to its inconsistent animation in many episodes such as "Cat Scratch Fever" and "Moon of the Wolf".[14]
The 20 episodes of the second season were animated largely by Dong Yang, with the exception of three done by Studio Junio ("A Bullet for Bullock", "Avatar" and "Baby-Doll") and one done by Jade Animation ("The Terrible Trio").[13]
The series took influence from Tim Burton's live-action films, Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), and the acclaimed Superman theatrical cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in the early 1940s.[15] In designing the series, Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski emulated the Burton films' "otherworldly timelessness", incorporating period features such as black-and-white title cards, police airships and a "vintage" color scheme with film noir flourishes.[16]
The visual style of the series was based on the artwork of Radomski, and the gothic look of Gotham City was derived from his initial designs.[17] In addition, Radomski issued a standing order to the animation department that all backgrounds be painted using light colors on black paper (as opposed to the industry standard of dark colors on white paper).[16] The distinctive visual combination of "noir" imagery and Art Deco design was dubbed "Dark Deco" by the producers.[18] The series initially took a variation of music written by Danny Elfman for the Burton films as its theme; later episodes of the series used a new theme with a similar style by Shirley Walker, an occasional collaborator of Elfman. The score of the series was influenced by Elfman's work on the Burton films, as well as music of 1940s film noir.[19] The show depicts outright physical violence against antagonists, including realistic firearms (though only one character, Commissioner Gordon, was ever depicted as having been shot, in the episode "I Am the Night"). First-time producers Timm and Radomski reportedly encountered resistance from studio executives, but the success of Burton's first film allowed the embryonic series to survive long enough to produce a pilot episode, "On Leather Wings", which, according to Timm, "got a lot of people off our backs".[16]
The series adapted classic Batman comic books tales into memorable episodes including "The Laughing Fish" brought Joker's antics from Detective Comics #475-476 to life as he tried to copyright Jokerized fish. In "The Cape & Cowl Conspiracy," Batman faced deadly traps inspired by Detective Comics #450. "Moon Of The Wolf" saw Batman investigating werewolf attacks based on Batman #255. "The Demon's Quest" introduced Ra's Al Ghul from Batman #232 and #244. "Two-Face" delved into Harvey Dent's backstory, while "A Bullet For Bullock" had detective Harvey Bullock teaming up with Batman to crack a dangerous case.[20]
Sixteen minutes of animated segments in the video game The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega CD are sometimes referred to as a "lost episode" of the series. These segments are intended to be interspersed between gameplay elements of an early-1990s video game and as such, the sound, color and story are not quite of the same quality as the actual television program. And because Sega did not have to follow the censorship rules of the show, the fights are also a little more violent. Many of the show's voice actors reprised their roles for the game, and are thus in the lost episode as well. Similar cutscenes appear throughout the video games Batman: Vengeance and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.[21]
Produced by Warner Bros, Batman: The Animated Series features episodes that are typically 22 minutes long, fitting into half-hour time slots.[22] Season 1 consisted of 65 episodes,[23] and initially premiered in prime time on the Fox network. It began with a special broadcast of the first episode, "On Leather Wings," on September 6, 1992, to promote its upcoming debut on Fox Kids. The regular prime time schedule started on December 13, 1992, with the episode "I Am the Night," airing Sundays at 7 PM ET.[24] The season concluded on September 16, 1993.[23]
The success of the first season prompted executives to demand more episodes and higher ratings. To attract younger audiences, the studio required Robin to appear in every episode, resulting in changes to the show's look, storylines, and title. The series was renamed The Adventures of Batman and Robin, and later The New Batman Adventures. This shift affected potential storylines, including a scrapped episode featuring Catwoman and Black Canary due to Robin's absence.[25]
The series later began airing on Toon Disney's Jetix line-up on September 30, 2007, again alongside Superman: The Animated Series (despite Warner Bros. being one of Disney's biggest competitors).[26] The show aired on Teletoon Retro, debuting on January 8, 2010. The first 65 episodes were confirmed, with the first being "The Cat and Claw, Part 1". The show was scheduled to air on a weekly basis, airing at 7:00 am, 6:00 pm, and midnight. All times are Eastern.[27] The Hub Network aired the series from September 6, 2011, to November 29, 2013. The channel aired a 10-episode marathon of the series on July 20, 2012, to coincide with the theatrical release of The Dark Knight Rises and even created an animated version of one of the film's trailers, featuring Kevin Conroy and Adrienne Barbeau re-dubbing Batman and Catwoman's dialogue from the trailer.[28]
Batman: The Animated Series featured a strong musical score written by several different composers throughout the course of the series. The main theme of the show, which was heard during the opening and ending credits of each episode, was composed by Danny Elfman. At first, Elfman turned down Bruce Timm's offer to compose the theme for the show and so Timm hired Shirley Walker to do so. However, Elfman later changed his mind and composed a variation of his 1989 Batman film theme for the series. Walker's unused theme went on to become the main theme for the second season of the show, when the name was changed to The Adventures of Batman & Robin.[29]
On December 16, 2008, La La Land Records announced the release of a soundtrack companion to Batman: The Animated Series on a two-disc CD set, which featured 11 episode scores (including those of "On Leather Wings", the "Two-Face" two-parter, "Joker's Favor" and "Perchance to Dream"). The release was limited to a pressing of 3,000 copies, which sold quickly.[30] About one month after its release, the soundtrack set had sold over 2,500 copies. According to a spokesperson of La La Land Records, the sold out status of the soundtrack "can only help as the label hopes to convince Warner Bros. to release more Batman: The Animated Series soundtracks."[31] The soundtrack received largely positive reviews.[32]
On March 24, 2009, La La Land Records released the complete score for the animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. It was a limited edition of 3,000 units and has since sold out.[33]
The 2008 soundtrack was re-released in July 2012, minus "Gotham City Overture" (a suite featuring Walker's themes from the series, some of which do not appear elsewhere on the album) and "Music of the Bat 101" (a bonus track with Walker herself demonstrating the show's main music).[34] The re-release is a limited edition of 5,000 units by La La Land Records.[35]
On July 19, 2012, La La Land Records also released a four-disc CD set with a further 21 episode scores (including those of "Heart of Ice", the "Feat of Clay" two-parter, "Almost Got 'Im" and "The Laughing Fish"), titled Batman: The Animated Series – Original Soundtrack from the Warner Bros. Television Series, Volume Two.[36] Volume 2 is a limited-edition release of 3,500 units by La La Land Records.[37]
On October 7, 2014, La La Land Records released a four-disc set with another 24 episode scores (including those of the "Robin's Reckoning" two-parter, "Mudslide", "I Am the Night" and "The Man Who Killed Batman"), titled Batman: The Animated Series – Original Soundtrack from the Warner Bros. Television Series, Volume Three.[38] Volume 3 is a limited-edition release of 3,000 units by La La Land Records.[39] On July 26, 2016, La La Land Records released Batman: The Animated Series – Original Soundtrack from the Warner Bros. Television Series, Volume Four, which contains the remaining material from the first 65 episodes. The final nine episode scores from the first season are featured (including those of "Fear of Victory", "His Silicon Soul" and "Joker's Wild"), as well as never-before-released cues from scores featured on earlier volumes. Volume 4 is a limited-edition release of 3,000 units by La La Land Records.[40]
La La Land Records is also planning to cover the later incarnations of the series (The Adventures of Batman & Robin and The New Batman Adventures) in the future, provided that sales of existing volumes are strong enough and that there is strong fan encouragement.[41][42]
On July 22, 2014, WaterTower Music released six digital albums on download and streaming platforms (covering La La Land's first and second volumes, including "Gotham City Overture" and "Music of the Bat 101") for the series in honor of the 75th anniversary of Batman.[43]
Region 1
Warner Home Video (via DC Comics Entertainment and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment) has released Batman: The Animated Series on DVD in Region 1 in three volume box sets. A fourth volume containing all 24 episodes of The New Batman Adventures was also released and these episodes now also begin with the original Season 1 opening sequence, and also end with the standard final credits. Warner Home Video later released Batman: The Complete Animated Series, which features all episodes from both the original series and The New Batman Adventures, on DVD in Region 1. The set includes all features from the four individual volumes, plus a bonus 17th disc with a new special feature and a 40-page collector's book containing artwork.[171] The DVD was originally on sale for a limited time only and went out of print in January 2009. Warner Home Video released a second printing of the DVD in May 2009, but then withdrew it three months later.
Region 2
Volumes 1 and 2 were released on DVD in the UK on October 10, 2005 (Volume 1), and August 21, 2006 (Volume 2). These DVD volumes were exclusive to the retail chain HMV in the United Kingdom, a complete series 25th-anniversary collection was released in the UK on October 30, 2017, containing all four volumes. Volumes 3 and 4 were previously unreleased in the UK before the 25th-anniversary box set release.
On June 14, 2008, Volume 1 was re-released in the UK as a non-HMV exclusive, though both the artwork and the extras remain the same as the original HMV exclusive release.[172] Volume 2 was released in the same way on March 3, 2009.[173]
Region 3
In Hong Kong, the show was packaged into four different DVD volume sets just as it was done in Region 1. Volumes 1 and 2 were both released on February 28, 2005, while Volume 3 was released July 7, 2005, and Volume 4 was released February 17, 2006.[174]
Region 4
In Australia, Volume 1 was released on October 19, 2005.[175] Volumes and the box set are available at websites like eBay.com, Amazon.com and Quicksales.com. All four volumes are available on the Australian iTunes Store, and were released individually on DVD on November 9, 2016, by Village Roadshow.
During the series's 25th anniversary panel at the New York Comic Con on October 8, 2017, it was announced that the complete series and all 24 episodes of The New Batman Adventures would be released on Blu-ray later in 2018 (due to the financial success of the Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Blu-ray release in 2017).[176][177] The Blu-ray release came out in fall 2018.[178] The numbered, limited-edition box sets also included a code for a free digital SD and HD copy of the complete series, three collectible Funko Pocket Pops of Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn, seven exclusive lenticular cards of original animation artwork, as well as Blu-ray copies of both spin-off animated films Mask of the Phantasm and SubZero.[179][180]
The series debuted on DC Universe in September 2018 in high definition.[181] It moved to HBO Max on January 1, 2021.[182][1]
Batman: The Animated Series, holds a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, with all 21 critics giving it a positive review. Widely hailed as a landmark in animated television, particularly in the superhero genre, reimagining Gotham City through a film noir lens, and modernizing Batman into a contemporary animated format. The decision to paint animation cels on black boards to enhance its dark and nocturnal atmosphere was lauded as groundbreaking visual choice that distinguished it from conventional animated shows.[183] Critics unanimously applaud the series for its mature tone, storyline, voice acting, visual aesthetic, and fidelity to the source material.[183][6][184] Scott Mendelson's Forbes article celebrates the series as the best superhero TV show, highlighting its grounded, life-sized drama and realistic portrayal of villains with relatable motivations. Mendelson also discusses how the series addresses real-life issues such as divorce and homelessness, showcasing its maturity and intelligence. Its emphasis on character-driven stories and adult themes has solidified its enduring appeal and established it as the quintessential Batman portrayal.[185] Maya Phillips' review on New York Times highlights the series pioneering impact on Batman's television portrayal. Premiering in 1992, the series departed from previous campy versions, embracing a darker, more mature narrative influenced by Frank Miller's comics. It deftly balanced serious themes with humor, showcased by Kevin Conroy's acclaimed voice performance as Batman. The review applauds the series for revitalizing classic villains and introducing memorable characters like Harley Quinn, cementing its influence on subsequent Batman adaptations and foreseeing the franchise's enduring popularity across different media platforms.[186]
Batman: The Animated Series has often been ranked as one of the greatest animated television shows ever made.[194][195][196] In 1992, Entertainment Weekly ranked the series as one of the top television series of the year.[197] IGN.com listed the series as the best adaptation of Batman anywhere outside of comics, the best comic book television show of all time[198] and the second-best animated series of all time (after The Simpsons).[199][200] Wizard magazine also ranked it No. 2 of the greatest animated television shows of all time (again after The Simpsons). TV Guide ranked it the seventh-greatest cartoon of all time.[201]
In his reference book, Batman: The Complete History, Les Daniels described The Animated Series as coming "as close as any artistic statement has to defining the look of Batman for the 1990s."[202] Animation historian Charles Solomon gave the series a somewhat mixed assessment, commenting that "the dark, Art Deco-influenced backgrounds tended to eclipse the stiff animation and pedestrian storytelling" and concluding that the series "looked better in stills than it did on the screen."[203]
Several new characters, and other revamped backstories introduced in the series later made their way into comics and other media. Most notable was Harley Quinn, who was initially introduced in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor", with the character being inspired and voiced by Arleen Sorkin. The character made her comics canon appearance in 1999 and is now one of the most popular characters in DC.[204]
The dark atmosphere, mature themes, and even some of the voice cast from the series are employed in the Batman: Arkham video game series.[205] Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Arleen Sorkin, and Robert Costanzo reprise their roles. Furthermore, the first two games are co-written by series veteran Paul Dini. Also, Batman's design and costume in The Animated Series are featured as an alternate skin in Batman: Arkham City. These skins are available as downloadable content; they were also available in pre-orders at GameStop and a valid membership to Power-Up Rewards.[206] There are also Animated-inspired alternate skins for Catwoman, Nightwing, and Robin.
Actor Robert Pattinson, who portrays Batman in The Batman (2022), has cited Batman: Mask of the Phantasm as an example of Batman media that effectively captured the character's psyche in a fashion he hoped his interpretation would emulate.[207] The series is a key inspiration for the 2024 animated series Batman: Caped Crusader, again developed by Bruce Timm.
Batman: The Animated Series was accompanied by a tie-in comic book, The Batman Adventures, which followed the art style and continuity of the show rather than other Batman comic books. This comic series, through various format changes reflecting the evolving world of the show and its spin-offs, outlasted the series itself by nearly a decade. It was ultimately canceled in 2004 as part of a broader effort to conclude the DC Animated Universe.[211] One notable milestone of The Batman Adventures was the first official comic appearance of the character Harley Quinn in issue No. 12, which has since become highly sought after by collectors and fans.[212] DC announced in February 2020 that Paul Dini, Alan Burnett and artist Ty Templeton would be leading a new miniseries titled Batman: The Adventures Continue, set to be published in April 2020. This new series is based on the animated series and follows shortly after its conclusion, featuring Tim Drake as he adjusts to his role as the new Robin alongside Batman.[213]
It is a tie-in for Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman Adventures, with 8 issues published between 1993 and 1995. The stories feature the appearances of Superman and other DC characters before their appearances in the base series and spinoff television series, but otherwise unrelated to the stories in the subsequent television series.[214]
There was also a short-lived series of tie-in novels, adapted from episodes of the series by science fiction author Geary Gravel. To achieve novel-length, Gravel combined several related episodes into a single storyline in each novel. The novels included:
Several video games based on the animated continuity were released during the 16-bit game-machine era, using The Adventures of Batman & Robin second season branding. Konami developed a game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), while Sega released versions of the game for the Genesis/Mega Drive, Mega-CD, and Game Gear. The SNES, Genesis/Mega Drive and Game Gear versions were side-scrolling action games, while the Mega-CD version featured a 3-D driving adventure. All of the games had art true to the series, while Sega's versions featured art elements directly from the show's creators.[215] The CD version has over 20 minutes of original animated footage comparable to the most well-crafted episodes,[216] with the principal voice actors reprising their roles.
There was also a game made for the Game Boy based on the series and created around the same time. Developed and published by Konami, this game was distinctive upon the fact that it still used the earlier Batman: The Animated Series moniker instead of The Adventures of Batman & Robin second season title given to the other games.[217]
In Lego DC Super-Villains, a downloadable content level was released, based on the Batman: Mask of the Phantasm film, and contained some characters from the show, including the Batman: The Animated Series version of Batman, The Joker, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Andrea Beaumont as The Phantasm, The Mad Hatter, Man-Bat, and Captain Clown.[citation needed]
Due to the success of Batman: The Animated Series, many crew members went on to design and produce Superman: The Animated Series for The WB. During this time they created The New Batman Adventures, a direct sequel to the original series, featuring a revamped animation style that matched with Superman: The Animated Series.[218] In 1999, a futuristic spin-off series titled Batman Beyond premiered on The WB, featuring a teenager named Terry McGinnis taking on the duties of Batman under the guidance of an elderly Bruce Wayne.[219]
Fox approached Bruce Timm to make a spin-off centered on Catwoman, but the project was abandoned shortly thereafter.[220] Another continuation of the series was in development in the form of an audio podcast drama, with most of the cast returning along with writer Alan Burnett, before Conroy's passing.[221]
