Batman: The Animated Series (A Great Cartoon that does the Franchise Justice)
Written: Jul 14 '06 (Updated Jul 14 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: extremely well written characters, great feel to the animation, depth of stories and plot
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: Batman: The Animated Series is an action-packed adventure story about the caped crusader and all of his endeavors.
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| three_ster's Full Review: Batman |
As a young teen, heading into High School, I really started liking a new adaptation of the Batman franchise, taking the form of Batman: The Animated Series. Taking ideas from both the hugely successful comic book and the new infusion of fans from the 1989 Batman film, the animated series served as a jumping off point of many of the characters in the storyline. This was a way to reach a whole new audience by formulating a cartoon based around the exciting crime fighter from Gotham City. With a huge flare for action and adventure, the series took off right away, and became a mainstay for afternoon cartoon viewing for quite a few years after that. The reason that it did so well, was a mix of great story-telling as well as dynamic cartoon animation that made the premise that this was just a cartoon slide away, leaving the audience with the belief that these were stories that could actually happen in the real world. This ability to stay in touch with reality helped propel the series for quite a long time, and kept my interest as it introduced many new characters to the Batman fold.
For those unfamiliar with the story of Batman, it can be explained pretty simply. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, who has taken to a life of crime-fighting using any number of gadgets and gizmos that he has created to take down the bad-guys. He is able to bank-roll this endeavor because he is extremely rich, and has a rather large company where he is making his fortune. The company was left to him by his father, who was killed along with his mother when he was very young. This murder has left him obsessed with finding retribution in some form, and thus he has taken to wearing a mask and becoming the Dark Knight named Batman. With his alter-ego taking on the underworld of Gotham City, he leads a double life as playboy Bruce Wayne during the day. His only assistant (and true friend) is a butler named Alfred, who has been with the family for years. Alfred sometimes becomes involved in the detection of crimes, but ultimately is the caretaker of the Wayne estate, and Wayne's best confidant. Later on in the series, Batman would take in an orphaned child who would take on the roll of his side-kick Robin, but that is about where the revelation of his identity comes to an end.
In this incarnation of the Batman story, we get to see a dark impression of what life is like in Gotham City. The animation does a really great job of showing of the shadows and emotions of the characters as each of the episodes unfolds, and it is done in such a way that I was (and still am) floored by its presentation. Watching it you feel like you are in a 1940’s film noir, with all of the elements that used to make a great detective story. That is really what is at the heart of each of the episodes, because Batman is a detective trying to solve a crime, or is attempting to stop a crime from occurring. The stories are usually pretty easy to follow in that respect, and one of the great things is that they are stories with depth, not just relying on an assumption by the audience that all criminals are evil. Batman: The Animated Series took the time to give back-stories to all of its characters, and became so much more than just an action adventure series. By involving so many different/interesting aspects to each character, it gave the stories a lot of additional "meat" and material with which to work. It made them all seem more human in my opinion, and helped a lot with pulling in the audience to get involved. Throughout the seasons many characters became involved with Batman or crossed his path, and here is a quick list of some of the main people he came across:
Some of The Characters:
Alfred Pennyworth, the butler of Bruce Wayne, and the main person who knows his secret identity. Alfred is the main person who holds down the fort when Bruce is away, and seems to be an expert in just about anything. He often even helps on the cases, and does a lot of the research necessary for Batman to succeed. If you had to pick one, this would be his best friend.
James (Jim) Gordon, the police commissioner of Gotham City who often provides Batman with information to help him solve cases. He is the person who uses the Bat-Signal to call on him when he is in trouble.
Catwoman is a female criminal, mostly a thief of jewelry who shares a love-hate relationship with Batman, and goes by the name Selena Kyle. She is someone who was seen more as a criminal in the TV show, but in the comics seemed to always want to help Batman, unless he got in the way of her animal-saving plans. The show shines a lot of new light on her, having her constantly switches allegiances.
The Joker. Those words strike dear into everyone in the comic, because he is a dealer of death. Named for the maniacal laughter and deadly pranks that he pulls, he is the arch-nemesis of Batman, and has been the thorn in his side for years. Nicholson played him very well in the film, and showed just how psychotic the character truly is.
The Penguin is a short man with a long pointed nose who sees himself a gentleman of crime. He is always dressed up quite well, and his main weapon stems from umbrellas that he carries around. They tend to hold surprises such as flame-throwers, or machine guns in them, and are always deadly.
Two-Face was formerly District Attorney Harvey Dent, who was the best-friend of Bruce Wayne, until an accident caused him to develop a second personality. Now he goes through life with all of his decisions being determined by a two-headed coin.
The Riddler is one of the funnier criminals in the comic, because he makes you think about the crimes he is perpetrating. That makes him no less deadly, but his crimes are always surrounded by riddles that he leaves telling the intent of his actions. It then falls on Batman to solve them before it is too late.
Mr. Freeze is a criminal who uses sub-zero temperatures with weapons to freeze anything that comes in his path. He is an interesting character as well, and should have been played by a genius-type rather than Arnold in the film.
Ras Al Ghul is a centuries-old man, who knows Batman's secret identity. This is tricky, because I don't want to give away too much about him being that he is in the new movie, but lets just say he is a master criminal like no other in the Batman series. Ras Al Ghul also desires for Batman to marry his daughter Talia Head, and become his successor.
The Scarecrow is a scientist gone bad, who uses potions and drugs to commit his crimes. Hallucinogens are his favorite, and at times his crimes involve schemes such as poisoning Gotham's water supply.
Poison Ivy is another female criminal who employs plants of all varieties and their derivatives in her crimes. She has no mercy like Catwoman though, and extends death every time she is in the comic.
ClayFace is the remnants of an actor who used too much of a product that ended up converting him to a clay-like man who can change into any shape or form, and harden parts of his being to take out Batman. A very interesting character he is one of the more supernatural type of creatures in the series.
I think that this was truly one of the best cartoons as I was going through my teenage years, because it had a little bit of everything. You had the developing story of a super-hero, coupled with a lot of action and intrigue, and all surrounded by great stories that involved a lot of plots and sub-plots. The writing was very good for the series, and it was no surprise to me that the show won several awards while it was on the air. There are now incarnations of the original Batman Animated Cartoon, but the original is still what remains the cornerstone to the franchise in my opinion. The show ran from 1992 to 1995 with original episodes, and turned into Batman Beyond when it was nearing its end. The cartoon scene was changing and becoming much more flashy, and so the Batman team worked to update their show along with everyone else. It did lead to a couple of full length films that included Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Subzero, so it didn’t just vanish either. The seasons, along with a few of the best episodes have made it on to DVD compilations, so the show still lives on for fans of the series. I think that it is great, and if the show came back as it was originally created, I would probably watch it all over again. As it is now though, I will have to live with my memories and some great television on DVD of this highly recommended show.
Recommended:
Yes
Type of Program: Cartoon or Animated
Program Quality: Thought-provoking, original material
Best Suited For: Whole Family
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