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Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1
Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1
- BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES
The entire first season of the animated adventures of Batman.Warner Brothers’ Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995) remains a striking, stylized program that helped to revitalize the familiar comic book hero. Drawing on such diverse influences as Frank Miller’s graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, the Fleischers’ Superman cartoons of the early ’40s, and contemporary Japanese animation, the filmmakers stress interesting designs and cinematography. The Caped Crusader prowls a sinister, Art Deco-styled world of tall verticals, sharp angles, silhouettes, searchlights, and grid-like shadows cast by window frames. Its visual pizzazz eclipses Filmation’s pallid kidvid, The Batman/Superman Hour (CBS, 1968), which ran off and on in various incarnations through 1981. Many of the same artists worked on the Batman animated features (e.g., Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Batman Beyond–The Movie (1999)), which display similar strengths and weaknesses. Ironically, Batman: The Animated Series lo
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Thomas Anderson
October 15, 2010 at 5:55 am
Review by Thomas Anderson for Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1
Rating:
A little clarification is in order here. Some people have asked/inquired about when “The Adventures of Batman & Robin” were going to be released. Well, ahem…it’s the same show as “Batman: TAS”. The first 65 episodes (1st Season) of Batman: TAS were called just that. The 2nd season, 15 episodes were renamed “The Adventures of Batman & Robin” because, surprise, these featured Robin. However, in syndicated re-runs, the entire series was renamed “The Adventures of Batman & Robin”. 5 more episodes were later produced and aired, bringing the total up to 85. This closed out the series known as “Batman: TAS”/”The Adventures of Batman & Robin”The series “The New Batman Adventures” was a completely different show. This is the one that included Superman in the title as well. This show had different animation. This show consisted of two seasons of 16 and 11 episodes respectively totalling 27 episodes. Rumor is that WB will release these sets as well. But not until the original Batman: TAS is done.”The Superman Adventures” ran for 54 episodes consisting of 4 seasons from 13-28-10-3 episodes each respectively. I can see this series being broken up into two volumes of 27 episodes each. Which would mean that the entire “The New Batman-Superman Adventures” series would consist of yet another 3 DVD volumes.
Alan V. Dunkin
October 15, 2010 at 5:02 am
Review by Alan V. Dunkin for Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1
Rating:
In 1992 Warner Brothers Animated revitalized the afternoon half-hour animated television program with an old and recognized friend: Batman. Called Batman: The Animated Series, the show – mirrored after the dark and gothic look and feel of the Tim Burton movies – was a smash success and spawned the animated superhero back into prime form. Now finally the program is coming, complete, to DVD.Batman: The Animated Series changed everything – it brought well-told half-hour stories, flawed yet somewhat sympathetic villains, sadness and loss (for Bruce Wayne), and a wonderful variety of locations and diabolical plots. While the animation was sometimes lacking (some episodes were definitely better than others), the series also happened to feature a unique musical score per episode (Danny Elfman composed the main theme while Shirley Walker oversaw the music) and truly wonderful voice-over talent (the use of Adam West for “The Grey Ghost” was simply brilliant).After all, what other show can boast the following cast: Michael Ansara, Ed Asner, Rene Auberjonois, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Begley Jr., Tim Curry, Melissa Gilbert, Mark Hamill, Ernie Hudson, Brion James, Heather Locklear, Roddy McDowall, Richard Moll, Diana Muldaur, Kate Mulgrew, Ron Perlman, Brock Peters, John Rhys-Davies, William Sanderson, Marc Singer, Helen Slater, Loretta Swit, David Warner, Adam West, Treat Williams, Paul Winfield, Michael York, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.?This DVD set includes the first 28 episodes; audio commentary for the episodes “On Leather Wings” and “Heart of Ice” (by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Eric Rodomski) are included as part of the special features.Episode highlights (I won’t summarize all of them) include:THE GREY GHOST – A series of crimes hit Gotham – crimes that are similar to an old crime-fighting series called “The Grey Ghost,” a show that Bruce Wayne used to watch as a child with his father. This episode is terrific on so many levels – from the casting of Adam West as “The Grey Ghost” to the nostalgic feel of an earlier, simpler time – that it deserves nomination as one of the best episodes in the series’ run.JOKER’S FAVOR – Family man Charlie Collins’ singular act of road rage goes horrifically wrong when it turns out the other guy is The Joker, who makes Collins one of his “pet projects.” The Joker intends to use Collins in his plot to get revenge on Commissioner Gordon, but who will get the last laugh in the end? Some nice bits of humor near the end when the plot comes to a satisfying conclusion – good stuff.APPOINTMENT IN CRIME ALLEY – Batman always visits the place of his parents’ death, on the anniversary, with long-time friend Dr. Leslie Thompkins, a homeless advocate who comforted Bruce right after the murders. This time around his appointment is delayed as he runs into seemingly ever-increasing obstacles, including Roland Daggett’s plans to level the entire area.THE LAST LAUGH – It’s April Fool’s Day, and The Joker would never pass up an opportunity to play a nasty prank on Gotham – this time involving a garbage scowl featuring his patented laughing gas. It’s a typically standard episode, but the music is pretty catchy.THE CAT AND THE CLAW – Gotham’s new cat burglar, Catwoman, runs afoul of Batman in more ways than one – then has to come to grips with a new organized crime syndicate run by the mysterious Red Claw. Adrienne Barbeau as Catwoman, come on!ETERNAL YOUTH – Bruce Wayne gets invited to the Eternal Youth spa; while Alfred and his lady friend decide to go on vacation, Batman uncovers a more insidious conspiracy involving vanished wealthy industrialists and Poison Ivy. This episode features one of the more horrific ways to be disposed of.That’s just a portion of the variety of episodes: great plots, villains, humor, darkness, music and voice talent mark Batman: The Animated Series as one of the best of American television in the 1990s.
Servo
October 15, 2010 at 4:21 am
Review by Servo for Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1
Rating:
Inspired by the 1989 motion picture “Batman”, which in turn was primarily based on the works of Batman creator Bob Kane and comics legend Frank Miller (“The Dark Knight Returns”), Batman: The Animated Series (which debuted in September 1992) unintentionally became the new standard of animation with its revolutionary visuals and phenomenal storytelling.
Helmed by visionaries Bruce W. Timm, Paul Dini and Eric Rodomski, the series crafted top-notch stories and original characters (Dini’s “Harley Quinn”) that appealed to viewers of all ages, cast quality voice actors (Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Adrienne Barbeau, Bob Hastings just to name a few) and featured action that was a cut above the action shown in some of the Batman feature films.
After years of teasing Batfans with the limited episode Batman DVDs, Warner Bros. finally comes correct with a box set that is sure to please even the hardest of the hardcore Batfans. This set features the show’s first 28 episodes. Here is the official Batman: The Animated Series Volume 1 set list of episodes from Warner Bros. For the most part, the episodes are released in production order, with some exceptions. The production numbers are listed (5xx).
01. 501 On Leather Wings (Commentary by Eric Rodomski and Bruce Timm)
02. 502 Christmas with the Joker
03. 503 Nothing to Fear
04. 504 The Last Laugh
05. 505 Pretty Poison
06. 506 The Underdwellers
07. 507 P.O.V.
08. 508 Forgotten
09. 509 Be a Clown
10. 510 Two-Face Part 1
11. 517 Two-Face Part 2
12. 511 It’s Never Too Late
13. 512 I’ve Got Batman in My Basement
14. 514 Heart of Ice (Commentary by Paul Dini, Eric Rodomski, Bruce Timm)
15. 513 Cat and Claw Part 1
16. 516 Cat and Claw Part 2
17. 515 See No Evil
18. 518 Beware of Gray Ghost
19. 519 Prophecy of Doom
20. 520 Feat of Clay Part 1
21. 521 Feat of Clay Part 2
22. 522 Joker’s Favor
23. 523 Vendetta
24. 524 Fear of Victory
25. 525 The Clock King
26. 526 Appointment in Crime Alley
27. 527 Mad As a Hatter
28. 528 Dreams in Darkness
The discs will be configured as follows:
Disc 1: Episodes: 1-7
Disc 2: Episodes: 8-14
Disc 3: Episodes: 15-21
Disc 4: Episodes: 22-28
Warner Bros. is getting down!
Darrel W Tedrow Jr
October 15, 2010 at 3:28 am
Review by Darrel W Tedrow Jr for Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1
Rating:
These are presented in ‘logical’ order, which resembles production order with some tweaks. For instance, Two-face part 1 and Two-face part 2 were not put into production back to back, but obviously it wouldn’t make any sense to put them on separate DVDs. 501 On Leather Wings (Commentary by ERIC RODOMSKI and BRUCE TIMM)
502 Christmas with the Joker
503 Nothing to Fear
504 The Last Laugh
505 Pretty Poison
506 The Underdwellers
507 P.O.V.
508 Forgotten
509 Be a Clown
510 Two-Face Part 1
517 Two-Face Part 2
511 It’s Never Too Late
512 I’ve Got Batman in My Basement
514 Heart of Ice (Commentary by PAUL DINI, ERIC RODOMSKI and BRUCE TIMM)
513 Cat and Claw Part 1
516 Cat and Claw Part 2
515 See No Evil
518 Beware of Gray Ghost
519 Prophecy of Doom
520 Feat of Clay Part 1
521 Feat of Clay Part 2
522 Joker’s Favor
523 Vendetta
524 Fear of Victory
525 The Clock King
526 Appointment in Crime Alley
527 Mad As a Hatter
528 Dreams in Darkness
Ryan Harvey
October 15, 2010 at 3:15 am
Review by Ryan Harvey for Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1
Rating:
Warner Bros. started releasing episodes of the award-winning “Batman: The Animated Series” (BTAS to fans) on DVD in miserly single-disc editions containing four or five episodes apiece. Fan complaints and common sense have finally made Warner Bros. realize the potential of this acclaimed and hugely popular series and have released the first volume of episodes in a deluxe package: 4 discs, 28 episodes. The shows are presented in production order, with a few variations to put the multi-part episodes together. The sound is an improved Dolby Surround 2.0, and the picture is beautiful. There are some extras — not a huge amount — but the real feature here is the shows themselves. There has rarely been an animated show that has achieved this level of quality writing and artwork. Heck, rarely do LIVE action shows achieve this sort of quality!BTAS was released as children’s programming originally, but the animators, directors, and writers turned it into something of adult complexity (not that kids don’t love it too, but adults tend to be the biggest fans, mostly comic book lovers). Freed of the constraints of selling toys, the filmmakers created an intricate show that was true to the dark, psychological side of Batman and his adversaries. Instead of sticking to boring formulas usually associated with animated TV shows, the writers made sure each episode was something unique, and kept drama always at the forefront. The animation is spectacular and fluid, the action scenes have a kick to them superior to many movies, and the orchestral scores contribute to the feeling of something special.Not all the episodes are great, of course, and some of the early ones in this package show the creative team struggling to discover the direction and tone of the show. But most episodes are good to excellent in quality. The writing team did a spectacular job at fleshing out minor baddies like Mr. Freeze, The Clock King, and The Mad Hatter into the full-fledged great villains with complex motivations. The voice work by familiar TV and movie actors also raises the quality of the characterizations. For many people, Kevin Conroy IS Batman…his dark, edgy voice is forever rooted to the character.Here is a breakdown of the episodes and features on the four discs:DISC 1: Contains episodes “On Leather Wings,” “Christmas with the Joker,” “Nothing to Fear,” “The Last Laugh,” “Pretty Poison,” “The Underdwellers,” and “P.O.V.” The first episode is the best on this disc, with Batman facing the fearsome Man-Bat. The show really hit the ground running, but the immediate follow-ups are a bit weak. “P.O.V.” has moments of interest because of its unusual structure, and “Nothing to Fear” has a great finale, but the two Joker episodes are particularly poor; the show hadn’t quite figured out its style yet. Also on this disc is commentary by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski for “On Leather Wings,” and a two-minute demo they did to sell the look of the series.DISC 2: Contains episodes “The Forgotten,” “Be a Clown,” “Two Face (Parts 1&2),” “It’s Never Too Late,” “I’ve Got Batman in My Basement,” and “Heart of Ice.” The last is one of the most popular episode of the series, introducing the fantastic re-imagining of Mr. Freeze as a tragic figure. “Two-Face” is also a superb villain origin story. The other episodes are minor, with a poor Joker and Penguin episode, but “It’s Never Too Late” is an interesting non-super-villain story. The bonus feature on this disc is a great 18-minute documentary about the series, with interviews with the producers, writers, and some of the actors. There’s also audio commentary on “Heart of Ice” with Timm, Radomski, and writer Paul Dini. DISC 3: Contains episodes “The Cat and the Claw (Parts 1&2),” “See No Evil,” “Beware of the Gray Ghost,” “Prophecy of Doom,” and “Feat of Clay (Parts 1&2).” The show was clearly taking off at this point; only “Prophecy of Doom” is a poor episode. “Beware the Gray Ghost” brings back Adam West to the Batman series, and is one of the most inspirational of all the episodes. “Feat of Clay” contains stunning animation, and “Cat and Claw” gives us the wonderful relationship between Batman and Catwoman. The bonus feature is a Batcave tour, basically a few screens of text and some connected montages of images from the show.DISC 4: Contains episodes “The Joker’s Favor,” “Vendetta,” “Fear of Victory,” “The Clock King,” “Appointment in Crime Alley,” “Mad as a Hatter,” and “Dreams in Darkness.” Two lesser villains, Clock King and Mad Hatter, become the focus of great episodes. “The Joker’s Favor” is one of the best Joker episodes, and introduces Harley Quinn, who would become one of the show’s most popular creations. The two Scarecrow episodes aren’t much, however. The bonus feature is a plug for some of the other DC heroes.One warning: If you buy this package, be prepared to see your free time get drained away! It’s impossible to stop watching episodes once you start, and most of them reward multiple viewings. Recommended as a MUST for all animation and super-hero fans.