Batman: The Animated Series

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♥ This article is dedicated to the voice of The Dark Knight himself, Kevin Conroy (1955-2022) who died due to intestinal cancer, and the voice of Harley Quinn, Arleen Sorkin (1955-2023) who died from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis, may they both rest in peace.
Batman: The Animated Series
"I am vengeance! I am the night! I! Am! Batman!"
Genre: Superhero
Action
Adventure
Crime
Pulp noir
Thriller
Drama
Running Time: 22 minutes
Country: United States
Release Date: September 5, 1992 - September 15, 1995
Network(s): Fox Kids
Created by: Eric Radomski
Bruce Timm
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Starring: Kevin Conroy
Eferm Zimbalist Jr.
Bob Hastings
Robert Costanzo
Loren Lester
Mark Hamill
Arleen Sorkin
Seasons: 2 (by production order)
4 (by original air dates)
Episodes: 85
Next show: The New Batman Adventures


Batman: The Animated Series is an American superhero cartoon series based on the Batman comic by DC Comics. It first aired on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1995, before switching networks to Kids' WB! in 1997 as The New Batman Adventures.

"Why! It's! Batman!"

  1. Epic opening sequence, complete with a rearranged version of the 1989 Batman theme by Danny Elfman.
  2. It, along with Spider-Man: The Animated Series, X-Men: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, helped save superhero cartoons, which were in a really bad spot thanks to many poor-quality shows throughout the '60s, '70s and '80s.
  3. Very well written stories, such as:
    • "Trial"; an episode that examines if Batman really is the cause of his enemies.
    • "Almost Got 'Im"; a "villain episode" where the members of Batman's rogue's gallery recount their failed attempts at killing him.
    • "Heart of Ice"; a reimagining of Mr. Freeze's backstory that won a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program".
    • "Beware the Gray Ghost"; a tribute to the 1966 Batman TV series starring Adam West as the titular character.
  4. Great voice acting, especially Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker.
    • Mark Hamill's role as the Joker led him to become one of the best-known villain voice actors, and he has since gone on to voice the Joker in many other Batman-related projects, including the Batman Arkham video game series.
  5. While it was marketed towards younger audiences it had a mature tone but still was toned enough for children to understand, many of the stories were dark and mature, showing that the people behind the show knew that kids could handle it.
  6. Many great villains, some of whom can be sympathetic with (such as Mr. Freeze, who was re-written as a tragic villain who only wanted revenge for himself and his terminally-ill wife).
  7. Well-done action sequences.
  8. Superb animation that fits the show's dark tone perfectly.
  9. Started the DC Animated Universe on a high note.
  10. Had interesting original villains like Baby-Doll (not to be confused with the episode of the same name) and Red Claw.
  11. Introduced us to Harley Quinn, the Joker's girlfriend, who would eventually be integrated to the main DC comics.
  12. The movie based on the show, Batman: Mask of the Phantom, was just absolutely fantastic in every way.
  13. It spawned two sequel series' titled The New Batman Adventures and Batman Beyond, which are both just as good and well written as this show.

Bad Qualities

  1. The series has some weak episodes (most notably "I've Got Batman in My Basement" and "The Terrible Trio").
  2. The animation quality is very inconsistent, with TMS usually providing the good animation and amateur studios like AKOM providing the cheaper animation.
  3. Despite being a kids' action show, there was censorship here and there, including the infamous scene where a man touched Harley Quinn's breasts and she fights back using a fake hand, shouting "Back off, rich boy! I'm armed!".

Reception

Because of its more mature setting (whilst still being a kids' show) and well-written stories, Batman: The Animated Series received critical acclaim and is widely regarded and is consistently referred as one of the greatest animated shows ever made.

Episodes With Their Own Pages

Videos

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Trivia

  • Batman: The Animated Series was not only popular in the United States of America, but also in Asian and Europe (especially Italy), too.
  • The show spawned the "Back off, rich boy! I'm armed!" internet meme.

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