Batman: The Animated Series
Batman : The Animated Seriesis not part of the same continuity as the Tim Burton Batman movies , yet it feel more like aBatman Returnssequel thanBatman Foreverdid . In 1990 , some of the artist who had work on the hitTiny Toonsshow for Warner Bros. Animation were brought in to develop a Batman reanimate serial spinning off of the achiever ofBatman(1989).Batman : TASwas not an actual sequel toBatmanorBatman takings , but this exigent classic Batman show create by names like Bruce Timm , Eric Radomski , Paul Dini , and Mitch Brian would not have existed without the Burton picture show .
There have been dozens of Batman animated display and moving picture sinceBatman : TAS . Still , Batman : The Animated Seriesis considered to this twenty-four hour period one of the best rendition of Batman and his villains . Batman : TASand the eternal rest of theDC Animated Universe timelineeventually grew beyond the Burton films , but their shared history withBatmanandBatman Returnsas well as how they informedBatman ForeverandBatman & Robinis a huge part of theBatmanmovie franchise ’s bequest .
Batman The Animated Series Was A Spiritual Successor To Burton’s Batman Films
After the amazing succeeder ofBatman(1989 ) , Warner Bros. wanted to found a Batman animate series as part of a brand synergism scheme leading up toBatman Returns . Batman(1989 ) ’s marketing campaignwas a turning point for blockbuster films , and now the studio was ready to accomplish something similar forBatman Returns . Whereas it took quite some clip for the Batman movement image project to get off the ground , Batman Returnsmoved on relatively quickly . As a result , this Batman animated serial publication project was also fast - track . Batman : The alive Serieswould premiere on September 5 , 1992 , two month afterBatman Returnshit theaters .
Tim Burton was not regard withBatman : The Animated Series , and the success of that show must never be attribute solely to the popularity of the Batman motion-picture show . That said , Batman : TASonly come to be because of how well-chosen the studio apartment was withBatman(1989 ) . Therefore , Batman : TASnaturally shared similarities with Burton ’s Batman film . Even thoughBatman : The Animated Seriesis not part of the same persistence asBatmanandBatman Returns , those three project are lace . Gotham City ’s esthetic inTAS , for example , drew inspiration from the same source asTim Burton ’s Gotham , although with unlike approaches .
One of the big connections betweenBatman : The Animated Seriesand the Burton films come up from the soundtrack . Shirley Walker , who form with Danny Elfman inBatman(1989 ) , composedBatman : The Animated Series ’ original soundtrack . Batman : TAS ’ themes felt like they belonged in the same universe as the ones inBatmanandBatman Returns , but they also brought something dissimilar and would lay out the tone for the quietus of the DC Animated Universe . Batman : TASand the Burton films also shared similarity in term of character designs and backstories .
For example , Batman : The Animated Series ’ Joker , played by Mark Hamill in his very first Joker functioning , used the name Jack Napier as one of his assumed name . When it comes to Catwoman and the Penguin , Batman : TASwas even more influenced by what Tim Burton was doing inBatman Returns . Bruce Timm was invited to the do ofBatman Returnsand got to seeDanny DeVito ’s Penguinand Michelle Pfeiffer ’s Catwoman firsthand . The studio apartment want those two characters to resemble their picture counterparts in the invigorate serial . As a result , Batman : TAS ’ Selina Kyle and Oswald Cobblepot looked quite similar to theBatman Returnsversions .
TAS Felt More Like Batman & Batman Returns Than Batman Forever
The lean of similarities between Tim Burton ’s Batman picture andBatman : The Animated Seriesis long . However , more than history beats or character intention , what truly makesBatman : TASfeel like an extension of the first two Batman films is its tone . Batman : TAS ’ noir approach to Batman , the timeless look of Gotham City , and the psychological exploration of the Batman villain are all elements present in both the Tim Burton films and the alive show . From that perspective , Batman : The Animated series felt more like a subsequence toBatman ReturnsthanBatman Foreverdid , even though the former is specify in its own persistence .
Batman : The Animated Serieswas commissioned whenBatman(1989 ) had just become an absolute hit , whereasBatman Foreverwas designed as a response to the criticismBatman Returnsreceived . Not only didBatman Returnsgross less thanBatman , but it was also criticized for being too dark . Batman Returns ’ minacious shade even impacted the merchandising attach to the movie , as some brands were not felicitous with the tone of the flick . Tim Burton did not return forBatman 3 , and Joel Schumacher was hire to makeBatman Forevera lighter , slightly campier Batman film .
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Therefore , whileBatman Foreveris by all have in mind aBatman Returnssequel , it does not really experience like a lengthiness of the world introduced in the Burton Batman movies . This difference in whole tone became even more jarring withBatman & Robin , which Robin player Chris O’Donnell compare to a“toy commercial”due to the campy tone . Batman : The Animated Series , on the other hand , remained true to its dingy pure tone throughout its intact rivulet . In fact , Batman : TASwas sometimes even darker and bold than the Burton films , even though it was still a weekend sketch aimed primarily at small fry .
Batman TAS Inspired (& Was Inspired By) Schumacher’s Batman Films Too
Batman : The Animated Seriesmay feel like an lengthiness of the Burton films , but Batman ’s revive bequest also share similarities with the Schumacher movies . WhileBatman Returnswas not as enceinte as the studio might have hoped for , the mark synergy strategy continued . Every Batman product now had to equalise whatBatman Foreverwas doing ahead ofBatman & Robin , which affectedBatman : The Animated Series . In 1997,The New Batman Adventurespremiered on Kids ’ WB . Despite the different title and the fresh character designs , The New Batman Adventureswas essentiallyBatman : The Animated Series ’ new time of year .
Just likeBatman : TAShad to matchBatman(1989),The New Batman Adventureshad to somewhat matchBatman Forever . While this new Batman animated show did not ditch the original serial ’ darker tone in favor ofBatman constantly ’s campier coming , it did palpate like a more fun , action mechanism - take take on Gotham City ’s mythos . Batman villains were now more colorful , the fighting were prominent , and the Bat - family had a bigger role . This synergy lick the other way around too . For representative , Batman & Robin ’s Mr. Freezeorigin story was hard revolutionize byBatman : The Animated Series ’ " Heart of Ice " episode .
Batman The Animated Series Grew Beyond The Batman Movies
It is impossible to discussBatman : The Animated SeriesandThe New Batman Adventureswithout mentioning the connexion to the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher Batman movies . That say , Batman : TASquickly became its own affair and grew beyond the Batman movies . A brand name synergy between whatever Batman movie is in theaters and the other Batman properties will always exist , butBatman : TASmanaged to make its clear-cut tone . Kevin Conroy ’s delineation of Batman , Mark Hamill ’s Joker , Harley Quinn ’s first show , and Mr. Freeze ’s reimagined origin are just some illustration of how impactfulBatman : The Animated Serieswas to the character reference ’s legacy .
Batman : TASwas also the rootage of the DC Animated Universe , which is arguably one of the well iterations of the DC Universe in any media . Batman : TAS ’ success led to some of the same Creator return for projection likeBatman Beyond , Superman : The Animated Series , Justice League , Static Shock , andJustice League Unlimited . Batman : Mask of the Phantom , which is fix in the same universe asBatman : The Animated Series , is also wide considered one of the effective Batman movies of all time .
