The Greatest Animated Series of All Time
You don’t need to be the world’s greatest detective to know that Batman: The Animated Series is the best super hero cartoon of all time.
Batman: The Animated Series, which originally premiered in 1992, is considered to be the strongest non-comic book adaptation of the Batman mythos. The program won four Emmy’s and has been critically acclaimed as one of the greatest super hero television shows of all time.
Batman is the ideal that all super hero cartoons that have come after attempt to measure up to. The series stands out as the gold standard in animated super heroics, and has done so unopposed for over a decade. Let’s examine exactly why the series deserves its many accolades.
1- Cast
Take some time and peruse the archives of any comic book message board, and you’ll eventually see the topic of discussion as to what voice readers apply to various heroes and villains. Time and time again, you’ll see Kevin Conroy’s voice chosen for Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne, and Mark Hamill’s voice chosen for the Joker.
Anecdotal as the evidence may seem, it just goes to show how truly influential their respective portrayals were. Conroy and Hamill are still considered by many to be the iconic voices of these characters, having performed together as recently as 2011’s Batman: Arkham City. Every time Warner Bros. releases new DC animation with either the Caped Crusader or his arch-nemesis, the voice actors are immediately compared to Conroy and Hamill. These two talented actors poured their hearts and souls into the roles, and generations of fans consider them the be-all, end-all voices for Batman and the Joker.
2- Writing
A key component to the success of Batman: The Animated Series was the tone and style of the writing. The show took a darker, more adult-oriented take on the Dark Knight, contrasting with the increasing campiness of the Tim Burton-helmed theatrical films that were the show’s contemporaries.
The writing staff behind The Animated Series helped keep the show as enthralling as it was faithful to its source material, and no writer experienced greater success than Paul Dini. Dini assisted in editing, producing, and writing the program, and his award-winning work led DC Comics to bring Dini on board to write multiple Batman titles. As a fan-favorite writer, Dini was brought on board to write both Batman: Arkham Asylum and its sequel, Batman: Arkham City, which took many cues from the Animated Series and, as previously mentioned, reunited Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill to voice their respective characters.
3- Characters
The Animated Series has aged so gracefully due in part to its lively and attention-drawing cast of characters, many of which were originally created for the program and later made the jump into mainstream comics.
The tale of Harley Quinn’s jump from the silver screen to the pages of monthly titles is well known, but detective Renee Montoya and Lyle Bolton (AKA Lock-Up) also found their start in episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. Classic members of Batman’s rogues gallery, including Two-Face, Clayface, and Poison Ivy, would later adopt appearances that took design cues from their animated counterparts, but no Batman villain changed as radically as Mr. Freeze.
In the fan-favorite, Emmy-award winning episode “Heart of Ice”, Victor Fries’ back story is explored in a tragic light that went on to become the mainstream, defining characterization for the classic villain.<
4- Design
Bruce Timm’s “Dark Deco” art style gave the series an iconic flair, and Timm’s art style carried throughout the rest of the DC Animated Universe (more on that later). The characters looked iconic and distinct, and the series really made a point of bringing Gotham City to life. During its life cycle, the show even underwent revamps and redesigns in order to stay current, and the updated styles and fresh design changes are reminiscent of the periodic artistic updates and progression found in ongoing comic series. The updates and steady progression in art only helped add to the series’ longevity.
5- DCAU Launchpoint
From the premiere of Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 to the end of Justice League Unlimited in 2006, the majority of the animated DC Comics television programs were set within the same continuity, collectively referred to as the DC Animated Universe. This allowed characters to cross over and for storylines and relationships to build over many years of storytelling, which fans praised.
At the heart of it all, of course, is Batman: The Animated Series and its formula for success. The DCAU had far reaching implications in the world of entertainment, and even Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited toyline, based on Bruce Timm’s iconic designs, will finally come to a complete, once-and-for-all ending this year with the release of convention-exclusive packs.
6- Mask of the Phantasm
At its peak, Batman: The Animated Series spawned a feature-length, theatrical film. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was very well-received by critics and fans alike, and fans who shy away from the gritty realism of the live-action, Nolan-helmed films tend to cite Mask of the Phantasm as one of the best theatrical outings for the Dark Knight.
Mask of the Phantasm’s legacy is only tainted by poor marketing and a rushed theatrical release due to an initial plan for Direct-to-DVD. But the mismanaging of the film’s release does not lessen its mark on super hero animation and the film’s hall mark as one of the only, if not the one and only, theatrical film based on a super hero cartoon.