Welcome back to our column, MOVIE: THE SERIES, which focuses on stories that went from the big screen to the little screen. What makes them work, what makes them fail, and if their legacies can stand the test of time. 

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring

For our second installment, I’ll be looking at Batman: The Animated Series. While not meant to be a continuation of Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman or its 1992 sequel, Batman Returns, there’s no way this hugely influential show could have existed without those films. Not only was Warner Bros. interested in a Batman cartoon to capitalize on the popularity of the films, but the visual style was an evolution of the ‘timeless’ 20th century aesthetic Burton had used for the films. Mixing in some of the style of the Fleischer Superman shorts, series creators Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm came up with something they called “dark deco,” mandating the animators use black paper and emphasizing shadows rather than the more colorful palette of Super Friends. 

In a lot of ways, Batman is the ultimate child’s fantasy, playing dress up and taking out your anger on themed evil while living in your basement with only the most supportive parental figure to bring you sandwiches whenever you want. While this incarnation embraces all of those trappings, it also embraces the 1940s wholeheartedly, aligning its Batman with that of a noir detective. I wanted to focus on two of the show’s early episodes, as they exemplify why the series remains the best version of Batman. “On Leather Wings” and “Heart of Ice” were two of the earliest episodes produced, and the second and third episodes aired. 

First, we are treated to the show’s opening, which was based on a test reel done as a proof of concept. The entire sequence is just over a minute, and features Batman fighting some bank robbers mostly in silhouette. It is one of the most perfect things ever committed to the screen. It’s Batman, distilled. The entire sequence is scored by Danny Elfman, based on his work for the Burton films.  Music plays a huge part of the show’s identity, and Shirley Walker took over for Elfman for the series and the Mask of the Phantasm film. Walker was a pioneer, working as an orchestrator and composer in her own right, in addition to collaborating with other innovative composers like Elfman and John Carpenter. 

“On Leather Wings” was basically the series’ pilot, directed by Kevin Alteri, and written by Mitch Brian, who also wrote the series bible. The episode opens with two members of the Gotham P.D. patrolling the city skies in a blimp (or zeppelin or dirigible, I’m not sure of the difference) when one of them sees a bat-like figure. Batman gets involved as a series of lab break-ins occurs with people claiming Batman is responsible. This creates tension as Batman must solve the case before the police hunt him down. “Heart of Ice” uses a similar structure for its Mr. Freeze story, except adding in some corporate revenge and additional motive (more on that in a minute). Many episodes of Batman: TAS borrow this structure in order to quickly introduce a villain and then follow Batman in a procedural manner as he outwits them to foil their ultimate plan. 

For me, there are two things that stand out compared to other incarnations of Batman’s character. First, Batman is not a gruff, infallible figure in this show. Not only does Alfred often make a cutting remark to keep his ego in check, but in his first scene in the entire series, he laughs! This is not a Batman haunted by loss or bitterness. And in “Heart of Ice,” he gets a cold. These are things that humanize Batman and make him more relatable, in addition to the sniffles being an obstacle to his stealth. Secondly, both of these episodes make use of Bruce Wayne in Batman’s investigation. In visiting the Bat Lab at the Gotham Zoo and the CEO of GothCorp, Bruce Wayne’s status as a “genius billionaire playboy philanthropist” gives Batman access to a lot of resources that aren’t strictly financial. 

Finally, what makes Batman: TAS special in part is the deep empathy it has for most of Batman’s Rogues Gallery. Both Man-Bat and Mr. Freeze are understandable villains. Kirk Langstrom doesn’t want to be Man-Bat, but he fell victim to a classic “science accident.” Batman works hard to cure him, and returns Langstrom to his wife at the end of the episode. No jail or Arkham Asylum for him. “Heart of Ice” won an Emmy, and it’s likely due largely to its recasting of Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze. The villain was a comical one in the comics, but writer Paul Dini gave him the motivation of working to cure his cryogenically frozen wife as the reason for his condition and villainy, which was then incorporated into the comics and the later Batman & Robin film. “Heart of Ice” might be the best episode of the series, as the story, animation, and voice work of Michael Ansara as Freeze all work together to tell a perfect Batman story. 

Batman: The Animated Series remains one of my favorite shows of all time, and perfectly fits “all ages” storytelling. It has enough depth to be interesting and entertaining to adults, while not being inappropriate for kids. There’s a bit of continuity here and there, but most of the adventures wrap up in 22 minutes. 

My five favorite episodes of the show if you’re looking for more beyond these two:

• “Almost Got Im”

• “Perchance to Dream”

• “Beware the Gray Ghost”

• “Joker’s Favor”

• “Mean Seasons”