Batman: The Animated Series

Did You Know?

• The series addresses themes such as mental illness, loss, divorce, patent law, insurance fraud, homelessness, class prejudice, age discrimination, typecasting, prison abuse, and animal testing.
• The decision to paint animation cels on blackboards to enhance the dark and nocturnal atmosphere was a groundbreaking visual choice.
• IGN listed the series as the best adaptation of Batman outside of comics and the second-best animated series of all time after The Simpsons.

Production

In 1990, after Tiny Toons proved successful, Warner Bros. Animation president Jean MacCurdy informed the team that the company wanted to develop several of its properties, including Batman. Rumors of a Batman television series had been circulating since January of that year. Bruce Timm was put in charge of designing the character, while Eric Radomski handled the sets. Radomski’s main familiarity with Batman came from the 1966 show and Tim Burton’s 1989 movie, with the latter serving as his primary inspiration. At MacCurdy’s request, Timm and Radomski—who had never collaborated before—created a silent short film titled The Dark Knight’s First Night over roughly six weeks to present to Fox. They looked to the 1940 Superman series for inspiration and got help from Lightbox Animation. Fox gave the project the green light before even seeing the short, which meant Timm and Radomski ended up leading the series despite having no prior experience running a show. Since no writers were yet attached, MacCurdy brought in Alan Burnett, who had been thinking about leaving animation because of frustration with Broadcast Standards and Practices restrictions. The short film, combined with MacCurdy’s promise that the series would include guns and fighting, persuaded Burnett to stay. At the time, most animated shows targeted children and faced heavy censorship, especially around violence. The production had to work within these rules: weapons and shooting were allowed, but bullet holes and on-screen deaths were not. Unlike many other animated series, the artists, directors, and writers collaborated closely to keep communication smooth. Each writer received a “scripture bible” created by Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian that laid out the overall vision for the series and its characters.

Characters

Bruce Wayne / Batman is voiced by Kevin Conroy. Dick Grayson / Robin is voiced by Loren Lester. Alfred Pennyworth is voiced by Efrem Zimbalist Jr., though Clive Revill voiced Alfred in the first three episodes production-wise. James Gordon is voiced by Bob Hastings. Harvey Bullock is voiced by Robert Costanzo. Renee Montoya is voiced by Ingrid Oliu in season one and Liane Schirmer in season two. Lucius Fox is voiced by Brock Peters. Summer Gleeson is voiced by Mari Devon. Barbara Gordon / Batgirl is voiced by Melissa Gilbert. Dr. Leslie Thompkins is voiced by Diana Muldaur. Mayor Hamilton Hill is voiced by Lloyd Bochner. Veronica Vreeland is voiced by Marilu Henner. Karl Rossum is voiced by William Sanderson. Jonah Hex is voiced by Bill McKinney. Zatanna Zatara is voiced by Julie Brown. Simon Trent / Gray Ghost is voiced by Adam West. The Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill. Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn is voiced by Arleen Sorkin. Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin is voiced by Paul Williams. Harvey Dent / Two-Face is voiced by Richard Moll. Selina Kyle / Catwoman is voiced by Adrienne Barbeau. Dr. Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy is voiced by Diane Pershing.

Release

Produced by Warner Bros., each episode of Batman: The Animated Series runs about 22 minutes, designed to fill a half-hour broadcast slot. The show's first season contained 65 episodes and originally aired in primetime on Fox. It kicked off with a special preview of the episode "On Leather Wings" on September 6, 1992, meant to build buzz for its later move to Fox Kids and to attract viewers beyond just children. The regular primetime run began on December 13, 1992, with "I Am the Night" airing Sundays at 7 PM ET, and ended with "Perchance to Dream" on March 14, 1993. The full season wrapped up on September 16, 1993. Before the first season finished airing, Fox ordered a second batch of 20 episodes. To pull in younger viewers, especially boys, the network insisted Robin appear in every episode, which forced changes to the show's art style, plots, and title. It was renamed The Adventures of Batman & Robin and later led to The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999). This shift also killed a planned episode starring Catwoman and Black Canary because Robin wasn't in it. The Hub Network carried the series from September 6, 2011, to November 29, 2013, and ran a 10-episode marathon on July 20, 2012, to tie in with The Dark Knight Rises. Home video started with VHS tapes in the mid-1990s, featuring collections like The Legend Begins (1992) and Joker's Return (1997). DVD releases began in the early 2000s with Volume One, followed by three more volumes under The New Batman Adventures banner. A complete box set with all 109 episodes, commentaries, and extras came out in 2008.

Related media

A Catwoman spin-off series based on Batman: The Animated Series was briefly considered by Fox in the early 1990s but was eventually canceled. Another continuation was in development as an audio podcast drama with most of the original cast and writer Alan Burnett, but was put on hold after Kevin Conroy's passing. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) started production as a direct-to-video release but was changed to a theatrical release; it was not a financial success initially but earned acclaim and later commercial success through home media. Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998) was a direct-to-video release tied to the 1997 film Batman & Robin; its release was delayed until the following year due to Batman & Robin failing to meet expectations. The DC Animated Universe began with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, leading to Superman: The Animated Series (1996) and The New Batman Adventures (1997), which served as a direct sequel with a revamped animation style to align with Superman: The Animated Series.