Batman The Animated Series turns 30 this year

[DenOfEarth]

Hard to believe this masterpiece of a series is turning 30 this year.

Been a Batman fan since 87 with SuperFriends reruns at age 6 and was 8 seeing the 1989 movie 4 times in theaters even collecting the comics and graphic novels since 89. I recalled back in 1990 in comicscene magazine and starlog that WB announced doing an animated series in 1992 along with Batman Returns, i couldn't wait.

As in various magazines from 1991 to early 1992, i couldn't wait as it was one of my most awaited shows and i was 11 when the show debuted on Fox as a saturday morning sneak preview 2 part episode and on some sunday nights then afternoons as i dug it and been my favorite animated show since. I even saw the WB seasons as a teen.

Inspired by the Fleschier cartoons of Superman (in seasons 1 and 2 then anime in season 3) and Tim Burton's movies with the comics, this series was groundbreaking bringing in all ages from kids, teens and adults alike as it broke new ground showing that a superhero animated show can be serious. It paved the way for Gargoyles to Spawn.

How many of you remembered when it debuted?

[Cruel Angel]

Was the beginning of my senior year in college

[Batmon77]

I remember when it debuted, but I was at an age where I wasn't home enough on Saturday mornings to watch it consistently.

I liked when Adam West voiced The Grey Ghost episode. Nice homage to the OG.

[DenOfEarth]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

I remember when it debuted, but I was at an age where I wasn't home enough on Saturday mornings to watch it consistently.

I liked when Adam West voiced The Grey Ghost episode. Nice homage to the OG.

It was on sunday nights too besides weekday afternoons.

So what's everyone's favorite episodes?

Mine are
Almost Got Im
Heart of Ice
Beware of Grey Ghost
On Leather Wings
Feat of Clay
The Last Laugh
Two-Face
See No Evil
Old Wounds
Mad Love
Robin's Reckoning
Mad as a Hatter
Lock Up
Shadow of the Bat
Perchance to Dream
Cat and The Claw
Bullet for Bullock
The Forgotten
Joker's Favor
Trial
Nothing to Fear
Growing Pain
Christmas with joker
Day of the Samurai
POV
Heart of Steel
His Silocon Soul
If your So Smart Why Aren't You Rich
Laughing Fish
Demon's Quest
House and Garden
It's Never too Late
Legends of Dark Knight
Tyger Tyger
Blind as a Bat
Over the Edge
Batgirl returns
Holiday Knights
Read my Lips
Riddler's Reform
Second Chance
Catwalk
Babydoll
Joker's Millions
Beware of Creeper
Harley's Holiday
Birds of a Feather

[batman2000]

Out of all the redesigns the wb season did I hated the joker’s and penguin’s. I mean joker’s was pretty drastic but penguin might as well not have been the same person. all his Batman returns features were removed.

[DenOfEarth]

Originally Posted by batman2000

Out of all the redesigns the wb season did I hated the joker’s and penguin’s. I mean joker’s was pretty drastic but penguin might as well not have been the same person. all his Batman returns features were removed.

What do you think of Selina with black hair instead of blonde in the WB season? well i didn't mind Penguin as he looked like the classic Penguin design of the comics. The Returns thing was to cash-in on the upcoming Batman Returns of the same year, same for blonde Selina as WB forced Bruce Timm to design the characters after the Burton movie as production began in late May 1991 even for Batman Returns.

[Zechs Merquise]

Timm always wanted to do the classic Bob Kane/Dick Sprang Penguin but Warners insisted that he look like the DeVito version. Same thing with Catwoman.

Joker and Catwoman were, for me, the worst designs out of TNBA. Joker they eventually got right with Return of the Joker/Justice League which, for me, was the best Joker design. Catwoman's all black design was very bland and her inexplicably blue face when in costume was off-putting. The Selina Kyle design when out of costume was also, for me, rather bland even if she did have the classic black hair. It's ironic because, while Timm grumbled about having to make Catwoman look like the Michelle Pfeiffer version for the original series, that design was much more distinctive and inspired.

There's some redesigns in the Chipp Kidd/Paul Dini book 'Batman Animated' for Catwoman that were much, much better than what they ended up going with in TNBA. They were going to do a spin-off, you see, and so Timm drew up a few concept designs.

[batman2000]

Originally Posted by DenOfEarth

What do you think of Selina with black hair instead of blonde in the WB season? well i didn't mind Penguin as he looked like the classic Penguin design of the comics. The Returns thing was to cash-in on the upcoming Batman Returns of the same year, same for blonde Selina as WB forced Bruce Timm to design the characters after the Burton movie as production began in late May 1991 even for Batman Returns.

Oh I have issues with almost all of the redesigns it’s because it’s supposed to be a sequel to the original seasons and for the most part it too me looks I guess cheaper and looses what made the original great I hate that Superman the animated series couldn’t have used the original Batman the animated series art design it lead to the drastic art style change for Batman plus it would have been cool to see Superman in that art style. the only redesigns that weren’t that bad are Harley Quinn two face and scarecrow to name a few of the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

[batman2000]

Originally Posted by Zechs Merquise

Timm always wanted to do the classic Bob Kane/Dick Sprang Penguin but Warners insisted that he look like the DeVito version. Same thing with Catwoman.

Joker and Catwoman were, for me, the worst designs out of TNBA. Joker they eventually got right with Return of the Joker/Justice League which, for me, was the best Joker design. Catwoman's all black design was very bland and her inexplicably blue face when in costume was off-putting. The Selina Kyle design when out of costume was also, for me, rather bland even if she did have the classic black hair. It's ironic because, while Timm grumbled about having to make Catwoman look like the Michelle Pfeiffer version for the original series, that design was much more distinctive and inspired.

There's some redesigns in the Chipp Kidd/Paul Dini book 'Batman Animated' for Catwoman that were much, much better than what they ended up going with in TNBA. They were going to do a spin-off, you see, and so Timm drew up a few concept designs.

I agree they shouldn’t have forced the Danny Devito penguin on them but redesigning catwoman in tnba was a mistake much like most of the art style. man I wish we didn’t lose the heart the original art style had the new designs too me went too cartoony.

[Zechs Merquise]

I actually prefer the revamp style. What I don't prefer is the revamp production value. They cut the budget and it shows. This is one of the reasons why they redesigned everything. Smaller budget so they needed a more angular style that was easier to keep on model. The other reason, of course, was to bring it in line with Superman.

[DenOfEarth]

Originally Posted by batman2000

Oh I have issues with almost all of the redesigns it’s because it’s supposed to be a sequel to the original seasons and for the most part it too me looks I guess cheaper and looses what made the original great I hate that Superman the animated series couldn’t have used the original Batman the animated series art design it lead to the drastic art style change for Batman plus it would have been cool to see Superman in that art style. the only redesigns that weren’t that bad are Harley Quinn two face and scarecrow to name a few of the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

Well Batman TAS in the first 2 seasons was modeled after the Fleschier Superman cartoons and when Bruce Timm wanted to do Superman, he didn't want to copy the Fleschier cartoons but be more anime inspired by the designs as anime was getting trendy in the 90s and he decided to do the third season of Batman TAS in an anime style

[batman2000]

Originally Posted by Zechs Merquise

I actually prefer the revamp style. What I don't prefer is the revamp production value. They cut the budget and it shows. This is one of the reasons why they redesigned everything. Smaller budget so they needed a more angular style that was easier to keep on model. The other reason, of course, was to bring it in line with Superman.

I think if this was in between this style and the original it would be easier to accept. another character redesign I hate in the tnba is Jim Gordon they made him look way too old.

[Zechs Merquise]

Originally Posted by DenOfEarth

Well Batman TAS in the first 2 seasons was modeled after the Fleschier Superman cartoons and when Bruce Timm wanted to do Superman, he didn't want to copy the Fleschier cartoons but be more anime inspired by the designs as anime was getting trendy in the 90s and he decided to do the third season of Batman TAS in an anime style

What? Anime had nothing to do with it. I think Timm's even gone on record as saying he doesn't watch anime.

He designed his Superman to be more 50s because, as you said, Fleischer had done the 40s style Superman. So Timm designed his world of Superman to look like what people in the 1950s thought the 1990s would look like, to complement Batman which was based on the idea of 'what if the 1939 World's Fair had continued for another five decades?'

The distinctly Japanese influence didn't come into play until Batman Beyond and the anime influence in particular didn't come into play until Teen Titans and The Batman, which were made in the early 2000s when anime basically exploded in the West

Originally Posted by batman2000

I think if this was in between this style and the original it would be easier to accept. another character redesign I hate in the tnba is Jim Gordon they made him look way too old.

He is old. He's old enough to have a daughter in her early twenties and Batman, in the original series, said he's the same age Thomas Wayne would have been if he'd lived. DCAU Batman is damn near forty

[DenOfEarth]

Originally Posted by Zechs Merquise

What? Anime had nothing to do with it. I think Timm's even gone on record as saying he doesn't watch anime.

He designed his Superman to be more 50s because, as you said, Fleischer had done the 40s style Superman. So Timm designed his world of Superman to look like what people in the 1950s thought the 1990s would look like, to complement Batman which was based on the idea of 'what if the 1939 World's Fair had continued for another five decades?'

The distinctly Japanese influence didn't come into play until Batman Beyond and the anime influence in particular didn't come into play until Teen Titans and The Batman, which were made in the early 2000s when anime basically exploded in the West
He is old. He's old enough to have a daughter in her early twenties and Batman, in the original series, said he's the same age Thomas Wayne would have been if he'd lived. DCAU Batman is damn near forty

My mistake as that's Batman Beyond that has anime influence not Superman TAS and Batman TAS Season 3.

[batman2000]

Originally Posted by Zechs Merquise

What? Anime had nothing to do with it. I think Timm's even gone on record as saying he doesn't watch anime.

He designed his Superman to be more 50s because, as you said, Fleischer had done the 40s style Superman. So Timm designed his world of Superman to look like what people in the 1950s thought the 1990s would look like, to complement Batman which was based on the idea of 'what if the 1939 World's Fair had continued for another five decades?'

The distinctly Japanese influence didn't come into play until Batman Beyond and the anime influence in particular didn't come into play until Teen Titans and The Batman, which were made in the early 2000s when anime basically exploded in the West
He is old. He's old enough to have a daughter in her early twenties and Batman, in the original series, said he's the same age Thomas Wayne would have been if he'd lived. DCAU Batman is damn near forty

I just look at a comparison he looks the same as his original design it’s just the style makes it seem like he looks older. man I hate tnba redesigns so much.

[Josep5349]

The first Japanese influence was seen in the episode Growing Pains.

[Moviefan2k4]

I was around 12 when the show debuted, and I remember liking it, but not following it religiously. Hoever, one related memory I still cherish is meeting Kevin Conroy and Arleen Sorkin at a convention, many years ago. They both signed this 8x10 for me, and I still have it.

[Cruel Angel]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

Hoever, one related memory I still cherish is meeting Kevin Conroy and Arleen Sorkin at a convention, many years ago.

I am envious of Arleen... I don't think she does many signings anymore.

When GalaxyCon did their virtual Bats TAS panel last February, I was hoping they would be able to get her but no such luck.

[batman2000]

Originally Posted by Cruel Angel

I am envious of Arleen... I don't think she does many signings anymore.

When GalaxyCon did their virtual Bats TAS panel last February, I was hoping they would be able to get her but no such luck.

As close of a sound a like Tara strong is Arleen I miss her Harley Quinn deeply with tara her bubbles voice comes out too much.

[ben6543]

Today is officially the 30th anniversary of Batman The Animated Series. The best Batman cartoon ever. No Batman cartoon has or will ever come close to TAS's greatness and impact on superhero cartoons