User reviews

It has been a long hard journey to mainstream media for comic book characters, but finally Batman made it with time to spare in Batman: The Animated Series (later renamed The Adventures of Batman & Robin). Groundbreaking animation, superior voice-over work, and top-notch stories have made this series into a creation too stupendous to call a "cartoon." Each episode was a wondrous, albeit dark, trip through Batman's world, and how he faces each and every obstacle Gotham City gives him. Much like an amalgam of all of Batman's two-dimensional incarnations, this series' Dark Knight is tortured and driven, but not requite enough to give his enemies pithy comebacks and display romantic charms. Definitely, this is the way the Batman should and always be depicted.

I loved every minute of this superb animated series, and I am not afraid to say that out of all the animated shows based on the character, this series is without doubt the best of the lot. The animation was fantastic, no better way to describe it really, very dark and fluid instead of the Saturday- morning-cartoon standard that has marred animation recently. The theme tune by Danny Elfman was haunting and memorable, the same Danny Elfman who composed the music for Edward Scissorhands, which coincidentally is one of my all-time favourite movie scores. Also the plot lines and teleplays are very interesting, and I loved the characters, especially Batman, who was dark, brooding and complex like he is supposed to be. And what about the villains? Harvey Two Face, Mr Freeze, the scarecrow, Penguin, and my favourite the joker, who Mark Hamill voiced superlatively, making him sinister and fun at the same time. Though I was wondering, if the producers hadn't replaced their 1st choice for the character Tim Curry, he would've done just as well. I happily award Batman: The Animated Series a 10/10. Bethany Cox

I find Batman The Animated Series is very splendid, Because of the storylines are very dark, edgy and gritty in the good and awesome way, The Characters are very good, The Animation is very well done, I'm giving this a 10/10.

When Batman: the animated series came around, it didn't take people long to see that it was something different. Here was a "cartoon" that was written for adults. It could be viewed by older kids, but it had great depths for the adults who took any time with it. Each episode (or couple of episodes) acts as its own mini-movie. The structuring of the story in each one is just so well executed. As well, the animation (for its time) was quite good, and still holds up well enough today. Another difference from other animation, is that the color palette is quite dark- which, again, only makes it more interesting. All of the great villains are here (and others you may not have heard of), but they get a very serious and, at times, philosophical explication. One of my favorite things about the series, is that every episode has its own orchestral score- meaning, the music that you hear is tailored to fit the exact moment you are watching. Shirley Walker manages to come up with so many sub-themes and variations on the main theme- and works them in so well with the happenings on screen. For those of you that have seen the series and remember it fondly, you might be interested to know that a box-set of the first 28 episodes was recently released- you can get it just about anywhere.

Everything you have heard is true. Best version of Batman. Batman The Animated Series is a show that respects the younger viewers to never talk down to them. It is super accessible to adults. With a dark design and writing you would think is from a prime time drama. This is where Harley Quinn was created. This show also redefined multiple villians of Batman. Marvel has never come close to producing an animated show like this.

10/10.

This was a show I watched as a kid and I remember the dark beginning intro that used to start and the breathtaking episodes that are action packed and always leaving me wanting more. That is the reason this deserves a 10/10 and is the greatest cartoon series of all time. It's great to have a show that is not just for kids as a lot of adults have grown up watching this and still do now, that is what makes it wonderful as you can enjoy it at any age! With great voices like Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill what is there not to love. If you are wanting to start watching a superhero cartoon show then I must point you towards batman the animated series as it is something you can watch over and over again and never grow tired of it.

My number one Saturday morning cartoon as a child and totally responsible for my love of the Batman character.

The dedication put into this series sets it far above pretty much any other cartoon of its type. Drawing heavily on the 'live action' Batman of Tim Burton but with a greater canvas to explore expressionistic and gothic style. The animation is completely unique with marvellously grand music to match, finding a wonderful middle ground between live action film and a comic book page. There's a timeless quality here, everything feels strangely familiar and storied yet at the same time bold and new. Utterly brilliant.

"Batman: The Animated Series" certainly sets new standards for all future adaptations of superheroes on the small screen. The series isn't really suitable for really young viewers, maybe around the age of 12 and older. It's not as if the violence is graphic or extreme. It is the tone and style of "Batman: The Animated Series" that make the series more adult. Harsh lighting, rather Gothic colors and storylines combine to create an exceptional show. The Batman character is what he should be in this series: tough, ruthless with criminals, businesslike in his criminal activities, but also a troubled man who suffers from his own past. We have almost every supervillain Batman has encountered in the show: The Joker (still number 1), Penguin, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Scarface, Riddler, Scarecrow and others. Mark Hamill performs acting titles in the role of the Joker. His interpretation is right there with Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series is not written as another psychopathic criminal, the character is given a lot of depth. His rather complicated relationship with Batman is extensively explored throughout the series. The same is said about the catwoman. Most episodes are of high caliber, and the running time of each of them runs by. A masterpiece of drama.

In the nineties animated series came in all shapes and sizes, but the ones were few and far between that could truly stand the test of time and remain special and beloved to this day, and this was a show that was better than most of them! In fact I'd even say that it retains its magic and holds up far better than most of its nineties peers. As a kid I took to it probably from whatever episode I saw first, I seem to vaguely remember it being Christmas With The Joker.. Anyway I still love it quite simply because it's awesome, and the writing is so great, as is the characterisation that included real emotional complexity and imbued heroes and villains alike with a depth and frequent poignancy that I don't think I've ever seen done quite as well. The creative minds behind it all really used the mood and character appeal to full effect with all of the main characters. There was endless rich atmospheric moments and touches to take in and enjoy in and a lot of the episodes, especially the early ones have many beautifully gothic shadowy silhouettes and images that are so visually striking they are like artwork, the near monochromatic visual style and the way the characters move almost gave it the look of a comic book in motion, and the result was again, so very awesome! There are so many top episodes to choose from and positively countless nuances and moments, from the heartbreaking Heart of Ice and Baby Doll, Mad Love, to mind-bending and plain thrilling fun such as with Perchance To Dream and The Last Laugh and The Laughing Fish, those are just some of my favourites but any given episode will have certain touches of greatness in it, although not even this fine show was free of the odd stinker! Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, what can I even say, together it was they who were the lynchpins of this show. Their masterfully voiced hero and archvillain were always so engaging and entertaining to listen to, and they each embodied those iconic characters so perfectly that for a lot of people, me included, they have come to be the ideal versions of them. They both got to fantastically shine in such different ways many times, and they played off each other in that excellent way that Batman and his biggest nemesis should have, and Hamill was so freaking good that I think his Joker must have stolen every scene he was in and all of the Joker episodes are a lot of fun, even that dodgy one with the Joker themed casino! In closing I can't say enough good things about this show, it is incredibly deserving of an ideal ten in my eyes. It's a series that inspired a generation and was a fun part of many a childhood, and it remains riveting and wonderful to watch and more than holds up, to me it's a supreme animated series that will be forever classic.

Batman: The Animated Series stands out from the throng of Batman adaptations thanks to its stylized animation, dark stories, and sophisticated character development. Amazing show, I appreciate how different characters and suits are introduced throughout the course of the five seasons, by far the best Batman television show in my view. Bane, like Catwoman and Penguin, is denied an origin episode, and while Batman briefly describes the events that led to Bane's change, we never see Bane's emotional response to those events. Though Batman has always dabbled in the dark, this particular program combines Bruce Wayne's gothic grit with the quirky extremes of a notable rogue's gallery. Overall, I think this is a fairly nice series with a few great episodes and only a few absolutely uninteresting episodes. Essentially, it is a big season that continues the animated series, and both programs are worth viewing together.

When I was a kid in the '90s I couldn't wait to get home from school, grab a snack and get ready for Batman: The Animated Series at 4 o'clock. Not only is this an amazing TV show, but one of the best incarnations of Batman ever. This isn't your mommy and daddy's Batman/Super Friends. I have always loved this show and when it came out on DVD I bought every volume and the animated movies it spawned. I love owning these sets and as I write this I'm watching an episode.

While this show was aimed at kids on the surface it was truly written for adults. It deals with many adult themes and situations. Mobsters, murder, schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, earning the love and respect of ones friends and family, Bruce Wayne/Batman fighting his inner demons and the need for avenging his parents by fighting all the evil-doers of the world, etc.

While the campy-ness of Adam West's Batman/Super Friends worked perfectly for that show and era, the darkness of this show makes it a masterpiece. Thanks to Tim Burton's Batman this show's dark and sometimes scary themes were accepted by the networks but that is the only thing the two have in common. The action sequences are unbeatable, story lines are fantastic, this is the Dark Knight the way he was meant to be seen. If you are new to the Batman lore than this is a great place to start...here or with Batman Begins.

The voice-acting is immaculate, Kevin Conroy - Batman, Mark Hamill - Joker, Efram Zimblast - Alfred, Bob Hastings - Gordon, and all the others are wonderful as each character, couldn't ask for a better cast. The structuring of every episode was so well executed you couldn't wait to see what would happen in the next minute or by next week's episode. Shirley Walker's scoring is unbelievably perfect for this show, she took Danny Elman's theme and made it her own, while writing a lot more original music for the show.

This show even CREATED one of the most famous and beloved Batman characters ever, Harley Quinn, love and confidant to the Joker.

Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Kevin Altieri, and Shirley Walker along with every other writer, animator, creator worked together flawlessly to make this an amazing show and it always will be.

There aren't enough good things I could say about this show, so I will just stop here.

I AM VENGEANCE, I AM THE NIGHT, I...AM...BATMAN!

Batman The Animated Series was pretty good. I think the DC Comics heroes are good and I am fan of the Marvel comics as well! This show is based on the most famous DC Comics' superhero, Batman who fights crime all over Gotham City as he did in Season 1 and Season 2 but then in Season 3 the show changed the name from Batman The Animated Series to The Adventures of Batman and Robin. My favorite Batman villains were The Joker, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. I remember this show was on Kids WB!, Fox Kids and Cartoon Network. I really like the series that continues off of this show, Batman Beyond and they continue this show off in Batman Gotham Knights and back in 2004 they did a remake called The Batman. This show premiered on Fox Kids back in September 1992 and it switched to Kids' WB and the show ended September 1995. Pretty good.

All episodes are fillers, there are no sense of progression or development for any character.

It was too long, some things drag too much, and some stories are repetitive and predictable.

We longtime (read "old") fans of Batman have been waiting for a cinematic Batman that reflects the greatness of the comic books. Unfortunately, we have had to put up with the worst attempts to realize this great character. The movie serials were atrocious, the Adam West show, although entertaining, treated the character as a joke. The Filmation cartoons and the Superfriends were watered down. The more recent movies are a mixed bag. Then, along came BTAS, and we were finally satisfied.

Everything, from the look and tone of the animation, to the stories and voicework was first-rate. Batman is the Dark knight Detective. He's not a guy in a rubber suit. He is skilled, intelligent, obsessed, tortured, and dedicated. The villains are evil, psychotic, and just plain loopy. We have Paul Dini's wonderful creation of Harley Quinn, the first inspired and interesting character, since Denny O'Neil created Ra's al Ghul.

The creators took their cue from the legendary Flesicher Bros. version of Superman, with it's Art Deco stylings and darker color palette. It took its story concepts from the work of Bill Finger, Denny O'Neil, Frank Miller, and Steve Engelhart. The music was inspired by the wonderful Danny Elfman music from the Tim Burton film. The voicework featured outstanding actors, with mature direction from Andrea Romano.

The only criticism I can level at the show is that they avoided doing a complete episode revolving around Batman's origin. Granted, the broadcast standards and practices limited how much they could show, but they found a way to present Robin's origin, without sacrificing story. They did present elements, but I would have liked to have seen a complete episode, with his training and "year one" adventures. The Superfriends episode, "The Fear" presented more of the origin than BTAS ever depicted. Still, it didn't detract from the overall effectiveness of the series.

The series even improved on some of the elements of the comics. Personally, I never thought much of Bane, but I enjoyed the BTAS version, complete with the Lucha Libre stylings; Bane as luchador hitman, classic! The Joker was far more interesting here than he had been for some time in the comics. The Riddler came across as deadly, rather than a joke. Alfred provided more than window dressing.

This is the series that set the standard for all other cinematic Batman efforts. Thankfully, it removed the bitter taste of Joel Schumacher.

As a child, i loved this series with all my heart. As an adult i still do, but i also realize that out of all the episodes, only about 10-12 are masterpieces, the others are simply good. The atmosphere, the character design, the music, the dubbing, are amazing in every episode. What sets apart the good episodes from the great ones is the plot of course and the fact that they venture into psychological analysis, something you don't often see in a product meant for a young audience. I recommend, off the top of my head: Heart of Ice, Trial, His Silicon Soul, Baby-Doll, Perchance to Dream. If you have children and you are wondering if this is a suited series, it definitely is and i can't recommend it enough. The humanity of batman is an important lesson for any child to learn, and also the fact that sometimes the bad guys aren't just bad guys, it is shown why they become what they are, without condoning it, so you have (although not in all episodes) that nuanced view of the human mind that it's totally absent in most animated series.

I'm a comic book reader. I also watch a lot of television. "Batman" is one of the great shows that has everything we love about the DC Comics character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger combined with the visual aesthetics of modern-day television. I'm not much a reader of DC's material (Marvel Comics and their Spider-Man and X-Men are my main interests), but Batman ranks as my favorite character from that particular company. While I'll agree that Batman has had a troubled history in terms of television and film (Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" is my #7 movie of all time and is what got me interested in movies in the first place), I've also noticed that he has a massive base of overly rabid fans, many of whom become sore at the slightest change of the character. Well, this animated series appears to be an animation vision that they can finally be pleased with. Of course, Gotham City billionaire Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, and grew up to become the mythical "Batman," the masked vigilante prowling the city's rooftops and taking out crime wherever it rears its ugly head. He's aided in his crime-fighting endeavors by his faithful butler Alfred while also nursing many personal demons. "Batman" carried over the 1989 film's dark and grim tone, the same tone as the comics that inspired it, as well as the revisionist re-workings of Frank Miller (like his epic "The Dark Knight Returns" and "Batman: Year One"), and proved to be a hit with fans and those eager to forget the campy Adam West show from the 1960s. With this darker approach to the character, it's quite easy to forget that this is a children's show, even though it's also quite obvious that it's aimed at a slightly older audience as well.

Regardless, this is a "Batman" that we can all be proud of.

10/10

Batman the animated series is one of the best cartoon series ever. Originally aimed at young viewers it also is a series that is watched just as much by adults.

This cartoon is different than most other cartoons. It is not just non stop action with no plot. The plots of the episodes from this series were amazingly good, good enough to be used for drama series. The dialogue and voice over work was amazing and the animation always remains the same through much of the series, spectacular.

Batman is well portrayed in this series. He has no tolerance for anyone who violates the law. Relentless, he will not stop until he has accomplished what he sets out to accomplish. Batman has no fear in this cartoon. Bruce Wayne is also well portrayed in this show. He is a more than capable heir who keeps Wayne Enterprises running. Has a great sense of who to trust and what to do.

One of the best things about Batman in general has been his villains. That is true here as well; Batman's villains in "Batman the animated series" are awesome. The Joker and his diabolical evil schemes. The Penguin and his various umbrella weapons. Poison Ivy and how she uses her evil plants against Batman. Two-Face(my personal favorite) and his good heads bad head coin that decides if he does evil deeds or not. The Mad Hatter and his obsession with controlling others minds. Scarecrow and his constant use of fear. Catwoman and her stealth not to mention her feelings for Batman. The Riddler and his mind twisting puzzles. Other great villains in this series are Killer Croc, Harley QUinn, Rupert Thorne, Clay face, and Mr. Freeze.

I found it awesome how Mark Hamill and Roddy Mcdowell are the voices of the Joker and The Mad Hatter respectfully. I have the utmost respect for Hamill and his role in Star Wars and Mcdowell and his role in Planet of the Apes. So it is good to see such notable actors as characters in this show.

In this D.V.D. (volume one) there are numerous great episodes, many of them two parters. Ones that I really like are "Two-Face", a part episode that explains the origin of how Harvey Dent became Two-Face. Also great is another two part episode titled "Feat of Clay", another two parter telling the tragic story of Matt Hagen who became Clayface. But you really cant go wrong with any episodes. They are all great.

This is a great show. Must see. Check out Batman the Animated Series. After watching a few episodes you will see how good it is.

Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995) is one of the critically acclaimed popular shows from the 90s for a good reason. The show was released close to 30 YEARS AGO as we speak, but despite all that, it's still holding up to today's standards! Kevin Conroy, OH BOY! This man is the embodiment of Batman! He managed to find the perfect balance between Bruce's voice and Batman's voice. Kevin Conroy, you're the MAN! The action isn't excessively violent, most of the episodes have a well-crafted narrative with a positive moral at the end. The only thing that's missing, in my opinion, is more continuity between the episodes. I feel like a stronger connection between them would have made the story more appealing, also it lacks a solid ending.

I remember watching this series as a kid. And I gotta say i still enjoy it to this day!

Just a pure masterpiece!

This is the best version of Batman. I've been a Batman fan since I was a kid and I always come back to this when I need a Batman fix. The newer movies are cool but this doesn't ever get old. Classic for the era and filled with nostalgia they will never be able to repeat what they did with this series.

In a historical context, yes, this is arguably the greatest cartoon of all time. It established a standard for being an animated series that had a mature tone and mature subject matter as well as being the definitive on-screen version of Batman. It introduced fan-beloved Harley Quinn and canonized several of the iconic tragic backstories of Batman's rogues gallery. And perhaps most remarkably, it laid the groundwork for the DCAU.

But watching it as an episodic action adventure, I found it boring and toothless (until it got to The New Batman Adventures). Concerning its most lauded aspect, its humane, psychological look at its characters, I simply don't care. There's a cap on plot complexity, emotional investment, and thematic exploration in 20 minutes of runtime. I should know--- I watched Mushishi. Furthermore, the impact of those 20 minutes is diluted when the character being focused on is introduced in that episode and only appears once more 20 episodes later. It does explore the character of Batman, but less than a dozen episodes out of 85 do that. The episodes centering around his relationship with Catwoman and Talia are great, but they don't go anywhere with it. The lauded depth of the series would work much better if the show actually attempted longer story arcs, and something like Mask of the Phantasm is an example of that. Furthermore, people act like every episode was some deep psychological character study. The truth is that out of 85 episodes, only about 20 or so have some depth and the others are just your run-of-the-mill crime procedural and/or superhero adventures.

And if I'm not particularly impacted by its characterization, then there isn't much else in the series that entertains me. Its genre is action-adventure, but both of these elements are weak due to

1)Batman is fighting faceless goons and/or villains that pose little physical threat to him most of the time.

2) The animation is weak and literally lacks punch, which leaves me unsatisfied at the end of every episode. Also, the visual design is simplistic.

3)Batman doesn't have many people to bounce off of.

4)Besides the Joker and Harley, villains lack the exaggerated flair of most fun action adventures and their motivations are almost always revenge against someone that wronged them.

A lot of these problems were fixed in TNBA, so much so that I view that as a separate show.

I never cared for this show. I watched it when I was little, but it never was anything really good. People say it's one of the best cartoons ever, but that couldn't be further from the truth. First, the animation sucked. It was pretty bad to look at, as the characters looked really choppy. Second, the a lot of the stories were ripped off from the original comics. Third, the music was also a horrible, chopped up version of Danny Elfman's original score. Still, this was a better cartoon than the show that premired a few months later, Marvel's horrible X-men cartoon.

BOTTOM LINE: I prefer Superman, Spider-man(2003), and Justice League. This show was never as good as all of those people said it was. Plus, if you want a real contender for, "GREATEST CARTOON EVER," look under Transformers.

Perhaps the best animated series ever. It provides great accuracy in the stories and characters, while allows innovation and imagination. They "pull no punches" and didn't try to make this a kiddy show. It became the trend setter for "Superman" and "Batman: Beyond", even though neither can compare.