The animated television series Batman: The Animated Series is based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Thematic intricacy, film noir aesthetics, darker tone, artistic presentation, modernization of the eponymous character’s crime-fighting beginnings, and voice actings were all lauded for the series. But did you know how cartoonists draw Batman the Animated Series?
Artists used black paper instead of the standard white paper for most animated productions to give the city a somber mood. The Batman Adventures, a program tie-in comic book, was designed in the spirit of Gotham.
How Did Tim Burton Influence the Creation of Batman The Animated Series?
According to most younger moviegoers today, the Dark Knight Trilogy by Christopher Nolan is the quintessential Batman experience. Some have gone even further, proclaiming Batfleck as the best interpretation of the Caped Crusader even though he has yet to star in a full-length solo film.
However, Tim Burton’s Batman was perhaps the preferred version of the vigilante among elder Batfans. After the camp that permeated the Adam West series, viewers praised Burton’s two films as the darkest and most faithful adaptations to that point.
Burton’s two films were so famous that they even influenced The Animated Series with their dismal, gothic tones. The show’s otherworldly timelessness, as Timm and Eric Radomski put it, was inspired by the dark noir vibe of the films. Danny Elfman’s score for the program was a variant of the movie’s theme.
The popularity of Burton’s Batman was a big reason the program got picked up, so the next time you think those movies are dated, think about how much they influenced everything that came after. (Source: Screen Rant)
Is Batman The Animated Series Intended for Children?
Suppose you listen to any of the different commentaries on The Animated Series. In that case, you’ll know that Bruce Timm and the writers had to fight their way through a series of uphill battles to overcome network censorship. At the end of the day, as mature and beautiful as it is to look at, FOX advertised The Animated Series as a show for children, so there were always questions about whether it was acceptable for children.
Tim Burton’s dark, gothic feature was the highest-earning film of 1989. Timm and the other writers get away with more than your usual kid’s show. The show was continually pushing the boundaries, and it dealt with a lot of mature subject matter. There were more sexual innuendos than in an Austin Powers film, undertones of parental abuse, explicit drug references, gritty images of violence, and more sexual innuendos than in an Austin Powers film.
Timm and his team knew exactly what to cut to get it on the air, so while many references aren’t explicitly stated, they are heavily implied, such as one episode at a bakery where Harley Quinn asks Mr. J if he wants to try her pie. (Source: Screen Rant)
Did Batman The Animated Series Change its Title for the Younger Audience?
As The Animated Series progressed, the Fox Network insisted on marketing the show more to children. After the first season, the cartoon has renamed The Adventures of Batman and Robin and began featuring more of the Caped Crusader’s famous sidekick. Fox decided that putting the Boy Wonder front and center was the best way to target children; it was also mandated that Robin appears in every show’s episode. (Source: Screen Rant)