For
my money, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES is probably the one of the
best, and certainly most influential, comic book superhero derived
animated programs ever produced for television. True to the spirit of the
character and his mythology, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES never
dumbed down its content for a perceived juvenile audience. In fact,
because the show remained true to the comic book character known as The
Dark Knight, the show achieved a strong following that spanned numerous
age groups. The success of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES also
reinvented and reinvigorated the entire medium, changing how superheroes
have been depicted in animated programming ever since.
BATMAN:
THE ANIMATED SERIES is a highly stylized program that takes its cues
from the original comic book character created by Bob Kane in 1939. Batman’s
world is a world of night and shadows, and the style of the animation is
suitably dark. Another thoroughly appropriate touch is how the show blends
modern elements with a retro look that gives BATMAN: THE ANIMATED
SERIES a decidedly art deco, yet timeless look. BATMAN: THE
ANIMATED SERIES also maintains the established mythology of the Batman
comics featuring primarily classic villains, although with some occasional
modern twists. The storytelling is sparse, in a comic book sort of way,
yet each episode thrives on the strong vocal performances that bring each
of the major characters to life. BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
includes the vocal talents of Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Efrem
Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth, Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon,
Loren Lester as Dick Grayson/Robin, Melissa Gilbert as Barbara Gordon,
Adrienne Barbeau as Catwoman, Edward Asner as Roland Daggett, Paul
Williams as The Penguin, Richard Moll as Two-Face, Roddy McDowall as The
Mad Hatter, David Warner as Ra's Al Ghul, Arleen
Sorkin as Harley Quinn and Mark Hamill (who is utterly brilliant) as The
Joker.
BATMAN:
THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO ($50) comes to DVD in a four-disc set
that features the following twenty eight episodes, which come up next in
the series’ production order: Eternal Youth, Perchance
To Dream, The Cape And Cowl Conspiracy, Robin's
Reckoning Part 1, Robin's Reckoning Part 2, The
Laughing Fish, Night Of The Ninja, Cat Scratch
Fever, The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne, Heart
Of Steel Part 1, Heart Of Steel Part 2, If
Your So Smart Why Aren't You Rich, Joker's Wild, Tyger,
Tyger, Moon Of The Wolf, Day Of The Samuri,
Terror In The Sky, Almost Got 'Im, Birds
Of A Feather, What Is Reality, I Am The Night,
Off Balance, The Man Who Killed Batman, Mudslide,
Paging The Crime Doctor, Zatanna, The
Mechanic and Harley And Ivy.
Warner
Home Video has made BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO
available on DVD in a full screen format that is representative of the
original television broadcasts. The episodes contained in VOLUME TWO,
are similar in appearance to those in VOLUME ONE, which correlates
to the fact that BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO was a
rather modestly budgeted affair. This show was done the old fashion way,
with traditional cell animation on film, and so there are some
imperfections that were printed into the show’s original negatives, as
well as a bit of noticeable grain that pops up here and there. Sharpness
and detail are about all one can expect from 2D animation of this caliber,
which is perfectly fine, but never outstanding. Occasionally, colors are
slightly subdued with vibrant splashes that give the dark, animated world
that Batman inhabits just the right sense of atmosphere. Blacks are
accurately rendered, whites seem clean and contrast is acceptable. Digital
compression artifacts are usually very nicely concealed, even with the
number of episodes allocated to a disc.
BATMAN:
THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO comes with its episodes in two-channel
Dolby Digital stereo, which decodes to surround in a reasonably effective
fashion. The sound is never flashy and there is a minimum of
directionality, but the tracks do maintain a nice sense of atmosphere. Not
surprisingly, the forward soundstage tends to dominate, with the surround
channels providing a bit of ambient sound and musical fill. Speaking of
the music, each episode features an appropriately movie-esque score, which
is reproduced with rather fine musical fidelity. As for the spoken
component, dialogue is crisp, clear and always completely understandable.
French and Spanish language tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which allow one access to the
standard scene/episode selection and set up features, as well as a few
nice extra features. Various production team members, including Bruce
Timm, Paul Dini, Eric Radomski, and Kevin Altieri contribute to audio
commentaries on the following episodes: Robin's Reckoning Part 1,
Heart Of Steel Part 2, Almost Got 'Im and Harley
And Ivy. Next up, we have three featurettes. Robin Rising
is an eight-minute program that looks at the character’s development for
the animated series. Gotham’s Guardians clocks in at over
ten minutes and looks at some of the other good guys, albeit the
supporting players, in the animated series. Voices Of The Knight
runs eight minutes and features interviews with the vocal talent of the
series. Bonus previews for the DVD releases of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED
SERIES VOLUME ONE and SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME ONE
close out the extra features.
As
I’ve previously stated, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES is one of the
best superhero animated television shows to ever air on broadcast
television. Not only was the show reverent of the characters and their
mythology, it was also well written, stylish, and it has positively
influenced every animated superhero series come after it. As for the
four-disc DVD set, Warner has done a very good job, providing solid
presentations and a few fine extras. If you are a fan of the show, you
will definitely want to place BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO
next to VOLUME ONE in your own personal Batcave. Highly
recommended.
For
my money, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES is probably the one of the
best, and certainly most influential, comic book superhero derived
animated programs ever produced for television. True to the spirit of the
character and his mythology, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES never
dumbed down its content for a perceived juvenile audience. In fact,
because the show remained true to the comic book character known as The
Dark Knight, the show achieved a strong following that spanned numerous
age groups. The success of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES also
reinvented and reinvigorated the entire medium, changing how superheroes
have been depicted in animated programming ever since.
BATMAN:
THE ANIMATED SERIES is a highly stylized program that takes its cues
from the original comic book character created by Bob Kane in 1939. Batman’s
world is a world of night and shadows, and the style of the animation is
suitably dark. Another thoroughly appropriate touch is how the show blends
modern elements with a retro look that gives BATMAN: THE ANIMATED
SERIES a decidedly art deco, yet timeless look. BATMAN: THE
ANIMATED SERIES also maintains the established mythology of the Batman
comics featuring primarily classic villains, although with some occasional
modern twists. The storytelling is sparse, in a comic book sort of way,
yet each episode thrives on the strong vocal performances that bring each
of the major characters to life. BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
includes the vocal talents of Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Efrem
Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth, Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon,
Loren Lester as Dick Grayson/Robin, Melissa Gilbert as Barbara Gordon,
Adrienne Barbeau as Catwoman, Edward Asner as Roland Daggett, Paul
Williams as The Penguin, Richard Moll as Two-Face, Roddy McDowall as The
Mad Hatter, David Warner as 
BATMAN:
THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO ($50) comes to DVD in a four-disc set
that features the following twenty eight episodes, which come up next in
the series’ production order: Eternal Youth, Perchance
To Dream, The Cape And Cowl Conspiracy, Robin's
Reckoning Part 1, Robin's Reckoning Part 2, The
Laughing Fish, Night Of The Ninja, Cat Scratch
Fever, The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne, Heart
Of Steel Part 1, Heart Of Steel Part 2, If
Your So Smart Why Aren't You Rich, Joker's Wild, Tyger,
Tyger, Moon Of The Wolf, Day Of The Samuri,
Terror In The Sky, Almost Got 'Im, Birds
Of A Feather, What Is Reality, I Am The Night,
Off Balance, The Man Who Killed Batman, Mudslide,
Paging The Crime Doctor, Zatanna, The
Mechanic and Harley And Ivy.
Warner
Home Video has made BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO
available on DVD in a full screen format that is representative of the
original television broadcasts. The episodes contained in VOLUME TWO,
are similar in appearance to those in VOLUME ONE, which correlates
to the fact that BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO was a
rather modestly budgeted affair. This show was done the old fashion way,
with traditional cell animation on film, and so there are some
imperfections that were printed into the show’s original negatives, as
well as a bit of noticeable grain that pops up here and there. Sharpness
and detail are about all one can expect from 2D animation of this caliber,
which is perfectly fine, but never outstanding. Occasionally, colors are
slightly subdued with vibrant splashes that give the dark, animated world
that Batman inhabits just the right sense of atmosphere. Blacks are
accurately rendered, whites seem clean and contrast is acceptable. Digital
compression artifacts are usually very nicely concealed, even with the
number of episodes allocated to a disc.
BATMAN:
THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO comes with its episodes in two-channel
Dolby Digital stereo, which decodes to surround in a reasonably effective
fashion. The sound is never flashy and there is a minimum of
directionality, but the tracks do maintain a nice sense of atmosphere. Not
surprisingly, the forward soundstage tends to dominate, with the surround
channels providing a bit of ambient sound and musical fill. Speaking of
the music, each episode features an appropriately movie-esque score, which
is reproduced with rather fine musical fidelity. As for the spoken
component, dialogue is crisp, clear and always completely understandable.
French and Spanish language tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are
English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which allow one access to the
standard scene/episode selection and set up features, as well as a few
nice extra features. Various production team members, including Bruce
Timm, Paul Dini, Eric Radomski, and Kevin Altieri contribute to audio
commentaries on the following episodes: Robin's Reckoning Part 1,
Heart Of Steel Part 2, Almost Got 'Im and Harley
And Ivy. Next up, we have three featurettes. Robin Rising
is an eight-minute program that looks at the character’s development for
the animated series. Gotham’s Guardians clocks in at over
ten minutes and looks at some of the other good guys, albeit the
supporting players, in the animated series. Voices Of The Knight
runs eight minutes and features interviews with the vocal talent of the
series. Bonus previews for the DVD releases of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED
SERIES VOLUME ONE and SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME ONE
close out the extra features.
As
I’ve previously stated, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES is one of the
best superhero animated television shows to ever air on broadcast
television. Not only was the show reverent of the characters and their
mythology, it was also well written, stylish, and it has positively
influenced every animated superhero series come after it. As for the
four-disc DVD set, Warner has done a very good job, providing solid
presentations and a few fine extras. If you are a fan of the show, you
will definitely want to place BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME TWO
next to VOLUME ONE in your own personal Batcave. Highly
recommended.