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| The Batman | |
|---|---|
_logo.png){kind=logo} | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | |
| Developed by |
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| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer |
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| Composer | Thomas Chase |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 65(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 21–23 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network |
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| Release | September 11, 2004 (2004-09-11) – March 8, 2008 (2008-03-08) |
| Related | |
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The Batman is an Americananimated television series based on theDC ComicssuperheroBatman. Developed by Michael Goguen andDuane Capizzi, and produced byWarner Bros. Animation andDC Comics for seasons 3–5, the series first aired onKids' WB on September 11, 2004, thenCartoon Network on April 2, 2005. The show would become exclusive to the former network for its third to fifth seasons in early 2006.The Batman won sixDaytime Emmy Awards over the course of its run. Many elements from previous Batman storylines were borrowed and adapted, such as those from thecomic books,film series and the animated shows likeBatman: The Animated Series from theDC Animated Universe, but it remained within its own continuity.Jackie Chan Adventures artistJeff Matsuda served as art director and provided the character designs. The production team altered the appearances of many of the comic books'supervillains for the show, such as theJoker, thePenguin,Mr. Freeze,Bane, and theRiddler.
The entire series is available onDVD andBlu-ray. In 2005, a direct-to-DVD film titledThe Batman vs. Dracula was released.The Batman also received a spin-off comic,The Batman Strikes!.[3][4][5][6]
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Billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne (voiced byRino Romano) is secretly The Batman, the costumed protector ofGotham City. The series focuses on Batman's earlier years of his crime-fighting career, as he began fighting crime three years prior to the start of the series, and the Gotham City police do not publicly acknowledge the vigilante's existence. Operating out of a secret lair underneath Bruce Wayne's mansion—known as the Batcave—Batman and his butler,Alfred Pennyworth (voiced byAlastair Duncan), stop crime with the assistance of high-tech gadgets and a supercomputer.
At the start of the first season, crime in Gotham is in decline, but Gotham Chief of Police Angel Rojas (voiced in the pilot byEdward James Olmos and later byJesse Corti), orders his officers to hunt down Batman. This marks the first acknowledgement of Batman's existence in the series. Despite Rojas' orders, one of his detectives, Ethan Bennett (voiced bySteve Harris), believes the city needs Batman. At the start of the series, Bennett is assisted by a new partner fromMetropolis, Ellen Yin (voiced byMing-Na Wen), who becomes torn between her commitment tolaw and order and her feelings toward Batman.
Throughout season 1, both Bennett and Yin are tasked with capturing Batman. During this first season, Bruce Wayne finds himself torn between his responsibilities as Batman and his regular life, though the latter is supported by Gotham's mayor,Marion Grange (voiced byAdam West). By the end of the season, Bennett is exposed to the Joker's mutagenic Joker Putty and transformed intoClayface. As Clayface, he is forced into hiding, while his partner Yin finally realizes she was wrong about Batman and forms an alliance with him.
Among the villains introduced this season are theJoker (voiced byKevin Michael Richardson), thePenguin (voiced byTom Kenny),Catwoman (voiced byGina Gershon),Mr. Freeze (voiced byClancy Brown),Firefly (voiced byJason Marsden), theVentriloquist (voiced byDan Castellaneta),Man-Bat (voiced byPeter MacNicol),Cluemaster (voiced byGlenn Shadix), andBane (voiced byJoaquim de Almeida in the first appearance,Ron Perlman in the second, andClancy Brown in the third).
Throughout the second season, Batman continues to act outside of the law even though he has Detective Yin as an ally. Batman begins making a name for himself as a force for good when he saves a group of policemen from certain doom. In this season, his heroic act prompts the officers to support him rather than pursue him as a criminal. In the season finale, Police Chief Rojas uncovers Yin's involvement with Batman, forcing her to go on the run. Around this time,James Gordon (voiced byMitch Pileggi), becomes the police commissioner of Gotham. Unlike most of Gotham's police, Gordon is an ally of Batman.
This season introduces more villains, includingRag Doll (voiced byJeff Bennett), theRiddler (voiced byRobert Englund),Killer Croc (voiced byRon Perlman),Spellbinder (voiced byMichael Massee), andSolomon Grundy (voiced byKevin Grevioux). Another new villain,Hugo Strange (initially voiced byFrank Gorshin, who is later replaced byRichard Green after Gorshin's death), is portrayed as a secondary character in the season. The characters Yin and Police Chief Rojas make their final appearances at the end of the season.
The third season introducesBarbara Gordon (voiced by Danielle Judovits), Jim Gordon's daughter, who later becomesBatgirl. The opening title sequence is altered and features a new theme performed byAndy Sturmer.
Batgirl appears beforeDick Grayson, Batman's first sidekick in the comics, due to copyright issues regarding his simultaneous appearances inTeen Titans.[citation needed] This season also sees the destruction of Batman's originalBatmobile, which is replaced by an updated version for the remainder of the series.
Several more new villains from the Batman mythos are introduced this season, includingPoison Ivy (voiced byPiera Coppola),Gearhead (voiced byWill Friedle),Maxie Zeus (voiced byPhil LaMarr), the Toymaker (voiced byPatton Oswalt), Prank (voiced byMichael Reisz), Temblor (voiced byJim Cummings), and D.A.V.E. (voicedJeff Bennett). Hugo Strange becomes a villain this season, and is later imprisoned atArkham Asylum.
With the conclusion ofTeen Titans in 2006, the fourth season introducesDick Grayson (voiced by Eve Sabara[b]). The opening episode of the season focuses on Dick Grayson's origins as Robin, with Batman adopting him after hisparents are murdered. The second episode in the season leads to Batgirl officially becoming part of the team, with each member revealing their secret identity to the others. In a potential future depicted in the episode "Artifacts", Dick and Barbara respectively becomeNightwing (voiced byJerry O'Connell) and Oracle (voiced byKellie Martin).
More villains with new interpretations are once again introduced, includingTony Zucco (voiced byMark Hamill),Killer Moth (voiced byJeff Bennett),Black Mask (voiced byJames Remar), Rumor (voiced byRon Perlman), the Everywhere Man (voiced byBrandon Routh),Harley Quinn (voiced byHynden Walch), and Francis Grey (voiced byDave Foley). Additionally, Ethan Bennett is cured, withBasil Karlo (voiced byWallace Langham in the first appearance, andLex Lang in the second appearance) succeeding him as Clayface. This season also introduces the Justice League, though onlyMartian Manhunter (voiced byDorian Harewood) has a speaking appearance.
This was the final season worked on byJeff Matsuda andMichael Jelenic, with both leaving the show after the season finale.
The final season onThe Batman, season 5, focused primarily on Batman and Robin, with the pair teaming up with some of the DC Universe's characters to battle different villains. The League consists of Martian Manhunter,Superman (voiced byGeorge Newbern),Green Arrow (voiced byChris Hardwick), theFlash (voiced byCharlie Schlatter),Green Lantern (voiced byDermot Mulroney), andHawkman (voiced byRobert Patrick). ProducerAlan Burnett described the season as the show's "The Brave and the Bold season".[7][8] Both Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon were relegated to either guest or cameo appearances during the season, with Barbara moving to attend college. The two-part series finale, "Lost Heroes", has Batman and the League battle a second invasion by the Joining.[9]
Most of the villains featured in the season are enemies of other heroes. They includeLex Luthor (voiced byClancy Brown),Mercy Graves (voiced byGwendoline Yeo),Metallo (voiced byLex Lang),Count Vertigo (voiced byGreg Ellis),Toyman (voiced byRichard Green),Shadow Thief (voiced byDiedrich Bader),Sinestro (voiced byMiguel Ferrer), andMirror Master (voiced byJohn Larroquette). Only theTerrible Trio (voiced byDavid Faustino,Grey DeLisle, and Googy Gress),[10]Wrath (voiced byChristopher Gorham), and Firefly'sPhosphorus form are reinterpretations of Batman villains.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| 1 | 13 | September 11, 2004 | May 7, 2005 | Cartoon Network/Kids' WB | |
| 2 | 13 | May 14, 2005 | September 10, 2005 | ||
| Movie | October 18, 2005 | Cartoon Network | |||
| 3 | 13 | September 17, 2005 | May 13, 2006 | Kids' WB | |
| 4 | 13 | September 23, 2006 | May 5, 2007 | ||
| 5 | 13 | September 22, 2007 | March 8, 2008 | ||
All of theDVD releases ofThe Batman are released byWarner Home Video (via DC Entertainment andWarner Bros. Family Entertainment) and presented in its original broadcast version and in story continuity order. The DVD releases ofThe Batman are also presented in a 4:3 fullscreenaspect ratio, but the entire series is available in its original 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio onAmazon Video, Blu-ray,Google Play,Max,Netflix, and theXbox Video Store. The first two seasons andThe Batman vs. Dracula film are available oniTunes in 16:9. In March 2022, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released the series onBlu-ray, withThe Batman vs. Dracula film being left out.[11]
The Batman Plug and Play TV Video Game (a.k.a. Plug 'n Play) was released in 2004 byJakks Pacific. It featuresThe Batman tracking down notable villains from the show, includingThe Joker,Firefly,Mr. Freeze,Bane, andPenguin. The game comes with a custom controller which connects to a TV via RCA connectors.
The Batman: The CobbleBot Caper is aMacromedia FlashToonami game released on theCartoon Network website in 2005. It has similar gameplay to the Plug and Play game and features Penguin and the Kabuki Twins.
The Batman Strikes! is aDCcomic book series featuringBatman and is a spin-off comic book series ofThe Batman. Part of DC's line for young readers, the series lasted 50 issues in total, with the last issue shipping in October 2008.[12]
| Title | Material collected | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| The Batman Strikes! Volume 1: Crime Time[13] | #1–5 | SC: 978-1-4012-0509-6 |
| The Batman Strikes! Volume 2: In Darkest Night[14] | #6–10 | SC: 978-1-4012-0510-2 |
| The Batman Strikes! Volume 3: Duty Calls[15] | #11–14, 16–18 | SC: 978-1-4012-1548-4 |
The Batman receivedAnnie Award nominations for Annie Award forBest Animated Television Production in 2005 and 2006, and forBest Music in a Television Production in 2006.[16]
The Batman was nominated for 12 Daytime Emmy Awards during its five-year run, with a total of six wins.
In 2005, it was nominated for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program,Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program (Kevin Michael Richardson as the Joker), Outstanding Music Direction and Composition, and Outstanding Sound Editing – Live Action and Animation (for which it won).
In 2006, it was nominated and won Outstanding Special Class Animated Program and Outstanding Sound Editing – Live Action and Animation.
In 2007, it was nominated for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program and won Outstanding Sound Editing – Live Action and Animation.
In 2008, it was nominated for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program andOutstanding Performer in an Animated Program (Kevin Michael Richardson as the Joker), and won Outstanding Sound Editing – Live Action and Animation, and Outstanding Sound Mixing – Live Action and Animation.[16]
The Batman was also nominated for Motion Picture Sound Editors "Golden Reel Awards" for Sound Effects Editing in 2005, 2008, and 2009, winning in 2008.
IGN wrote that the series failed to win over diehard Batman fans the wayBatman: The Animated Series did, but noted that it remained popular enough to last for five seasons.[17]
Over the years, retrospective reviews on the series have become more positive and it has become acult classic among those who grew up with it.[citation needed]
In June 2006, during an interview aboutSuperman: Brainiac Attacks, writerDuane Capizzi mentioned aSuperman series set in the same universe ofThe Batman, a possibility supported by Superman's revealed existence during the show's fifth season.[18] Despite this, the expansion was never realized, and Capizzi never again mentioned the spin-off.
