The classic cartoon ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (1992) celebrates its 20^th anniversary September 5, 2012 with 109 episodes. The series was the first in Warner Bros’ Animation lineup that went on to make ‘Superman: The Animated Series’ (1996), ‘Batman Beyond’ (1999), ‘Static Shock’ (2000), ‘Justice League’ (2001), ‘Justice League Unlimited’ (2004), and several feature-length films based in the same continuity. For twenty years, ‘Batman’ has been one of the best animated series on and off the air, with four Emmy awards under its belt and an entire generation of followers.

The show began with the talented work of developers Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, and then flourished under several different writers, such as the critically acclaimed Paul Dini, Michael Reaves, and Alan Burnett.

The dark tone and beautiful painted backgrounds were inspired by Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ (1989), which returned the Dark Knight to his original comic book status: that of a brooding detective, rather than the campy hero Adam West made popular in the 1960’s. The team used influences from film noir to create the crime-infested city of Gotham, and gave it a unique look that few people had ever seen before.

One of the most memorable things about the series is Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman. To date, Conroy holds the record for most performances as Bruce Wayne. He has been voicing the character since 1992. In addition to the 109 episodes of this series, Conroy went on to voice Batman in all of the DC Animated Universe shows, as well as in the highly popular ‘Batman: Arkham Asylum’ and ‘Batman: Arkham City’ games.

He also voiced the Caped Crusader in the animated features ‘Batman: Gotham Knight’ (2008), ‘Superman/Batman: Public Enemies’ (2009), ‘Superman/Batman: Apocalypse’ (2010), and ‘Justice League: Doom.’ (2012)

Renowned voice casting director Andrea Romano cast Conroy almost immediately after he gave his first reading, because of his striking baritone voice and his amazing ability to make a distinction between the voice of Bruce Wayne and the voice of Batman. His utter devotion to the character and his understanding of Batman’s mission is why many fans consider him to be the quintessential Batman, despite Christopher Nolan’s excellent film trilogy.

In addition to Conroy, there are a few other voice actors who have continued with their characters throughout the years. Mark Hamill, who most know as Luke Skywalker, voiced the Joker, and continued to fill the role of the Clown Prince of Crime in other animated series, and joined Conroy in the ‘Arkham’ games. Arleen Sorkin, the voice of Harley Quinn, grew to love her character and lent her voice for several other performances as well. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. stayed on as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s faithful butler, from ‘Batman’ to ‘Justice League.’

‘Batman’ is also noteworthy for its gorgeous animation style, which had a fluidity and style that few other cartoon series did in the early 1990’s. Most of the backgrounds were painted by hand, and the studio hired the most cutting-edge companies to animate the episodes, because they knew the visuals were just as important as the writing.

Another notable aspect of the series is the writing. ‘Batman’ was one of the first cartoon series to take its audience seriously, and provided gripping, intelligent, and compelling episodes that did not shy away from important issues. Its fans were blown away by its respect for them in telling the tales of the Dark Knight’s struggle against crime with plenty of laughs, impressive and creative fight scenes, and even a couple of truly amazing dramatic moments.

The series also released a film, ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’, that made it to the big screen in 1993. Though its gross was modest, it was one of the most highly praised animated films, and continues that legacy to date. IGN listed the film as the 25^th best animated film of all time in 2010.

It is for all of these reasons that the show has endured for twenty years. Everything about it was memorable, from the voice acting, to the animation, to the writing. It inspired children to believe in heroes, and taught them that they could overcome anything if they had the willpower and the determination to make it happen. It is by far one of the most respectful adaptations of Batman to date and will continue to delight audiences for years to come.

‘Batman: The Animated Series’ currently reruns its episodes on The Hub. If you have never had a chance to watch it, there is no better time than the present.

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DC Universe’s newest animated adventure ‘Superman vs. the Elite’ hit shelves on DVD Tuesday, June 12, 2012. It is the 14^th film in the DC Universe animated original movies and brings the same familiar storytelling of the Man of Tomorrow as some of the other films.

Spoiler alert!

‘Elite’ is based on the storyline written by Joe Kelly called ‘What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?’ that appeared in 2001 in Action Comics #775. The film tells the tale of Superman struggling to maintain his image in the rather cynical, and often violent, modern world. With a war escalating in the fictional country of Bialya, political leaders are criticizing the Man of Steel for not using lethal force on criminals. They argue that it would be better to sentence them to death in order to prevent further destruction if and when certain criminals escape. In particular, the Atomic Skull (Dee Bradley Baker) had been on a murderous rampage and killed innocent people just to get Superman’s attention. Superman maintains that he is not above the law and does not have the right to kill criminals, which frustrates many people as well as world leaders.

The civil war in Bialya takes a turn for the worse but as Superman (George Newbern) intervenes, he runs into a group of young superheroes who call themselves the Elite. It is composed of Manchester Black (Robin Atkin Downes), a powerful telepath, Coldcast (Catero Colbert), a fighter who can absorb and project energy, Menagerie (Melissa Disney), a metahuman with snake-like creatures at her command, and The Hat (Andrew Kishino), a mysterious sorcerer. They stop the conflict and Superman is pleased with their help, but cautious about their origins and intentions. Manchester, the group’s leader, assures him that they are not associated with any particular government and simply travel around stopping crime as freelance heroes. However, Superman still works with his girlfriend, Lois Lane (Pauley Perrette), to begin researching where they came from.

Another incident arises when people are trapped in a train station by Bialyan terrorists, and Superman and the Elite intervene. However, when they do not get the answers they want from the terrorists, Manchester starts to torture them, which angers Superman. Thus, a feud slowly arises between them. He later learns that their origin story has been fabricated to cover up their many crimes. However, the Elite wins favor with the mass media as well as the average people who support the death penalty. This escalates when the Elite decides to kill all the leaders of Bialya to prevent the war. Superman confronts them and a vicious brawl ensues, ending only when Superman shows the Elite how truly terrible it would be if he ever decided to use his powers to kill his enemies rather than subduing them.

The voice acting is relatively solid, with George Newbern reprising his role as Superman, whom he previously played in ‘Justice League’ (2001) and ‘Justice League Unlimited’ (2004). Newbern is reminiscent of Tim Daly, who voiced the character in ‘Superman: The Animated Series’ (1996) and in two other original animated films, but he also brings a wonderful sense of calm to the character. Superman struggles with his own ideals versus the ones he sees in the world around him, and Newbern’s charismatic voice sells the drama from beginning to end.

The voice cast for the Elite is also well done, particularly Robin Atkin Downes as Manchester Black. Manchester gives off the impression of being a snob and an irresponsible jerk, but he starts out as an intriguing character before his bloodthirsty nature turns him into an outright anarchist. His teammates have unique personalities brought to life by their talented voice actors; the combination is deadly on screen.

However, the voice actress chosen for Lois Lane, Pauley Perrette, who some recognize from ‘NCIS’, is very hit-or-miss. Her voice cracks at several points in the film and it can be rather distracting at times.

While ‘Elite’ is certainly a good film, it does have some problems. First, the characterization of Menagerie can be seen as somewhat sexist. Her most outstanding characteristic is that she has a crush on Superman and constantly hits on him or objectifies him to his face. This reflects negatively on the writing, as she is the only other female main character aside from Lois Lane, and she comes across as, for lack of a better word, slutty. It would be more understandable for her to have this trait if it were plot relevant or if she had some sort of backstory that explains why she slings her sexuality around so much, but nothing is given to justify her actions. It is rather uncomfortable to watch and serves no real purpose for her character or for the story in general.

Second, the story is relatively predictable, and not just to those who have read the comic that it is based on. The end sequence when Superman supposedly goes off the deep end and starts killing the Elite members one by one does not come off too well. Superman never bends to the opposing argument that capital punishment may have some benefits. Therefore, when he snaps, it is not completely believable. If they had shown Superman being tempted to kill earlier in the film, it may have worked better.

Still, ‘Elite’ is a great movie with plenty of action and ideological issues that any DC fan, or fan of comic books in general, can enjoy. Check it out.

Grade: 4/5

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The DC Animated Universe has found its 14th original film in ‘Superman vs. the Elite’, which was released this past Tuesday, June 12, 2012. As reviews for the movie begin pouring in from excited fans and critics alike, it would be a good idea to take the time to look back at the films before it. Of the fourteen DC Universe Animated Originals, Toonari Post submits the Top 5 Favorites to honor the stories of heroes who have continued to surpass our expectations as they fight to keep the world safe.

5. Justice League: Doom (2012). As mentioned in our full review, ‘Justice League: Doom’ tells the tale of power hungry immortal Vandal Savage (Phil Morris) stealing encrypted files from the supercomputer of Batman that contain contingency plans for neutralizing each member of the Justice League if they ever went rogue. It is also noteworthy for being the unofficial Justice League reunion, as most of the voice actors from ‘Justice League’ (2001), including Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, Michael Rosenbaum, and Carl Lumbly are in the film. It also included the voice talents of geek god Nathan Fillion and newcomer Bumper Robinson.

‘Doom’ is one of the most action packed films in the franchise, but it is also one of the most emotional because the heroes deal with their anger at Batman for betraying them. Over the years, the League members have become good friends and thus cannot believe that Batman would even consider having a plan to neutralize them. The voice work is simply stunning, combining all of the familiarity from ‘Justice League’ with a new, brutal storyline. ‘Doom’ proved that heroes can indeed be broken, but what does not kill them only makes them stronger.

4. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009). ‘Public Enemies’ is based on the comic book of the same name and once again employs the voice talents of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Tim Daly as Superman. The story centers around a giant meteor hurtling towards the Earth, threatening to destroy a large portion of the world’s population. Lex Luthor, currently President of the United States, finds out that the meteor is largely composed of Kryptonite and claims it is causing Superman to act irrationally. Therefore, he places a huge bounty on Superman’s head, which means all kinds of villains come out of the woodwork to claim it. Batman partners up with Superman to find a way to stop the meteor after Luthor’s attempts to stop it fail, all while fighting off both of their Rogues Gallery.

‘Public Enemies’ shows off the best of the dynamic between Batman and Superman. Both men are smart, dedicated, and heroic, but the differences in their personalities are delightful to watch. It is a heartwarming, amusing friendship that has evolved over the years to be one fans love.

3. Batman: Gotham Knight (2008). ‘Gotham Knight’ is a tie in with Christopher Nolan’s masterful ‘Batman Begins’ that includes six short vignette-style films put together by different writers and animators. However, instead of Christian Bale, Kevin Conroy reprises his role as the Dark Knight as he continues learning how to deal with the violent criminals plaguing Gotham City. The stories vary from humorous to spiritual to emotional and all of them show Bruce Wayne coming into his own as a new hero. They also include familiar faces from Batman’s Rogues’ Gallery like Killer Croc, the Scarecrow, and Deadshot, to name a few.

The unique animation styles and fast-paced plotlines tie in well with Conroy’s solid voice acting. The end result is an exhilarating experience that does justice to both the animated myths of Batman as well as the Batman that Nolan envisioned.

2. Wonder Woman (2009). ‘Wonder Woman’ is one of the most unique films in the original movie lineup because of its mythological setting as well as its perfect infusion of humor and action. It tells the story of Diana of Themyscira (Keri Russell) from birth to adulthood in the midst of a war between the gods and mankind. A handsome, lecherous pilot named Steve Trevor (Nathan Fillion) accidentally stumbles onto Themyscira, Diana’s home island where no men are allowed, and she decides to escort him back to America and research how to stop Ares (Alfred Molina), the God of War, from getting his powers back and conquering the world.

The selling point of this film is the dynamic between Diana and Steve. Steve is smitten with Diana on sight, but she refuses his advances because she has been taught that men cannot be trusted. However, as they fight together, she learns that her perceptions of men are inaccurate because he is kind, brave, and determined to help her on her quest. Furthermore, the fight sequences are breathtaking and should not be missed.

1. Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010). ‘Red Hood’ is a fantastic film based on the comic book written by Judd Winick. It recounts the story of a new criminal named the Red Hood (Jensen Ackles) taking over the criminal underbelly of Gotham. However, he is unlike any other villain Batman (Bruce Greenwood) has faced because he seems to have a disturbing knowledge of Batman’s fighting styles and methods of operation. Furthermore, Red Hood’s presence in Gotham has stirred up trouble with crime boss Black Mask (Wade Williams) and the Joker (John DiMaggio).

‘Red Hood’ can be considered the best of the DC Universe’s original animated films because of the exceptional voice work, the gorgeous animation, the compelling storyline, and the brutal emotional implications between the characters. Once the face behind the Red Hood is revealed, the stakes become so much more important than simply stopping a new threat in Gotham. It affects Batman on a level he has never encountered before and makes him question whether his actions have done more good or harm for the city and its people.

Each of these films does something stunning and worthwhile within the original animated franchise. Be sure to check them out.

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