Animation Congregation: The Animated Lives of Batman!

Redartz:  Many are the heroes who have filled the small screen with their animated adventures. And some of those have been featured in several different shows. None, however, have been as frequently featured as Batman (or, "The Batman" if you prefer). Today we shall have a look at some of those appearances (appearances which, like his nemesis Two-Face, can be good or bad). Oh, and thanks to Wikipedia for some of today's details...

 


Those older Bronze agers among us may remember the Batman/Superman Hour from the Filmation studios, broadcast on CBS (1968). Voiced by Olan Soule (Batman) and Casey Kasem (Robin), the show gave life to many of the Darknight Detective's greatest foes, including Joker, Penguin, Scarecrow and Riddler. Batman was added to the existing Superman show, doubtlessly, to capitalize on the hugely popular live action Batman show then showing in prime time. I recall watching the show regularly, both for Bats and for Superman; although to be honest, I was much more excited by Marvel's 1967 Spider-Man and Fantastic Four cartoons.

 


 


A few years later, in 1972 , Batman and Robin made two fun appearances teaming with Shaggy, Fred, Velma and Daphne on The New Scooby Doo Movies. Joker and Penguin served as the foils for the two detective teams. Soule and Kasem reprised their vocal roles a the Dynamic Duo from the 1968 series. It seemed pretty cool at the time to see such a crossover as this. Actually, The New Scooby-Doo Movies excelled at the crossover bit. The likes of Don Knotts, Sandy Duncan and the Dynamic Duo teaming with The Gang made this a favorite Saturday morning staple.

Following quickly on the heels of those Scooby appearances, Batman next was included in ABC Network's Super Friends. This show ran from 1973 to 1986, making it one of the longest running Saturday morning shows ever. Nearly two generations growing up with the Friends; imagine that.There were several manifestations of the show, but all basically featured an approximation of the Justice League. Personally, I rarely caught this show, as the 'kids and dog' additions turned off this viewer. Nonetheless, there's no denying the show's popularity, or it's ubiquitous nature during that era: comics, toys, lunchboxes, they were everywhere kids were.



 

 

In 1977, The New Adventures of Batman appeared (interestingly, it was produced by Filmation Studios, directly competing with the concurrent Super Friends from Hanna-Barbera). Showing on CBS, it actually featured the voices of Adam West and Burt Ward from the 1966 Batman prime time series. Batmite was included in the cast as comic relief, and many of Batman's classic rogue's gallery also appeared. 


 


The late 80's saw the 'grim and gritty' Batman in comics; on tv by then he was pretty much absent. But not for long; by the early 90's, Batman had been returned to popular attention via the Tim Burton Batman films. This led to the debut of possibly the best superhero animated series  ever: Batman-The Animated Series. 

 Produced by Alan Burnett, Eric Radomski, and two geniuses from the comics: Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, the show was moody, evocative, dramatic, and hugely entertaining. And it accomplished this without going as dark as Batman had become on the comic pages. 

The vocal talent was top-notch, led by Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne and his  alter-ego. Mark Hamill became famous all over again by voicing the Joker. And Arleen Sorkin gave a perfect performance as the voice of Harley Quinn- a debut villian on the show whose popularity became universal. 

The music was great, the animation stylish and effective. Watching this show with my two sons helped return me to comics; Batman:TAS certainly (along with the 90's Spider-Man show on  Fox) nurtured their interest in the source medium. 

Following on the heels of BTAS, many more Batman shows have aired in the succeeding years. Among them: The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond and Batman: Brave and the Bold. The animation styling of BTAS found echoes on these shows, and in such shows as Justice League. All of these shows have been fun to watch, and help to make certain that Batman's animated life will continue well into the new millenium...