The ’90s was an incredible time for children’s animation, with the industry moving away from the cheap toy tie-ins of the 1980s and instead moving onto projects that prioritized creativity, gorgeous animation, and great stories. While toys and merchandise were still important, the shift is apparent when comparing the biggest hits of each decade, especially when it comes to superhero cartoons.
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For example, take Batman, one of the most iconic superheroes of all time. Early Batman shows obviously felt cheap, with projects like The Adventures of Batman, Super Friends, and other DC projects throughout the 1980s not being looked back on fondly. However, this all changed in 1992, when a revolutionary animated superhero series would change the field forever: Batman: The Animated Series.
Batman: The Animated Series Premiered 34 Years Ago, Today
While previous Batman projects were developed by companies like Hanna-Barbera Productions and Filmation, everything changed when Warner Bros. Animation came on the scene. Warner Bros. previous animation division, which produced classic Looney Tunes shorts and other iconic projects, was shuttered in 1969, leading Chuck Jones Productions to begin developing its own Looney Tunes projects. The success of these projects throughout the 1970s led Warner Bros. to open Warner Bros. Animation in 1980, which developed a line of Looney Tunes projects, including the smash hit 1990 series Tiny Toon Adventures.
The success of Tiny Toons led to Warner Bros. Animation developing other cartoons based on its licenses, which included some DC Comics titles. Thus, Batman: The Animated Series began development. Inspired by Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film, showrunners Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm developed the project as more mature than typical children’s animated programs, especially those focused on superheroes. The show developed a striking visual style, incredible voice performances, and tons of fantastic stories.
Batman: The Animated Series premiered on Fox Kids on September 5, 1992, with the fifteenth episode in production order being the first one to air. “The Cat and the Claw: Part 1” kicked off the series, with the two-part episode following Bruce Wayne as he falls for Selina Kyle, with his alter ego Batman having to simultaneously face off against Selina’s alter ego, Catwoman. While “On Leather Wings” was the first episode produced, “The Cat and the Claw: Part 1” was released first in order to capitalize on the success of Catwoman, who had a prominent role in Batman Returns earlier that year.
Batman: The Animated Series was a massive success, winning multiple Emmys and currently holding 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The series was a massive hit for Warner Bros., and it was majorly influential on not only animated superhero shows, but DC Comics as a whole. Firstly, it launched the DC Animated Universe, spawning spinoffs like Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Static Shock, and more. On top of that, elements of Batman: The Animated Series influenced Batman canon as a whole, with the show spawning characters like Harley Quinn and narrative elements like Mr. Freeze’s backstory.
Batman: The Animated Series ran for only two seasons, but they spanned years. The show ended on September 15, 1995, consisting of 85 episodes and a movie, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. The DCAU has had projects release as recently as 2019, showing that the franchise it spawned has lasted almost as long as its entire legacy.
After Over Three Decades, Batman Is Still The Greatest Animated Superhero Series Ever
Tons of incredible animated superhero shows have come and gone in the years since Batman: The Animated Series, but none of them have surpassed it as the greatest animated superhero series ever. This title is almost universally given to Batman: The Animated Series, and the series is the standard that basically every animated superhero show that has been made since is compared to.
It is surprising just how well Batman: The Animated Series holds up today, as the explosion of superhero media since the 2000s has caused massive changes in how comic book media is adapted and seen by the public. Even the Burton Batman movies that inspired The Animated Series feel a bit dated at this point, yet the cartoon doesn’t. The show contains the definitive adaptation of many Batman stories, and helped cement Danny Elfman’s Batman theme as the most iconic one. Batman: The Animated Series is on HBO Max right now, so if you’re a DC fan and haven’t seen it yet, you definitely need to check it out.
