The DCU Animation Thread.

[SoulManX]

Every night on Boomarang I watch JLU and it makes me miss this show so much. So decide to create a thread for all dc animated movies, shows, dtv. Please feel free to share you favorite eps or dislikes to eps. So to start this thread of right I present ( and this my own opinion) the best Batman movie to date.



Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (also known as Batman: The Animated Movie) is a 1993 animated superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman. Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm directed the film, which stars Kevin Conroy as Batman, as well as Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Mark Hamill, Abe Vigoda, and Stacy Keach. The film's storyline introduces Andrea Beaumont, an old love interest of Bruce Wayne, who returns to Gotham City, restarting their romance as well. At the same time, a mysterious murderer begins systematically eliminating Gotham's crime bosses, and due to the person's dark appearance, he is mistaken for Batman. Now on the run, Batman must solve the mystery and deal with the romance between himself and Andrea.

Development for the film started after the success of Batman: The Animated Series. Warner Bros. assigned Alan Burnett to write the story, and Burnett collaborated with writers Paul Dini, Michael Reaves, and Martin Pasko. The original idea was to release the film as direct-to-video, but the studio decided for a theatrical release, giving the filmmakers a strenuous eight-month schedule. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was released with positive critical success, but resulted into a dismal box office due to the decision to release the film in theaters on such short notice. Mask of the Phantasm has since found success with home video and DVD releases.

Its funny that Warner Bros. never did a special edition to this film...quite a shame.

 

[bored]

The way the Timmverse progressed, from "Batman" all the way to "JLU", is cool to consider, especially with how good it was throughout.

 

[SoulManX]

The way the Timmverse progressed, from "Batman" all the way to "JLU", is cool to consider, especially with how good it was throughout.

Yea the progression is one of the things I love about the DC animated universe. Its a shame Marvel never got the same treat

 

[SoulManX]

One of my favorite Superman eps.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_VIcAWSD-E

 

[AmazinUncleBen]

One of my favorite pieces of DCU animation from Return of the Joker


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPM9ihbfboM&feature=PlayList&p=12CBBE1D696A38A1&index=4

 

[Abaddon]

Superman TAS is underrated among the DCAU shows.

 

[SoulManX]

Superman TAS is underrated among the DCAU shows.

I totally agree yet a lot of people act like it was the worst thing to come out of DCUA

 

[shadowdog]

all of the Bruce Timm DC animated series were top notch. We need more great cartoons like JLU, Batman TAS and Superman TAS- I really miss them!

 

[SoulManX]

all of the Bruce Timm DC animated series were top notch. We need more great cartoons like JLU, Batman TAS and Superman TAS- I really miss them!

Batman TAS is to me the gold standard when it comes to american animation for tv.

 

[Dr. Fate]

I liked the DCAU, Batman TAS being the best, I just wish the animation hadn't gotten so damn blocky.

 

[SoulManX]

I liked the DCAU, Batman TAS being the best, I just wish the animation hadn't gotten so damn blocky.

Blocky?

 

[Dr. Fate]

Blocky?

Really squared/rectangular arms, squared fingers, not a lot of definition to the physiques. Not to mention that the legs of most male characters don't look sturdy enough to support their upper body mass.

Compare that DCUA Superman (circa JLU), who has no eyes for some reason (seriously, what's with those beedy black dots?) to say...

Thor from Ultimate Avengers, note that Thor has more definition to his appearance than the DCAU Superman does. To be perfectly blunt, the DCAU Superman - most DCAU heroes in general actually - looks fat when compared to the UA Thor.

Another example of an animated hero with more definition to him than most DCAU heroes -

He-Man circa 2002 MYP series.

But that's just my personal animation preference. I still enjoy the DCAU, I just don't care for their animation.

 

[The Denialist]

I grew up with shows like Batman and Superman the Animated Series, Justice League/JLU, Batman Beyond.....all the Timm/Dini programs, really. These shows were my introduction to the iconic characters I love today. Watching these shows made me want to explore the characters further, so I started reading comics, and the rest is history.

One of the elements of these shows that really appealed to me, even as a young kid, was the music. At age nine, I didn't really pick up on how fantastic the writing was for a "kid's show," how involved the plotlines were. What really caught my attention at first was the awesome music, something I've come to associate with Batman in particular (has there ever been a Batman show/film with bad music?). That certainly wasn't the only thing I enjoyed about these shows, I obviously loved the characters or else I wouldn't have looked into the comics.

As I grew older I was able to appreciate the other elements of the show mentioned above, and I really wish more cartoons were like these, at least in terms of writing and plot. A show like Batman: The Animated series, for example, proves that a cartoon can have a dark, mature feel to it that appeals to adults while still being able to remain appropriate for younger viewers.

Plus, the DCAU gave us Harley Quinn and Mercy Graves.

 

[Frank]

Really squared/rectangular arms, squared fingers, not a lot of definition to the physiques. Not to mention that the legs of most male characters don't look sturdy enough to support their upper body mass.

Compare that DCUA Superman (circa JLU), who has no eyes for some reason (seriously, what's with those beedy black dots?) to say...

Thor from Ultimate Avengers, note that Thor has more definition to his appearance than the DCAU Superman does. To be perfectly blunt, the DCAU Superman - most DCAU heroes in general actually - looks fat when compared to the UA Thor.

Another example of an animated hero with more definition to him than most DCAU heroes -

He-Man circa 2002 MYP series.

But that's just my personal animation preference. I still enjoy the DCAU, I just don't care for their animation.

character design and animation are two different things. One has to do with the way the characters look. The other has to do with how they move.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

They go hand in hand, though. It costs a hell of a lot more to make character designs like Thor and He-Man's up there move fluidly than it does to make Superman move fluidly. All things considered, I personally prefer scaled down designs in favor of more fluid animation. Ultimate Avengers was cheaply made and looked worse than most episodes of JLU in motion. The recent He-Man, on the other hand, I remember being very fluid, so I guess either someone spent a ton of money on it or they were lucky enough to have a really amazing animation house.

 

[MARVELDC]

Really squared/rectangular arms, squared fingers, not a lot of definition to the physiques. Not to mention that the legs of most male characters don't look sturdy enough to support their upper body mass.

Compare that DCUA Superman (circa JLU), who has no eyes for some reason (seriously, what's with those beedy black dots?) to say...

Thor from Ultimate Avengers, note that Thor has more definition to his appearance than the DCAU Superman does. To be perfectly blunt, the DCAU Superman - most DCAU heroes in general actually - looks fat when compared to the UA Thor.

Another example of an animated hero with more definition to him than most DCAU heroes -

He-Man circa 2002 MYP series.

But that's just my personal animation preference. I still enjoy the DCAU, I just don't care for their animation.

Cartoon Networks "Teen Titans" is worse! It's a total disgrace!

 

[SoulManX]

Cartoon Networks "Teen Titans" is worse! It's a total disgrace!

Yes that is true but the Kid Flash ep was awesomet:

 

[SoulManX]

They go hand in hand, though. It costs a hell of a lot more to make character designs like Thor and He-Man's up there move fluidly than it does to make Superman move fluidly. All things considered, I personally prefer scaled down designs in favor of more fluid animation. Ultimate Avengers was cheaply made and looked worse than most episodes of JLU in motion. The recent He-Man, on the other hand, I remember being very fluid, so I guess either someone spent a ton of money on it or they were lucky enough to have a really amazing animation house.

I agree with this

 

[SoulManX]

To be honest I love the Batman TAS design more so than the NBTAS design...it made him look more like a tortured soul.

 

[Dr. Fate]

To be honest I love the Batman TAS design more so than the NBTAS design...it made him look more like a tortured soul.

I agree 110%. Easily the best DCAU animation.

 

[CFE]

No one has handled the characters of the DCU outside of the comics better than Bruce Timm and everyone involved with these series.

Not saying the efforts of Nolan or Burton or Donner aren't brilliant in their own right.

But these series were always amazing. The storytelling got more and more faithful to the comics as it went along, the material was handled with care and intelligence that adults could enjoy while still having a whimsical sensibility that children could get a kick out of.

Hell, with the creation of "Batman Beyond" the universe created its own mythology that progressed into "JL" and "JLU." That in and of itself is an awesome achievement!

Yes "The Dark Knight" was absolutely stunning and incredible.

But if the live action DC films were anything like the DCAU, Marvel's films wouldn't be able to hold a candle to them, IMO.

 

[November Rain]

the best dcu animation was batman beyond.

great concept and well executed.

 

[SoulManX]

I agree 110%. Easily the best DCAU animation.

t:

 

[SoulManX]

No one has handled the characters of the DCU outside of the comics better than Bruce Timm and everyone involved with these series.

Not saying the efforts of Nolan or Burton or Donner aren't brilliant in their own right.

But these series were always amazing. The storytelling got more and more faithful to the comics as it went along, the material was handled with care and intelligence that adults could enjoy while still having a whimsical sensibility that children could get a kick out of.

Hell, with the creation of "Batman Beyond" the universe created its own mythology that progressed into "JL" and "JLU." That in and of itself is an awesome achievement!

Yes "The Dark Knight" was absolutely stunning and incredible.

But if the live action DC films were anything like the DCAU, Marvel's films wouldn't be able to hold a candle to them, IMO.

Which boggles the mind of why screenwriters for the big budget films fail to understand the characters...a side from Dark Knight even though Timm and Dini got it right in MOTP imho

 

[SoulManX]

the best dcu animation was batman beyond.

great concept and well executed.

I wish Dini let BB stay a little bit longer