The Official Batman TAS Thread - Part 1

[Kane52630]

BTAS Episode: The Laughing Fish

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57272580398/the-laughing-fish-batman-the-animated-series

Trivia

• The episode is based on the comics stories "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" (Batman #251, September 1973) by Dennis O'Neil, and "The Laughing Fish" and "Sign of the Joker!" (Detective Comics #475/476, February/March 1978), by Steve Englehart.
• It is also reminiscent of the Joker's first-ever caper in the comics: after he announced that he planned to kill a millionaire and steal a priceless diamond from the man's house, the police set up a protective ring around the millionaire, only to be baffled as the man dropped dead right in front of them. Batman discovered that Joker had broken in the night before, injected the sleeping millionaire with a slow-acting version of his Joker toxin, and stolen the diamond, replacing it with a fake.
• It is one of three episodes with no title card, the other two being "Heart of Ice" and "The Demon's Quest".
• Joker's mention of "Colonel What's-his-name" is a reference to Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Later in the episode, he mentions another plan that would create a "happy meal", referring to the children's meal package from the fast-food chain McDonald's.
• The Joker takes a wrench from a toolbox labeled "Binford Tools". A reference to the fictional tool company of Home Improvement. Although the label was partially obscured off the side of the screen, it was clear enough what it read out to be.
• The first ever episode in the DCAU where the Joker is apparently killed but later returns alive and unharmed without any explanation. Other examples include Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, "World's Finest", "Mad Love", "Wild Cards" and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (see "List of characters that have cheated death").
• When Joker says, "Oh, trying to cheat the Joker, are ya?" to Mr. Francis and the tune he makes before closing the shark tank are imitations of Curly from The Three Stooges. In The New Batman Adventures Joker has a trio of goons name Mo, Lar and Cur based on, and named after, The Three Stooges.
• While trying to "cheer up" Harley Quinn, Joker says she can be his "Little Mermaid". Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid appears on the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" as Aquagirl.
• Few toothed fish have the large, flat teeth required to make the Joker's smile. The fish that Joker mentioned such as smelt and tuna are not amongst these fish and therefore the toxin should not have worked on them.
• When the Gotham Times spins into screen and zooms in on the Joker's picture, his chin is straight, not following the rest of the folded newspaper. When Alfred reads the paper folded out, Joker's chin is exactly the same.
• When Batman fires his grapple gun at the ceiling of the aquarium, the "clink" of the grapple catching is heard while the wire is still wrapping around the pole.
• When Joker starts reeling Bullock back up, he winds backwards (as he should), but when we see him doing this from up by Bullock, he's winding it forward.

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57281154624/the-laughing-fish-batman-the-animated-series

 

[Elevator Man]

Another excellent episode. One of this show's more darker eps. Timm and co. figured out the perfect tone for their Joker by this point. I also enjoyed Walker's haunting music in this ep., which also reflected the tone as well. It really gets inside Joker's twisted mind and plan. It's very Herrmann-esque with the screeching strings ala Psycho. Love the intense finale.

 

[ThePhantasm]

The Laughing Fish is one of the best episodes, and Shirley Walker's music for the ep. was indeed fantastic Elevator Man.

And as a kid I always thought the Batman vs. the sharks scene was the coolest.

 

[AnneFan]

In 'Christmas With The Joker' I always wondered why Gordon and co couldn't just spit those candy canes out. There was nothing keeping them there.

 

[Drakepool]

Aww, no gif of Joker slapping the guy with a fish?

 

[The Joker]

In 'Christmas With The Joker' I always wondered why Gordon and co couldn't just spit those candy canes out. There was nothing keeping them there.

That was so funny. Maybe they tasted too good

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I'll say "The Laughing Fish" is the best episode.

 

[Kane52630]

Aww, no gif of Joker slapping the guy with a fish?

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57370228249/the-laughing-fish-batman-the-animated-series

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57376567450/the-laughing-fish-batman-the-animated-series

 

[Kane52630]

BTAS Episode: Harley and Ivy

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57458531098/harley-and-ivy-batman-the-animated-series-btas

Trivia

• The friendship between Harley and Ivy proved to be such a popular addition to the animated continuity, it was also adapted into the comics continuity.
• The scene where Ivy reveals her car is a tribute to a similar scene from Tim Burton's Batman (1989).
• Classic movie references include:
  • The plate of Ivy's car, "Rose Bud", a reference to Citizen Kane.
  • Ivy's tribute to the closing line of Casablanca.
  • The woman jerking her dog's leash to avoid the Joker's car, a reference to a scene in National Lampoon's Vacation.
• When the girls throw Batman into the toxic pool, he is shown to open his mouth underwater. Considering the circumstances, this is an extremely unwise thing to do, and would mean panic and a loss of control quite uncharacteristic of Batman.

• Robert Costanzo voices Joker's thug, Rocco, but is credited for playing Harvey Bullock, his usual role.
• The name of the diamond that Harley steals is misspelled on its casing. It reads "HARLEOUIN" instead of the more likely "HARLEQUIN".
• When Harley lands on the museum floor, she licks her finger and holds it up to test the wind. However, she is still wearing her glove, and so this wouldn't work.
• When Harley drags Ivy out of the museum, Ivy and Harley's faces are missing in several frames.
• While Ivy is talking a group of men in the "Peregrinators Club" the wine glass on the table disappears for a moment.
• In the commentary, it's pointed out that in one scene with the Bat-computer, Batman is typing on a surface that has no keyboard.
• In the scene where Batman is fighting the Joker's thugs at Poison Ivy's hideout, the girls' car pulls out of the driveway. In the next frame Harley and Ivy are gone, but their car is still there.

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57467357081/harley-and-ivy-batman-the-animated-series-btas

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57500077814/harley-and-ivy-batman-the-animated-series-btas

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57582551603/harley-and-ivy-batman-the-animated-series-btas

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57670828006/harley-and-ivy-batman-the-animated-series-btas

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57845044150/harley-and-ivy-batman-the-animated-series-btas

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/57949845948/harley-and-ivy-batman-the-animated-series-btas

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/58093690332/harley-and-ivy-batman-the-animated-series-btas

 

[Kane52630]

BTAS Episode: The Mechanic


http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/58129635331/the-mechanic-batman-the-animated-series-btas-gif

• The idea of Penguin taking control of the Batmobile was derived from the movie Batman Returns.
• This marks the only time on screen both Batman and Robin have an independent episode with Penguin.
• The license plate Penguin rips in half refers to "Gotham—the Dark Deco State". "Dark Deco" was the term used by production crew to describe the show's art deco style.
• For Earl, Batman conceals his true identity by maintaining that his personal resources come from a group of unseen "backers," rather than from Wayne Enterprises. Earl apparently has no idea of who Batman really is.
• The truck from which the Penguin's men shoot the tyres during the second chase with Batman is the same model the lorry Batman used to destroy Red Claw's plague in "The Cat and the Claw", right down to the "Flammable" logo on the back.

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/56636544177/the-mechanic-batman-the-animated-series-btas-gif

 

[DarthDaveBanner]

Dammmmn RIP to Henry Polic II, the first voice of The Scarecrow. Both him and Michaek Ansara within a month!

 

[Kane52630]

What I really dug from the Mechanic episode was the old Batmobile.

Dammmmn RIP to Henry Polic II, the first voice of The Scarecrow. Both him and Michaek Ansara within a month!

 

[DawnWarrior]

I'm pretty sure there was an episode of the Adam West show where Penguin took control of the car. (The duo paid him back by taking control of HIS car, IIRC.) Is there a comics story where Penguin does this too?

 

[Kane52630]

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/58250719104/the-mechanic-batman-the-animated-series-btas-gif

 

[The Joker]

I really liked The Mechanic episode. Had a lot of shades of Batman Returns in it. The duck vehicle, Penguin controlling the Batmobile, and of course the DeVito style design of Penguin himself.