Releases - DVDs - Batman: The Animated Series, Volume 2
Release Information:
Studio: Warner Home Video
Announce Date: 8/25/04
Street Date: 12/7/04; Delayed until 1/25/05
Closed Captioning: Yes
MSRP: $44.98
Packaging Type: Slipcase
Subformat: Multi Disc
Media Quantity: 4
Sound Track Language: English
Run Time: 624
Episodes:
Disc 1 - Eternal Youth; Perchance to Dream; The Cape and
Cowl Conspiracy; Robin's Reckoning Part One; Robin's Reckoning
Part Two; The Laughing Fish; Night of the Ninja
Disc 2 - Cat Scratch Fever; The Strange Secret of Bruce
Wayne; Heart of Steel Part One; Heart of Steel Part Two; If
You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?; Joker's Wild; Tyger,
Tyger
Disc 3 - Moon of the Wolf; Day of the Samurai; Terror in
the Sky; Almost Got 'Im; Birds of a Feather; What is Reality?; I
am the Night
Disc 4 - Off Balance; The Man Who Killed Batman;
Mudslide; Paging the Crime Doctor; Zatanna; The Mechanic; Harley
and Ivy |
Aspect Ratio(s):
Original Aspect Ratio - 1.33
Standard [4:3 Transfer]
Audio
English: Stereo 2S
Francais: Stereo 2S
Espanol: Stereo 2S
Edition Details:
• Encoding: Region 1
• Animated, Color
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Special Features
• Commentary by Bruce Timm (Producer) and Eric Radomski (Producer) on
"Robin's Reckoning Part 1"
• Commentary by Bruce Timm (Producer), Eric Radomski (Producer), Kevin
Altieri on "Heart of Steel Part 2"
• Commentary by Bruce Timm (Producer), Eric Radomski (Producer), and
Paul Dini (Producer) on "Almost Got 'Im"
• Commentary by Bruce Timm (Producer), Eric Radomski (Producer), and
Boyd Kirkland (Producer) on "Harley and Ivy"
• Featurette: Robin Rising [Featurette detailing the evolution of
Robin's character in the series RT 10:00]
• Gotham's Guardians [Featurette about the supporting cast of The Batman
Animated Series- Includes Commissioner Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Selina
Kyle (aka Catman), Harvey Bullock, Rene Montoya. RT 10:00];
• Voices of the Knight [Featurette about the voices behind the
characters RT10:00] |
Official Synopsis: Fight crime day and night alongside the Dark
Knight with this deluxe 4-disc set packed with 28 heroic adventures from
the acclaimed series! Filled with gripping plots, multidimensional
characters and superb voice talent, this Emmy-winning series has defined
Batman for legions of fans. Enjoy amazing encounters with Catwoman,
duels with the Penguin, contests with the Riddler and of course, battles
of wit with the Joker - plus Exclusive Extras from the minds that
conceived this cutting-edge version of the classic hero! Grab your cape
and swing into action with this quintessential Batman compilation!
Review
Batman: The Animated Series is the best television adaptation any comic
book superhero has ever received. A perfect blend of action, drama and
character, all realized through beautiful animation, it is the gold
standard against which all action adventure animation must be compared.
It was daring and bold, not just for its time but for all time. It
didn’t talk down to its audience, but managed to cater to the kids as
well as adults. It borrowed from the comics where it needed to, but
didn’t follow them slavishly. Visually, it struck a consistent look even
while crafting individual episodes that reflected the stories of their
particular characters. The design work was ingenious. Many cartoons of
the late eighties and early nineties were pretty to look at but looked
like crap when they moved. Batman, with its radically streamlined
designs, managed to be both striking and fluid. The backgrounds, drawn
on black paper, created a dark mood, and the brilliant symphonic scores
filled the silences that allowed Batman to become the strong-and-silent
character we always knew he was.
Warner Bros. continues its release of Batman: The Animated Series to DVD
with Volume 2, collecting twenty-eight episodes. As with any collection,
it has a mix of highs and lows, of great episodes and real stinkers.
Among the best of the best collected here: The critically acclaimed
two-part episode "Robin’s Reckoning" dramatizes Dick Grayson’s origin
story while also setting up his eventual break with the Dark Knight. "If
You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?" introduces the animated
universe’s Riddler, a character the producers rethought from the ground
up. "Perchance to Dream" is an intriguing exploration of Batman’s fears
and desires in a Twilight Zone-like story. It also includes the
extremely enjoyable "Almost Got ‘Im," "Birds of a Feather," and "Harley
and Ivy," the latter of which launched a very popular all-girl villain
team.
On the other hand, admittedly, you also get "Moon of the Wolf," "Cat
Scratch Fever," and "Tyger Tyger," dire episodes that actually make you
grateful that the disc hasn’t got chapter stops: Hit the forward button,
and it sends you straight to the next story.
Extras are a real improvement from the first set. The best featurette on
the discs is undoubtedly "Voices of the Knight," in which cast members
Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and Adrienne Barbeau, as well as voice
director Andrea Romano, discuss their approaches to the characters. (It
includes a marvelous bit in which Hamill compares the Joker’s laugh to a
musical instrument.) Also included: "Guardians of Gotham," in which the
supporting cast, from Jim Gordon to Dr. Leslie Thompkins, is analyzed by
the creative crew, and a featurette on Robin in which the crew expresses
their mixed feelings about the character and his evolution. This
featurette, surprisingly, even goes past The Animated Series to feature
clips from and discussions of The New Adventures, in which Dick Grayson
became Nightwing and Tim Drake moved into the Batcave.
Where the first volume contained only two commentaries, the new set has
four, for "Harley and Ivy," "Almost Got ‘Im," "Robin’s Reckoning (Part
I)" and "Heart of Steel (Part II)." Producers Bruce Timm, Eric Radomski
and Paul Dini are joined by directors Boyd Kirkland and Kevin Altieri on
the latter two, respectively, and the crew has a lot of fun reacting to
and discussing the episodes as they watch them.
The transfer isn’t as clean as the Superman set (also recently
released), and there are a few bits of grain here and there. And yet
that is curiously fitting: it’s a very retro-looking series and the
retro-crud actually makes it feel more authentic, somehow. The sound is
good, with voices that are clear and music that rings through nicely.
The menus are cooler than the last set. Whilst not as pretty as
Superman’s, they’re nice and simple and don’t hinder my enjoyment of the
set.
If you’re reading this, you’re already more than likely to buy it
anyway. But it’s worth saying anyway: You must buy this set. The years
of waiting have paid off. This is Batman the way he should be, in a set
that truly does the show justice. |
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