La-La Land Records is slated to ship the first in a possible series of Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack releases on December 16th, 2008, with pre-orders for the release starting next week, on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008. This is a limited edition collector’s release of 3000 units and will be available only through the La-La Land Records website and other online soundtrack specialty stores. Roughly 100 autographed copies of the Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack release will only be available through the La-La Land Records site and are first-come, first-serve while supplies last, though not gauranteed. Orders will begin December 2nd at 12:00pm (PST). The release will also include a detailed 20-page booklet.
Click here for a complete rundown of the tracklist for the 2-disc CD release.
Depending on the reaction to this first release, future Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack releases are very possible. Stay tuned to The Worlds Finest for further update!
The final two episodes of The Batman, which make up the two-part “Lost Powers” series finale, will be spread out over two weeks on Teletoon. “Lost Powers, Part One” is scheduled to air on December 7th, 2008 at 10am (ET), and then “Lost Powers, Part Two” is scheduled to air on December 14th, 2008 at 10am (ET). The descriptions for the final two episodes are as follows, as seen below.
The Batman Episodes #64 – 65: “Lost Heroes, Parts 1 & 2” The most powerful members of the Justice League are abducted one-by-one. Batman, Robin and Green Arrow discover the mystery surrounding their disappearance The Joining has returned (with some earthly villainous assistance) and has transferred the Justice League’s powers into alien androids. It’s up to Batman, Robin and Green Arrow to help their JL friends regain their powers and prevent an alien invasion.
Teletoon will continue to air The Batman for the remainder of 2008 every weekday afternoon at 4pm (ET) and Sundays at 10am (ET), occasionally pre-empted for special programming events. Batman: The Brave and The Bold is slated to replace The Batman on the Canadian network in January 2009.
La-La Land Records is slated to ship the first in a possible series of Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack releases on December 16th, 2008, with pre-orders for the release starting next week, on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008. This is a limited edition collector’s release of 3000 units and will be available only through the La-La Land Records website and other online soundtrack specialty stores. Roughly 100 autographed copies of the Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack release will only be available through the La-La Land Records site and are first-come, first-serve while supplies last, though not gauranteed. Orders will begin December 2nd at 12:00pm (PST). The release will also include a detailed 20-page booklet.
La-La Land Records will be supplying more information later this week on this highly anticipated release. The first official Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack release will ship on December 16th, 2008.
So, stay tuned for further details, but, to tide you over, La-La Land Records has supplied the track listing for the scheduled Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack release.
DISC ONE 01. Gotham City Overture 14:01 02. Batman: The Animated Series – Main Title (Danny Elfman) 1:02 On Leather Wings Shirley Walker 03. Sub-Main Title / Batwing / Bat Attack 1:51 04. Batman Drives To Gotham 1:00 05. Batman Investigates / Batman Uses Infrared / Police Rush Building 1:48 06. Batman Escapes / Batman Flies 1:48 07. Bats / Evidence Goes Up In Smoke/ The Formula / Dr Jekyll And Mr. Bat 3:01 08. Gotham From the Air / RideEm Batman / Epilogue 2:16 The Last Laugh Shirley Walker 09. Sub-Main Title 1:35 10. The Submarine / Joker Loots Gotham 2:35 11. Alfred Loses It 0:58 12. Bat Boat / Batman Catches The Big Fish / Batman Fights The Bad Guys 2:18 13. Cliff-Hanger Under Water / Batman A.K.A Houdini 1:56 14. Batman The Terminator 2:01 15. Batman Vs. Joker / Batman Vs Joker Part 2 3:47 Its Never Too Late Lolita Ritmanis 16. Sub-Main Title / Stromwells Flashback 2:01 17. Batman on Top of Church / Stromwell Arrives At Petes / Thugs Exit 1:20 18. Stromwell Confronts Thorn 1:15 19. Its Party Time / Batman Carries Stromwell 0:48 20. Stromwell Sees Joey 1:41 21. Stromwell Tricks Batman / Thorns Men Move In / Thorn Chases Stromwell 3:22 22. Stromwells Flashback #2 1:45 23. Batman Cracks Heads / Thorn Removed 1:20 Pretty Poison Shirley Walker / Lolita Ritmanis / Michael McCuiston 24. Ground Breaking Ceremony / Penitentiary Time Lapses 1:11 25. Batman Catches A Chopper / The Chopper Crashes / Rooftop Chase 1:58 26. Batman Sneaks Around 1:09 27. A Little Plant Muzak / The Carnivorous Plant 0:59 28. Batman Vs. Poison Ivy / Poison Ivy In Prison 3:52 Christmas with the Joker – Shirley Walker / Lolita Ritmanis / Michael McCuiston 29. 14 Seconds Opening / Jingle Bells / The Joker Blasts Off 1:03 30. Down the Mountain / Sidewalk Red Herring 0:51 31. Pukey Christmas Music / Christmas With The Joker / Game Show Music 2:18 32. The Train Crashes 1:19 33. Observatory Cannon / Cannon Out Of Control / Robin Blows Up Cannon 1:11 34. More Game Show Music / Drive To The Toy Company 1:39 35. Nutcracker Suite Medley 1:24 36. Pie In Batmans Face / Dangling Hostages Saved / Deck The Halls 1:40 CD One Total Time: 76:05
DISC TWO 01. Batman: The Animated Series – Alternate Main Title (S. Walker) 1:09 Two-Face, Part I Shirley Walker 02. Harveys Nightmare / Dents Soap Box 2:24 03. Batman Tracks Dent 2:07 04. Split Personality / Harvey / Harv 4:21 Two-Face, Part II Shirley Walker 05. Part One Recap 0:33 06. Sub-Main Title / The Heist 1:49 07. Bruce Waynes Nightmare / Two-Face Remembers 2:47 8. Batcycle / What About Grace 1:58 9. My Name Is Two-Face 1:52 10. The Great Equalizer / Where Theres Love 4:03 Jokers Favor Shirley Walker 11. Sub-Main Title / Cussing Out The Joker / I Had A Bad Day 3:18 12. Jokers Hide-Out 1:19 13. Charlies Neighborhood / Joker Finds Charlie 1:18 14. Charlie Arrives In Gotham / Joker Collects His Favor 0:42 15. Harleys Party Source 0:44 16. Crashing The Party 1:33 17. Batman Saves The Commissioner / Batmans After The Joker / Charlie Gets the Joker 3:38 Vendetta Michael McCuiston 18. Sub-Main Title / Conway Is Abducted 0:43 19. A Clue / The Crocodiles Lair 1:27 20. Another Clue 1:19 21. Crocs Cave / Killer Croc 2:52 22. Batman Chases Croc / Sewer Fight 2:54 23. Bullock Gets The Croc 1:09 Perchance To Dream Shirley Walker 24. Sub-Main Title / The Dream Begins 0:52 25. Its Impossible / Bruce Sees Batman / Bruce Watches Batman At Work 2:14 26. My Life Is A Dream 2:48 27. Climbing The Church Tower / Belltower Fight 2:45 28. Your Own Private Wonderland / Back to Reality 2:48 Birds of a Feather Shirley Walker 29. Birds Of A Feather 1:54 30. That Fine Roman Nose / Penguin vs. Muggers 2:32 31. Penguin Takes Veronica 0:40 32. The Drop / Rubber Duckie Ride 1:50 33. The Penguins Opera / High Society 2:19 34. Batman: The Animated Series – End Credit (Danny Elfman) 0:34 BONUS TRACK: 35. Music Of The Bat 101 6:45 CD Two Total Time: 74:02
Future Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack releases are possible, depending on the reaction to this release. Stay tuned to The Worlds Finest for further details, including the cover art and the official title, and much, much more!
Above is the artwork for the Superman Doomsday – Two Disc Special Edition DVD and Superman Doomsday – Special Edition Blu-ray. To discuss the animated feature and the DVD release, please click on the respective links below.
DIRECTOR LAUREN MONTGOMERY DISCUSSES WONDER WOMAN, THE NEXT DC UNIVERSE FILM COMING TO DVD MARCH 3, 2009
After her successful co-directorial debut on Superman Doomsday, Lauren Montgomery takes full command of the helm for Wonder Woman, the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 films. Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new film on March 3, 2009, distributed by Warner Home Video. The animated original movie will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and date, March 3, 2009.
Montgomery has directed an origin story for Wonder Woman that remains true to the title characters various incarnations while setting the tale in more modern times to allow greater accessibility for a wider audience. Working alongside producer Bruce Timm, Montgomery has brought to life Michael Jelenics entertaining script with an impressive balance of explosive action and well-timed humor. A talented artist with a lifetime of experience devoted to drawing and animation, Montgomery is proud to give Wonder Woman her first feature film treatment.
Montgomery, who is already involved in other super hero films, took a few minutes to discuss the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, her love of drawing, artistic influences on her style, lessons from Bruce Timm, and Cheetaras lonely place among female heroes.
Without further do, the Q&A with Wonder Woman director Lauren Montgomery
Question: Youve gone from directing one-third of Superman Doomsday to helming the entirety of Wonder Woman. Whats that progression been like for you?
Lauren Montgomery answers: Its mostly in scale of responsibility. On Doomsday, it was all about my one section of the film. Now, its everything from background design and color to character design and camera angles, helping select the voices for the cast and approving every storyboard for the entire film. So (she laughs) it was all a lot harder. Its been an incredible learning experience, it’s probably the most hands-on I’ve ever been on anything, and its really prepared me for more of those responsibilities in the future.
Question: What were the driving factors behind the final design of Wonder Woman?
Lauren Montgomery answers: We kept the designs simple enough for animation, but we wanted to give them a slightly more detailed, less cartoony look for the PG-13 content. Wonder Woman went through a lot of different versions. Gradually, and for the betterment of the film, we determined that she should look strong and athletic without being manly. Shes an Amazon, so I wanted her to be able to be taken seriously. We wanted her to look like she worked out, and not just make her a curvy, busty pinup. So I tried to give her slightly slimmer hips versus the hourglass figure, and I think it makes her more believable and engaging in a lot of action.
Question: Did you utilize a different color palette from previous DC Universe films?
Lauren Montgomery answers: We wanted the film to be vibrant, but we also needed our characters to fit into their settings. Our color stylist, Craig Cuqro, used colored filters to set the characters into their backgrounds, and our overseas studio Moi added a lot of diffusion, which gives the characters a really nice kind of glowing look especially during the scenes in Themyscira. The soft diffusion throughout the scenes in Themyscira makes everything seem much nicer, like a paradise. The style adds a lot of quality to the overall look of the film.
Question: Are you a mythology aficionado?
Lauren Montgomery answers: I always liked epic stories, and Greek mythology was a subject that kept my attention in school. The characters were larger than life they were gods and each had their own nuances and specialties. Being an artist, I could really visualize those characters and that made their stories that much more interesting. Wonder Woman is based in mythology, but it doesn’t follow it to a T by any means. I really just had to bone up on my Wonder Woman version of mythology, so I could make sure that we pleased the fans. We wanted to stay true to the legend but we did eliminate or underplay some of the sillier aspects of that mythology.
Question: Like the fact that the Amazons have an invisible jet, but they with fight swords and dont appear to have indoor plumbing?
Lauren Montgomery answers: There are a few things in the movie that we opted against really explaining because, honestly, the explanations were more convoluted than not explaining it at all. You dont need to break down the minor details. If we tell you exactly where the invisible jet came from, then thats time and energy that wouldve taken away from our core story.
Question: How did Michael Jelenics script complement your approach to direction?
Lauren Montgomery answers: Michael Jelenic has really strong, entertaining ideas in his scripts. Seeing his first drafts really inspired me because there was a lot of action that showed her true strength. He told a story that captivated me the entire way. Beyond the action, Michael is good at interjecting a lot of humor Steve Trevors sense of humor echoes Michaels in many ways. He also likes to write a lot of director-embellished action scenes, which didnt always make it easier on me. That’s the one thing Id like to punch him for. But otherwise, he did a great job.
Question: Whats your depth of love for comics and/or super heroes?
I was always more a fan of animation than comics. I just didnt realize until I was a little older that you could actually make a living making cartoons. And once I discovered that career path, I knew exactly what I was going to do when I grew up.
My love of super heroes didn’t really start until Batman: The Animated Series that series just took everything to a higher level. It didn’t speak down to people, it made you think more, it had really serious stories, and it went about telling those stories in a way that didn’t put the violence right out there for you to see. It kind of undertoned it. It was more sophisticated storytelling and that drew me to the Superman and Justice League series, and then I ended up working on Justice League. So most of my experience with super heroes are through animation, not actually through the comic books themselves.
Question: You said Batman: The Animated Series was your awakening to super heroes and a career in action animation, and now youre directing the next generation of that genre of entertainment. Whats it like to live your dreams?
Lauren Montgomery answers: It was surreal at first, but now it’s just another day of work. I’ve kind of adapted to it. But every once in a while when I sit back and think about it, it’s like, Here I am doing what I’ve been waiting my whole life to do. And thats cool. Even on the days where it’s hectic and there’s intense schedules and the deadlines are looming, and I might be pulling my hair out, I know theres no other job that I would be happier doing.
Question: Along those same lines, you now work side-by-side with Bruce Timm on DC Universe films. Whats it like to go from fan to colleague?
Lauren Montgomery answers: Working with Bruce is extremely interesting, and not in a bad way (she laughs). This is going to greatly understate it, but he knows what he’s doing. Its always a really good learning experience just to sit back and watch him, to see how he works, because Bruce definitely has his own way of doing things. Pretty much all the calls he makes are the right calls its obvious in the body of work that he’s produced. When he makes a call, even if I don’t 100 percent agree with it, I usually just let it go because I know the film is going to be better for it.
A lot of filmmaking is finessing, and I’ve learned a lot of that art from Bruce. He knows the little tricks to make things a lot better. Certain things to avoid, simple camera moves, and ways to not draw attention to the camera. And hes an amazing editor he has a way of looking at a film and being able to identify the important parts and really hammer them home. I’m still kind of focused on the storyboards, planning everything out so it plays the way I want it. I don’t really think about cutting around or rearranging scenes because I already did that in the storyboards. But Bruce can look at that footage and know immediately how to rearrange the scenes to make things that much better and that much smoother. Thats what Im trying to learn from him now.
Question: Has drawing always been a passion?
Lauren Montgomery answers: In my younger years I drew a lot and I wasn’t quite as social. When I came home after school, I would finish my homework, and then sit in my room and draw. And that’s all I did, because I knew thats what I wanted to do. I would save my money and buy books like The Art Of Pocahontas and The Art Of Hunchback whatever Disney art book was out that year. I would take it home and look at it, and I would think, okay, now my drawings aren’t anywhere near as good as these drawings, so Id better get to work to make them as good. I figured the more I practiced, the sooner I would get that good, so I drew as much as I possibly could.
Question: Who are your influences artistically today?
Lauren Montgomery answers: I don’t have specific artists exactly, but I was definitely influenced by the Disney films. Those were the drawings I was tracing and sketching during my early years. I would study each and every one of the princesses and draw them until I had them all down by heart. My facial features are still influenced somewhat by Disney characters. As I got older, I was definitely influenced by Bruce’s style in Batman, and I started getting into anime, and some of the more subtle styles in anime drawing. The clothing is a little more detailed than the typical American animation its more believable, yet still simplified. Its the way they draw bodies and cloth that I kind of incorporate into my drawings, as well as certain aspects of how they would draw hair. So Id say I have a few different influences in my art style.
Question: Youre one of the very few women directing action animation today. Does that factor have any resonance within your career?
Lauren Montgomery answers: I never focus on the one of the only women aspect of my job I just always liked action and wanted to work in this genre. I never realized how few women there were in super hero animation. I just thought, I like to draw, surely all the other girls like to draw, too. I guess I just didn’t realize how different I was. So I dont think Ive got any special trick that makes me a successful woman in action animation. I worked hard and it has paid off.
Question: Do you have a preference between male and female super heroes?
Lauren Montgomery answers: I definitely prefer female leads because I feel they’re just easier to direct their acting. Theyre allowed to show a much wider range of emotions. A woman can be feminine and tomboyish, and she can hit all the same poses that a man can hit. But if you start putting a man in a feminine pose, especially a super hero man, it doesn’t fly. So when you’re dealing with the male super heroes, you have a much, much more restricted range of acting. Its not just a challenge, its more of a limitation in general. You can do more with a woman character and its still acceptable. So it’s a lot more enjoyable for me. Plus, on a personal level, I think its good to give girl fans more options. When I was a girl, I would watch Thundercats and all I really had to choose from was Cheetara (she laughs). I always wanted more female heroes to choose from and I never really got them. Hopefully well be able to explore more of them in these DVDs.
“Wonder Woman” (c) Warner Bros. Ent Inc. “Wonder Woman” and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and (c) DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.
The direct-to-video Wonder Woman animated features hits DVD and Blu-ray on March 3rd, 2009.