Rediscovering Batman: TAS

[filmation batman fan]

Unlike with action figure lines, I seem to be right on the ball with collecting DVD sets as they come out. I acquired each season set as they were released on their release dates. I am now the proud owner of the entire Timmverse of DC Animated Shows.
My chronological look at the series goes like this:
Batman: The Animated Series volumes 1 & 2.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman: The Animated Series volume 3 (aka The Adventures of Batman and Robin)
Superman: The Animated Series volume 1
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
Superman: The Animated Series volumes 2 &3
Batman: The Animated Series volume 4 (Gotham Knights)
Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman
Superman: Brainiac Attacks
Batman Beyond volumes 1&2
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Batman Beyond: volume 3
Justice League volumes 1 & 2
Justice League Unlimited volumes 1 &2
I would treat the chronology starting with On Leather Wings and the final story being Destroyer.

I will NEVER compare the Timmverse to the SuperFriends and the Filmation cartoons becase as old and as cheesy and child oriented as they are, the SuperFriends and Filmation shows all have a magic of their own. The Timmverse series were for all ages and some of the earlier episodes of Batman: The Animated Series made you feel like you were watching an old time classic movie.
No disrespect to the previous poster, but regarding Robin in the animated series, but I must respectfully disagree about Robin's introduction into the series........... as far as Dick Grayson was concerned. Now with Tim Drake on the WB, I may be inclined to agree with you. But I always grew up with Robin being a teenager around the ages of 16-18 years of age. Dick's version of Robin was the best. And while I enjoyed him as the under used Nightwing, I personally prefer his Robin episodes to that of Tim Drake's.
Regarding the friend who hated B:TAS, I can understand where he was coming from. The early model sheets looked so cartoony whereas the last time we saw Batman in animation was Hanna Babera's Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians in 1985, and I expecteda Ruby Spears styled type of animated show after seeing their Superman series in 1988, so I was very skeptical in 1991. But it didn't take long to fall in love with the series, especially after seeing On Leather Wings in its prime time debut on Fox back in 1992. Now, the Timmverse is the style I expect to see and when I first began watching the SuperFriends again in the
90's,. I had to get reused to the Hanna Barbera style of animation. It's amazing what time will do to you. Anyway, that's my two cents.
Cheers.

[PCofmisfittoys]

i enjoy them all . of course I will always love the HB style and stories over the new junk. Lord knows the voice actors where better back in the day. The one I can stand to watch at all is Teen Titans. The artwork for me is like watching fairly odd parents ( equally kid-like artwork.)

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I think TAS was the best incarnation of Batman we've had in a while. I'd always had the idea that they were inspired by some of the contemporary Japanese shows of the thime; hence the more serious take. (And a lot of in jokes....) Shows like Guyver and Akira were the vanguard of the 90's "cartoons 'aint just for kids!!!" wave, and TAS definitely benefitted from this. (Tragicly short as it was.)

I thought the designs from the first season or so were decent; but around the time of the Superman series they started simplifying things, and lost a lot of expression in the doing. (Especially with the Joker... where'd his face go?!?!?!) I was never a Timm fan though. I don't like the simplified designs, since a lot of them repeat. The female characters are all the same design with different hair. Bruce got them light blue eyes after the Superman series mostly so you could tell him apart from Clark. Stuff like that bugs me.

I have afriend who loves Timms stuff. He's an animator; and as he said "they've perfected a design that, no matter WHO they farm production out to, they can't screw it up!" Can't argue with that.

Don C.

[jds1911a1]

i enjoy them all . of course I will always love the HB style and stories over the new junk. Lord knows the voice actors where better back in the day. The one I can stand to watch at all is Teen Titans. The artwork for me is like watching fairly odd parents ( equally kid-like artwork.)

Funny I feel the exact opposite I think the majority of the vintage voices aren't as good as actors providing voice over today (at least in the Timm stories) except for Bud Collyer. Ofter there was no difference in how they portratyed to voice for the hero versus the alter ego.

[jds1911a1]

Hmmmm....

I think TAS was the best incarnation of Batman we've had in a while. I'd always had the idea that they were inspired by some of the contemporary Japanese shows of the thime; hence the more serious take. (And a lot of in jokes....) Shows like Guyver and Akira were the vanguard of the 90's "cartoons 'aint just for kids!!!" wave, and TAS definitely benefitted from this. (Tragicly short as it was.)

I thought the designs from the first season or so were decent; but around the time of the Superman series they started simplifying things, and lost a lot of expression in the doing. (Especially with the Joker... where'd his face go?!?!?!) I was never a Timm fan though. I don't like the simplified designs, since a lot of them repeat. The female characters are all the same design with different hair. Bruce got them light blue eyes after the Superman series mostly so you could tell him apart from Clark. Stuff like that bugs me.

I have afriend who loves Timms stuff. He's an animator; and as he said "they've perfected a design that, no matter WHO they farm production out to, they can't screw it up!" Can't argue with that.

Don C.

Actually I think they were far more influenced by the Batman stories of the 70's the BAS doesn't have the frenetic action of anime. Many of the stories are from the Neal Adams/Dennis O'neal Batman's

[filmation batman fan]

Actually I think they were far more influenced by the Batman stories of the 70's the BAS doesn't have the frenetic action of anime. Many of the stories are from the Neal Adams/Dennis O'neal Batman's

I couldn't agree more. I myself love the 1970's Batman stories, especially the Adams/O Neill stories. This definitely applies to the first 85 episodes that aired on Fox, whereas I think the 21 WB episodes probably had some inspiration from the 80's and 90's.
Cheers.

[jds1911a1]

I couldn't agree more. I myself love the 1970's Batman stories, especially the Adams/O Neill stories. This definitely applies to the first 85 episodes that aired on Fox, whereas I think the 21 WB episodes probably had some inspiration from the 80's and 90's.
Cheers.

Right I prefer to separate season 4 from the fox episodes as the new adventures since that is how they titled them. Yes they are much more like anime / 90's batman. if they had begun the run with the stories for season 4 I don't think we would have had 15 years of Bruce Timm style