Art of Batman: The Animated Series
/Batman: The Animated Series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski in 1992. The story was based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The series was praised for its thematic complexity, darker tone, artistic quality, film noir aesthetics, and modernisation of its title character's crime-fighting origins. It took influence from Tim Burton's live-action films, Batman and Batman Returns, and the acclaimed Superman theatrical cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in the early 1940s. In designing the series, Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski emulated the Burton films' "otherworldly timelessness", incorporating period features such as black-and-white title cards, police airships (although no such thing existed, Timm has stated that he found it to fit the show's style) and a "vintage" color scheme with film noir flourishes.
The visual style of the series was based on the artwork of Eric Radomski, and the gothic look of Gotham City was derived from his initial designs. In addition, Radomski issued a standing order to the animation department that all backgrounds be painted using light colors on black paper (as opposed to the industry standard of dark colors on white paper). The distinctive visual combination of "noir" imagery and Art Deco design was dubbed "Dark Deco" by the producers. The series is more adult-oriented than many of the previous superhero cartoons, while still being considered kid-friendly appropriate for younger audiences. It depicts outright physical violence against antagonists, including realistic firearms. Timm and Radomski reportedly encountered resistance from studio executives, but the success of Burton's first film allowed the embryonic series to survive long enough to produce a pilot episode, "On Leather Wings", which, according to Timm, "got a lot of people off our backs".
The pictures on this page are a collection of artworks created for this series (if you’re looking for the out-of-print art-of book for the show, there’s a free downloadable PDF accessible from the button below). You can also watch the official documentary for the series HERE.
THE STORY
After witnessing the murder of his parents as a child, Bruce Wayne, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist, swore vengeance against criminals, an oath tempered by a sense of justice. Bruce trains himself physically and intellectually and crafts a bat-inspired persona to fight crime. 'Batman' operates in Gotham City with assistance from his mentor and butler Alfred, police commissioner Gordon, and others vigilante allies. To fight the criminals of Gotham, Bruce relies on his genius intellect, physical prowess, martial arts abilities, detective skills, technology, vast wealth, intimidation, and indomitable will…
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