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Batman - The Animated Series - The Legend Begins

Batman - The Animated Series - The Legend Begins

List Price: $14.97
Your Price: $13.47
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Batman- Like He Was Meant to Be!
Review: One of the most incredible animated series of all time- Batman: The Animated Series, is finally coming to DVD. This first DVD comes with the first five episodes in production order, and hopefully is one of many to come.

With its incredible "dark deco" style, and amazing voice casting and acting, B:TAS has become the finite version of Batman available. Batman: The Legend Begins kicks off B:TAS trip to DVD! Yay!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: about time!!!!!
Review: since transformers,and gi joe cartoons have there been any better than this.this is a great cartoon with good animation, and no corny storylines.can't wait for the next dvd. oh and luke skywalker as joker's voice- you cant beat that!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's About Bat-Time!
Review: Ten years after BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES roared onto the small screen and changed the way animation is done, the series is finally making its long-overdue debut on DVD. Simply drawn with a noir emphasis, BATMAN: TAS has just enough hijinks for kids and just enough drama for adults.

This disc features five installments, and each episode comes complete with an introduction by the mastermind behind the updated Bats, Director Bruce Timm (also the creative genius behind SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and Cartoon Network's JUSTICE LEAGUE). However, lacking on each of the episodes is a commentary track that could've been done by any variety of sources ... Timm, Paul Dini (his partner at the time), or even a host of animators). Still, you can't help but celebrate Bats arrival.

ON LEATHER WINGS features the introduction of the Man-Bat, a wonderful tale about science gone awry.

CHISTMAS WITH THE JOKER is an abrupt introduction to the Clown Prince of Crime, opting out of an 'origins' story as the series did with most of Batman's Rogues Gallery.

NOTHING TO FEAR features the introduction and first encounter with the Scarecrow, with some interesting comments in Timm's interview about stylistic choices.

THE LAST LAUGH also centers around the Joker in an April Fool's setting; however, the story is rather simplistic for a show of this depth, and it ends up being a typical caper so common of most of today's animated superhero outings.

PRETTY POISON is a wonderful first experience with Poison Ivy, perhaps the most beautiful femme fatale in all of animation.

The disc contains some obligatory extras: a game as well as a brief segment on how to draw Batman.

Disappointingly, the producers opted only for a Dolby 2.0 track instead of a full surround effect that would bring even greater life (and respect, perhaps) to the art form of animation.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It gets even better!
Review: The episodes on this dvd are pretty good. They don't reach the greatness that the series does later on but they're a good start. I enjoyed the interviews but the games are pointless and that space should have been used for another episode. I hope this dvd sells enough for them to warrant releasing the others on dvd. This time they should put a whole lot more episodes on the set. I definately recommend this dvd as it's a great start to a great series.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Dark Secret of Gotham City
Review: The landmark animated adventures of DC Comics' caped crime-fighter has arrived on DVD with "Batman: The Animated Series - The Legend Begins". The award-winning animated series is definitely the best comic book adaptation of the famous DC Comics character. This popular series features solid episode storylines, well developed characters, great voice acting, amusing action and a rich music score. Its gothic animation style and dark adult-like tone changed the view of Saturday morning cartoons. The DVD contains five great episodes: "On Leather Wings", "Christmas with the Joker", "Nothing to Fear", "The Last Laugh" and "Pretty Poison". The episodes are presented in their original full screen format. The DVD contains a fine video transfer with some bits of grain and dusts, and a good 2.0 Dolby Digital sound. It also includes a short animation featurette and episodes introductions by producer Bruce Timm. "Batman: The Legend Begins" is a must-have DVD for any fan of this great animated series, and scores a worthy "B-".

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Warners still makes cheap DVDs....
Review: The one star is for this cheap DVD that they put the animated shows on. No extra features on it what so ever. It would have been great if they had done a behind the sceens feature on how the show was made and the animation done, but no, once again DVD production was done quickly and cheaply.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great episodes but great dissapointment...
Review: The only complaint is I just wish Warner would release each season in box sets. The best animated series ever. If you want to see quality acting and great visuals BUY THIS

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Start of a Golden era
Review: The only complaint is I just wish Warner would release each season in box sets. The best animated series ever. If you want to see quality acting and great visuals BUY THIS

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bigger and Batter Than Ever!
Review: The only thing not to love about the animated Batman series is the choppy animation, itself. Everything else is stellar. Bruce Timm's artwork deliberately hearkens back to the 1940's Max Fleischer Superman shorts, and the clever stories appeal to the kids but are sophisticated enough to hold the attention of adults.

The best thing about the entire series is the "kinder, gentler" approach to the caped superhero. As opposed to Tim Burton's dark just-this-side-of-a-psycho interpretation, the animated Batman develops something of a rapport with his adversaries. He comes to understand them before even attempting to bring them in, and he tries the easy approach first - granted, it generally fails, but at least he tries. His defeat of Gotham's various criminals is invariably brought about by Batman's psychological understanding of them.

The next best thing is the new interpretation of old villains, and the introduction of several Bob Kane originals who never saw screen time anywhere. In the latter category, the Scarecrow and Poison Ivy are magnificent. The Scarecrow story on this DVD introduced Scarecrow as Kane did - as an inadequate little man who uses his advanced knowledge of chemistry to incapacitate his opponents with fear, making himself feel bigger by comparison. Beginning as a mere bankrobber, later stories saw him evolve into a more psychotic extortionist. Poison Ivy, who Kane introduced but rarely used (if I'm not mistaken, he actually only had her in a single story) - and who didn't appear often in post-Kane comics, either - is given a complete makeover and a credible psychosis of her own. Her introductory story is one of the best in the animated series, and is present in this collection. Similarly, "Manbat," a potentially silly figure, is given adult character and motivation in this series, even if he is largely a Dr. Jekyll knockoff.

The greatest - and most pleasant - surprise is Mark Hamill's Joker, which is as perfect a vocal interpretation as anyone could ask for. The Joker of the animated series is the closest anyone has come to the original Kane version, the best and the most satisfying. "Christmas With the Joker" is an episode made mostly for the kids, though adults will probably enjoy it too - it's one of the few that goes really over the top and indulges itself a bit in juvenile comic-strip-ism. Joker's other story, his introductory piece, is much better, both more frightening and more humorous - which is the way the Joker really should be.

Don't worry about buying this one, if you don't have kids as an excuse. Adults will enjoy these great Batman stories probably even more than the kids. Trust me, if you love Batman, the animated series was the best he ever got, outside of the comic book itself.

Indulge yourself!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent
Review: The videos' are brilliant. First off, BTAS releases five of the first episodes in the series.

1. On Leather Wings
2. Christmas With The Joker
3. Nothing To Fear
4. The Last Laugh
5. Pretty Poison

I was starting to wonder if they would show the intro to the episodes like cartoon network did, and sure enough they did! All the episodes are excellent; I have always wondered how the artists could be so patient in drawing a very realistic building, etc. and you would only see that object for a couple of seconds. It just tells you that these guys have a desire to draw, and enjoy it. If you loved the "Batman: The Animated Series", then you'll enjoy this footage!


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