Releases - DVDs - Batman: The Animated Series - The
Legend Begins
Release Information:
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: April 23, 2002
Run Time: 110 minutes
Production Company: Warner Home Video
Package Type: Snap Case
Episodes: On Leather Wings; Christmas With the Joker;
Nothing to Fear; The Last Laugh; Pretty Poison |
Aspect Ratio(s):
Original Aspect Ratio - 1.33
Standard [4:3 Transfer]
Edition Details:
- Encoding: Region 1
- Animated, Color
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Special Features
- Life On the Edge Game
- Get the Picture: How to Draw Batman
- Conversations with Director Bruce Timm
- Languages & Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese |
Official Synopsis: The legendary caped crusader is back in the Emmy Award-winning Batman: The Animated Series. During the day, mild-mannered millionaire Bruce Wayne seems like an average--albeit wealthy--Gotham City resident, but at night, when the crime comes out, so does his alter-ego. With the help of his trusty sidekick Robin, Batman combats the evil forces that are constantly threatening to overpower Gotham City, including classic villains such as Penguin, Joker, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and more. Airing from 1992-1995, this animated Batman is acclaimed for remaining true to the original comic book's dark, expressionistic tone while introducing new and exciting storylines and characters. This volume includes the first five action-packed episodes.
Review
Collecting the first five episodes of Batman: The Animated Series
in production order, Batman: The Animated Series - The Legend Begins
is a mixed bag in every sense. Not every episode is a winner, the extras
seem a bipolar, the transfer is merely average, and the packaging is
substandard at best.
Everyone knows the backstory for this animated series so there's no
point in retelling it. However, like most animated series, the show
stumbled out of the gate and the five episodes here are proof of that.
There are a few clunkers with the five episodes featured on this disc -
"On Leather Wings," "Christmas With the Joker," "Nothing to Fear," "The
Last Laugh," and "Pretty Poison" - but it's not anything new to fans of
the animated series.
The extras are divided up between the both the fan-base and child
demographics. For kids, the disc offers a five-part "Life on the Edge"
game, which shows clips from the episodes as rewards for solving fairly
bland puzzles. A "Get the Picture" segment, featured on just about every
Animated DC DVD it seems, shows a sketch artist drawing Batman's head in
fast motion, rendering the extra quite useless. Bland, static menus are
also included.
For the die-hard fans of the cartoon, each of the five episodes on the
disc is accompanied by a brief interview segment with producer Bruce
Timm. Not pulling any punches, he discusses the successes and failures
of each episode, resulting in some rather interesting factoids. The
episodes themselves are offered in full frame with standard 2.0 audio
mixes. Dust and scratches intentionally remain on every episode, on
request from the producer. Annoyingly, there are no chapter breaks
within the episodes.
The first in a series of single volume DVD releases, Batman: The
Animated Series - The Legend Begins is for the hardcore completes
fan or as a sampler for the kiddie demographic. While not every episode
is a winner, all five are watchable. The extras are quite slim, but the
episode introductions are actually pretty interesting. Despite a few
faults, this disc can be recommended. |
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