Batman: The Complete Animated Series (1992) (Blu-ray)

I have noticed several points of complaint in many other reviews that I hope to clarify in mine. First of all, the transfer of this series to blu-ray is nearly impeccable. I have only had this box set a week now, so I have not watched every single episode. I did, however, choose to watch a few choice episodes to test how the colors were transferred. As the show was drawn on black paper, I watched a few of the darker colored episodes, like "Two-Face", which occurs amidst a stormy night, "Trial", where the setting is the dark corridors of Arkham, and "Never Fear", just to name a few. The episodes are clear, and the color saturation is much brighter. I own the original four volume series release, so comparatively the difference is immediate. As such, it does take some getting used to. I would liken it to those old 70s movies with the scratchy film. You appreciate them more, ironically, because of the poor quality. Seeing a brighter colored Batman series is certainly a shift for the eyes, but you get used to it. You may notice with the blu-ray release that the main menu has a lot of sound effects though nothing is happening. The sound effects you're hearing are those of the menu screen from the original DVD release. A lot of customers have also complained about the digital code. A nice perk, but not one that I needed, especially considering I was able to purchase this set at a very low price. This set was first released in October 2018. The digital code clearly states that it expires 12/31/19, over a year from the original release as with most digital codes. Anyone who purchased this set after that date, the DC will not work. So if you were to purchase this set say, oh I don't know, today, the digital code has already expired. So if you are only purchasing this set for the digital code, again I say, the digital code has already expired. Another complaint I've seen is that the episodes are out of order or that some are missing. This is especially obvious, again, if you like myself, have the original DVDs. The blu-ray release has the episodes arranged by PRODUCTION DATE. For those unaware, this means the episodes have been arranged by when the creators completed them, not when they were aired on television. As for the missing episodes, you may be referring to "The World's Finest", the three part television event where Batman & Superman finally met and teamed up!! I was read the episode listing at least five times to make sure I didn't overlook them. Although aired during the "Superman/Batman" hour on Kid's WB, the tv movie was actually produced as three episodes of the Superman series. (This is also true of the episode "Knight Time", which I highly recommend if you have never seen it. Batman goes missing, so Superman spends the night impersonating Batman to find Bruce. It's quite hilarious to see Clark brood, but I digress.") I own the Superman series on DVD as well, and these episodes appeared on both releases, so why they chose to not include them on the BTAS Blu-ray release is not known to me. Perhaps they will be releasing the Superman series on Blu-Ray soon?? I hope this review was insightful. In all, if you are a Batman fan, if you have never seen the animated series, if you grew up watching the animated series but never saw all the stories, if at one time you owned the original DVDs but they have since been lost to time, if you feel the need to pass down this amazing chunk of animated comic history to your kids, if you girlfriend and/or wife has never seen BTAS and is a Batman fan, the answer to all of the above is a resounding YES!! Buy this series!!

If you're browsing this page you probably already enjoy Batman: The Animated Series, the Justice League series and are working your way backwards through the DC mythos, or have a friend or relative who loves the Caped Crusader. So I'll save my extended review of the series itself and simply give some tidbits. 1. The identity, direction, music, voice acting and scope of the show is marvelous. 2. The Joker depicted in this series was the most accurate presentation of the character until The Dark Knight this year. He borders on the psychotic and has so much fun in everything he does while still remaining disciplined and vigilant in pushing Batman to the limits of his self-control. Other characters such as Mr. Freeze, Catwoman and The Riddler somehow manage to be 'cartoony' and yet more serious than the pitiful Hollywood attempts to encapsulate them thus far. 3. Kevin Conroy's voice is the one I've associated with Batman since I was 8 years old, and fortunately despite several studio and direction changes in the DC cartoon production schedule he lends his voice from season 1 of Batman all the way through the end of Justice League: Unlimited. Now onto the collection itself. Warner Bros. got this right for once; the collection is sharp and attractive and makes a fantastic collectible for any fan of the series. I was so impressed with the appearance of the set I bought another copy for the young son of my best friend. There's a thick plastic cover with silver-lined bats on one side and a backdrop of Gotham on the other as well as the title of the series and of course Batman, all of whom jump off the cover with vibrant action. The box itself is finely crafted too, in finished black with various scenes of Batman on the top and inside cover. Inside, you're greeted by a double-wide collectible book detailing the episode list as well as showing exciting scenery from the show and sketches of Batman's character. Underneath, the discs are contained in 2 dependable cases that look like they will protect the series over time, and at just over twice the size of a normal DVD case, allow you to store the series with the rest of your collection and put the box set away if you're hard up for shelf space. Pros: * The show rocks. * The set feels and looks excellent, even people who have no ties or interest in the show will acknowledge it as a great looking gift. * The set is durable and includes the entire series. * The show is as watchable as an adult for different reasons as a child, so it's easy to justify the purchase even if it's for yourself. Cons: * No set contains the entire collection of Batman, Superman, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited episodes. * Your girlfriend, wife, family or friends may wonder why you're rewatching cartoons from your childhood in their entirety. * Warner Bros. is notorious for not touching up the quality of damaged material, and the first season of this collection isn't as sharp, bright and gorgeous as the rest of the cartoon. You'll notice a few flaws. * The set is full-screen. Overall my expectations were exceeded for this product. Typically these days as a consumer I feel like I'm asking too much just to have an entire series accessible and affordable all in one place, but with this set you've got that as well as a genuinely attractive collectible that, along with the series itself, should stand the test of time. For me personally, Batman: The Animated Series along with Justice League Unlimited represents the pinnacle of American episodic cartoons.

Shipped quickly and in sturdy materials. The best version of Batman ever done. Great animation and writing. This is my favorite version of Batman and the Joker.

“Batman: The Complete Animated Series” collects all three seasons of one of the absolute best television adaptations of a comic book franchise as well as the animated feature films “Mask of the Phantasm” and “Sub Zero.” The series critically influenced all subsequent adaptations of Batman with Bruce Timm’s art deco/film noir designs and Paul Dini’s writing setting a high bar for all television animation. Voice actor Kevin Conroy is the quintessential Batman and Bruce Wayne, while Loren Lester is great as Dick Grayson/Robin, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is a fantastic Alfred, Bob Hastings gives Commissioner James Gordon just the right amount of wit, and Robert Costanzo is perfect as morally-ambiguous Detective Harvey Bullock. Additional actors include Brock Peters as Lucius Fox, Melissa Gilbert as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Diana Muldaur as Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Adam West as Simon Trent, Mark Hamill as the Joker, Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, Paul Williams as the Penguin, Richard Moll as Two-Face, Adrienne Barbeau as Catwoman, Diane Pershing as Poison Ivy, John Glover as the Riddler, Henry Polic II as Scarecrow, Aron Kincaid as Killer Croc, Roddy McDowall as Mad Hatter, David Warner as Ra’s al Ghul, Ron Perlman as Clayface, Michael Ansara as Mr. Freeze, Ed Asner as Roland Daggett, Michael Gross as Lloyd Ventrix, Kate Mulgrew as Red Claw, and many, many more. The series adapted several classic Batman stories, including “There Is No Hope in Crime Alley,” “The Last Arkham,” “The Laughing Fish,” “Moon of the Wolf,” “Man-Bat Over Vegas,” “Daughter of the Demon,” and more. It helped popularize a more tragic Mr. Freeze and featured the first appearance of Harley Quinn. “Batman: The Animated Series” launched a successful shared animated universe including “Superman: The Animated Series,” “Batman Beyond,” “Static Shock,” “Justice League,” “Justice League Unlimited,” “Gotham Girls,” and possibly the films “Batman and Harley Quinn” and “Justice League vs. the Fatal Five.” Bonus features on this set include various featurettes, a new featurette about the storytellers, and commentaries on 12 episodes. It’s great that they include the first two movies, but I do wish this set also included the animated film, “Mystery of the Batwoman,” set sometime during or after the third season of the series.

I am 16 and was treated to skepticism upon expressing my desire to purchase this godly collection of pristine animation, but promptly ignored it and regret nothing. True, this set is expensive. BUT! Let me tell you a little about my research I considered before buying this box set.. [...] Now, you can also look into eBay, etc. But guess what? You aren't going to save much money there either, I looked, and I know. Now, what interests me that here on Amazon is the only place I found or heard of this box set. I was delightfully surprised. This set has everything that the full set on WB offers, PLUS it is boxed, comes with the art book, and comes with an extra disk of special features. And the astounding part? It is roughly HALF THE PRICE. The deal is impeccable and you literally cannot find a better deal anywhere else. Try. I was flabbergasted at such an incredible offer and immediately placed my order. My set came 3 days later (it was shipped on a Saturday and I had to wait until the following Monday to receive it). I was not unimpressed, or disappointed. My order came in a cardboard box, securely fit with more cardboard, and shrink-wrapped. The case was pretty nice, though is made of tough cardboard as well, but it is not a problem. The art book is interesting, and lists the episodes per disk as well. Inside the box is (as displayed in the picture) two dvd cases with two volumes per case. You really do get what you see. I recommend any real Batman fan to invest in this set, the episodes are action-packed and better than any cartoon show still on the air today. The animation really is an art, and the images, scenery, and design really are beautiful. Plus, there are A LOT of episodes. I watch roughly 2 to 6 a day and, well, there are 109 episodes, at roughly 22 minutes per episode. So you get roughly 2398 minutes, or about 39.9 hours worth. If you REALLY would like to break things down, you are paying about $0.75 per episode, plus getting the bonus features, case, and convenience of owning them personally. Plus, every time you re-watch an episode you are decreasing the money you spent per view. Just to get statistical. :] In short, BUY THIS if you are interested in buying anything to do with Batman: TAS. This is literally the best deal online (and probably otherwise). The shipping/handling from Amazon was fine, nothing to worry about. This is one of the few amazing deals you will ever encounter, so be sure to take advantage!

Brilliant. A must have for those that experienced it on tv back in the day.

This is truly a great package for a great tv show. I won't talk about the show as that has been done already by various other reviewers. So onto the packaging for this set it includes the following extras: Volume one : Disc 1 Commentary for Pilot and featurette : Dark Knight First pilot promo. Disc 2: Ep 14 Heart of Ice Commentary and Featurette Batman: The Legacy Continues Disc 3: Tour of the Batcave. Volume Two: Disc 1: Ep 4 Robin's Reckoning Part 1 commentary Featurette: Robin's Rising Disc 2: Ep 11 Heart of Steel Part 2 commentary Featurette Gotham's Gurdians. Disc 3: Ep 18 Almost Got 'Im commentary Featurette Voices of the Knight and Disc 4 Ep 28 Harley & Ivy Commentary. Volume Three Disc 1 Featurette Gotham's New Knight. Disc 2 Ep 8 Read my lips (N.B in booklet it says this is a video commentary but on checking the disc it's a normal regular commentary). EP 14 House & Garden (a very interesting and only video commentary on set shame there were'nt more). Disc 3 Ep 16 Harlequinade commentary. Volume 4 Disc 1 Interactive Arkham Asylum. Disc 2: Ep 12 Over The Edge Commentary. Disc 3 Ep 14: Critters Commentary. Disc 4 Ep 19 Legends of the Dark Knight commentary. The Real treat however is the bonus 17th Disc with New Documentary Shades of the Bat: Batman's Animated evolution, also on the disc but not advertised on packaging or Booklet is the Short doc on Batman Anime: A look at Gotham Knight (that was the bridge between Batman Begins and Dark Knight) aswell as Featurettes on Justice League: New Frontier and Wonder Woman Sneak Peak (of the animated release) and some trailers. You also get a nice booklet which aswell as episode listings has nice wall to wall artwork including Rogues gallery of Batman Villians. It is really nice to look at and it's mostly pictures rather than any essay or critiques. Now this set totals 35 hours of Dark Knight justice (as stated on packaging) the episodes run in at 2379 mins so that gives just over 11 hours worth of extras. Now being from the UK I would say this is the ultimate package as we don't even have this in the UK (We have same 4 volume set aswell as DVD bumper collection with special intros by Bruce Timm but nothing like this and in Europe they just have 16 disc set but not the bonus disc that is on this US version). So I would say this is the ultimate package for a truly great show, Kudos to seller Northern Outlet, very well packaged, Super fast delivery and bargain price on GBP conversion was just £127. So why rate the set 4 stars and not 5, well the DVD cases themselves are very flimsy, despite seller packaging really well I found that the plastic Digipak casing inside one the 2 volumes almost broke as it makes a cracking sound when you first open it. I say almost as soon as I heard the crack I carefully opened the case fully, you have to be really careful when handling this set. Also it is disappointing that there is only 1 video commentary, because if there were more it would rival the truly fantastic video commentaries on Sony's The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection - another great show. For all fans of this show this is a must buy especially for the new bonus extras's on the 17th disc. As this title is now deleted, you can only find via 3rd party sellers on Amazon, grab a copy today you won't be disappointed a truly fantastic set despite the fragile Digipak Casing.

Batman The Complete Animated Series on Blu-Ray Review Biases: I am a fan of the Batman, I have had a fascination with the character from childhood. I am a fan of animation in general, I own a large collection of animated TV series and films. I already owned Volumes 1-3 of the series and Mask of the Phantasm on DVD, and only bought this set for the upgrade in visual quality and the digital copies. Even without the digital copies it is easy enough to create them from the original discs, which I am doing to stream across PLEX over a home network. Packaging comparison: Visually the packaging for the DVD editions is by far more appealing to the eyes, however it comes with a cost, and that is shelf space. Which is one reason I prefer the packaging of the Blu-Ray edition, you will gain a substantial amount of shelf space for other shows/films. The packaging for the Blu-Ray edition is bare bones, the physical discs for example do not feature a color printing of random characters, just the series logo. The lackluster packaging is fine with me to be honest, not a big deal considering the reason for buying this set. Practical score: 5/5 Aesthetic Score: 2.5/5 “She’s got it where it counts kid” Content: 12 Blu-ray Discs featuring: • all 85 episodes of Batman The Animated Series, • all 24 episodes of The New Batman Adventures, • 2 animated films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm + Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, • And other bonus content from the DVD versions. Note: the bonus content is directly from DVD so it is not upgraded, it is still 720p. Overall this set includes more content than I previously owned, a nice bonus which makes up for the bare bones packaging and adds to the value in terms of bang for the buck. Video Quality: For this part of the review I will quote Martin Liebman from his review on Blu-Ray dot com: “Batman: The Complete Animated Series makes its long-anticipated Blu-ray debut in 1080p high definition, framed at its original 1.33:1 (4x3) aspect ratio which preserves the broadcast specifications and presentation parameters as were standard at the time of the show's initial airing. The resultant image, with vertical "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 panel, look marvelous, generally, with a few caveats to keep in mind. First, the bad. Speckling and debris are not uncommon. The opening sequence is particularly troublesome in this area, but episodes do reveal a fairly steady, albeit generally light, infestation. Most of the time, though, such do not prove distracting. A little more serious is background banding and compression artifacts. Almost never is this issue more prominent than it is right out of the gate in episode one, beginning with a scene featuring a security guard speaking into a tape recorder only minutes in. Such occurrences can be found in many places, but but not always to the same level of distracting severity. Finally, a few obviously lower resolution shots and scenes are interspersed throughout. They are rare but do make a negative visual impact, particularly if they extend for any length of time. Take a look at the episode "Riddler's Reform." Around the 7- and 9-minute marks are rather extended sequences where the lower resolution is obvious (though still obviously encoded in 1080p), featuring jagged lines, false colors, softer elements, and a more limited color range. The transfer's good qualities far outweigh the bad. Clarity is tremendous. The animated imagery translates exceptionally well to Blu-ray. The picture is crisp, firm, finely detailed, and richly colored. The clarity and visibility of small details in the animation -- such as costume details, environments, even smudges and signs of wear that reveal the animators' careful, detailed renderings -- come to life on Blu-ray like never before. Character definition is particularly stout, with organic movement and stability to match. Static backgrounds are a joy beyond the occasional banding and macroblocking elements, revealing richly layered and complex renderings with ease. Colors are a standout. The show defaults to a noir-inspired darkness favoring plenty of black and shades of gray and blue (Batman's costume most prominently beyond less dynamically colored Gotham environments and nighttime interiors and exteriors), but colorful costumes worn by characters such as Robin, Joker, Riddler, and Harley Quinn are bold and true, if not a bit lacking in nuance by nature. Brighter scenes additionally handle other colors pleasantly and brightly. Blacks are deep and dense and do border on crush at times, but for the show's style that's preferable to seeing them lifted to gray. The image is not without its issues, but Warner Brothers has done a very good job overall bringing this to Blu-ray.” Having watched approximately ten episodes of this release so far I can vouch for Martin’s analysis above is spot on. This is what this release is primarily about to me, the most important aspect of the release and it delivers. Aesthetic Score: 4.5/5 Audio Quality: This release features a two-channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Despite the limitations of two channel sound, the sound is exceptional, outstanding, exactly as it should be. Aesthetic Score: 5/5 Final Thoughts: Overall, despite the lackluster packaging I give this a score of 5/5 based on quality and value. Many years ago I spent roughly $28 per DVD volume (I purchased them around original release dates) and so even though I am a Batman fan and love this series, I hesitated to spend more on this series, however in my opinion this is definitely worth the upgrade and the HDX digital copies alone will cost more (for the equivalent content) through the various digital providers than the $40-60 for this physical discs plus digital set. So I hope this information has been useful/helpful to readers thinking about purchasing Batman The Complete Animated Series on Blu-Ray.

The discs are fine, but the case arrived in bad conditions

I am glad I bought this before it became too much of a collector's item and thusly started going for collector's prices. The set is fantastic. The quality is present throughout and the glossy book is a treat worth having if it came on its own. My only reservation is with the show itself when they changed the art style in the later season, which is a shame as the initial style is timeless and classic.

Recientemente adquirí el set Blu-ray de Batman: La Serie Animada a través de Amazon, y aunque el empaque llegó un poco dañado, el contenido en su interior está en perfectas condiciones y no presenta ningún problema. Esta serie animada de Batman es un clásico absoluto y tenerla en alta definición es simplemente maravilloso. La serie animada de Batman es conocida por su estilo de animación único y su narrativa adulta que capturó a una amplia audiencia, tanto niños como adultos, durante su emisión original. Esta edición en Blu-ray ofrece una mejora significativa en la calidad de imagen y sonido en comparación con las versiones anteriores en DVD. Los colores son vibrantes y los detalles se ven nítidos, lo que realmente resalta el impresionante trabajo artístico de la serie. El set incluye todos los episodios de las cuatro temporadas de la serie, así como las películas animadas "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" y "Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero". Además, se incluyen numerosos extras y material adicional, como documentales, comentarios de los creadores y entrevistas con el elenco y el equipo de producción. Estos contenidos adicionales brindan una visión fascinante del proceso creativo detrás de la serie y profundizan en la influencia duradera que ha tenido en el género de superhéroes. Aunque el empaque llegó con algunos daños, es importante destacar que el contenido dentro del set no se vio afectado en absoluto. Los discos están en perfectas condiciones y reproducen sin problemas en mi reproductor de Blu-ray. Los menús son fáciles de navegar y la experiencia de ver los episodios y las películas es simplemente increíble. En general, estoy extremadamente satisfecho con mi compra del set Blu-ray de Batman: La Serie Animada. A pesar de los problemas en el empaque, el contenido en sí es excelente y la calidad de imagen y sonido es impresionante. Recomiendo encarecidamente esta edición a todos los fanáticos de Batman y de la animación en general. Es una adición imprescindible a cualquier colección y ofrece horas interminables de entretenimiento de alta calidad.

Nowhere is indicated that this is an import. Bought it on amazon.nl and should be working in Europe then. Very angry right now and dissapointed

Batman The Animated Series is a masterful collection. Definitely recommended. As a kid, it was one of my favorite animated shows that I grew up watching. After hearing of the passing away of legendary voice actor Kevin Conroy, I just had to get this. RIP Kevin Conroy - the best Batman.