Product Description

In the hit show that continues the Batman storyline from the EmmyO-winning Batman: The Animated Series, two years have passed and Batman still protects the streets of Gotham City from the demented criminals that inhabit its dark alleys. But irreconcilable differences with Dick Grayson lead to the collapse of the Batman/Robin crimefighting duo and to the birth of Gotham's new hero Nightwing. Batgirl fights at Batman's side, and a new Robin takes flight after Batman's chance encounter with young Tim Drake. In these 24 thrilling episodes, the Gotham Knights face their worst enemies - Joker, Penguin, Mr. Freeze and many more - in a comprehensive 4-disc set that completes the Batman animated saga!

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary on "Over the Edge", "Critters" and "Legends of the Dark Knight" by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Glen Murakami, James Tucker, Dan Riba and Moderator Jason Hillhouse
Featurette:Arkham's Finest: Inside Batman's Rogue Gallery

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8689 in DVD
• Brand: WEA
• Released on: 2005-12-06
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 4
• Dimensions: 1.20 pounds
• Running time: 521 minutes

Features

• In the hit show that continues the Batman storyline from the EmmyO-winning Batman: The Animated Series, two years have passed and Batman still protects the streets of Gotham City from the demented criminals that inhabit its dark alleys. But irreconcilable differences with Dick Grayson lead to the collapse of the Batman/Robin crimefighting duo and to the birth of Gotham's new hero Nightwing. Batgir

Amazon.com
The fourth and final volume of Batman: The Animated Series is a little uneven but still encompasses some great episodes. Start with "Over the Edge," a nightmarish scenario in which Commissioner Gordon dedicates himself to hunting down Batman following the death of his daughter, Batgirl. "Critters" is a tribute to Japanese monster movies, "Mad Love" recounts the origin of Harley Quinn, and "Legends of the Dark Knight" animates both a '50s-styled Batman adventure as well as a scene from Frank Miller's Return of the Dark Knight. This run of 24 episodes has a lot of Batgirl, too little Nightwing, and a lot of the new Robin, Tim Drake, whose origin is explained in "Sins of the Father." Drake gets a mostly solo adventure, Batgirl teams with Supergirl, and there's still a sense of fun, with goofy humor that includes an appearance by the Three Stooges as the Joker's henchmen. Guest voices include Sela Ward as Calendar Girl and Tippi Hedren, and Mark Hamill continues the excellent work as the Joker that created some early rumors about his taking the live-action role in the sequel to Batman Begins. By this time, Batman had become part of the Batman/Superman Hour, so viewers can choose the opening sequence for either that or the original animated series. That, as well as the unbalanced number of episodes in the seasons (e.g., the first season of the animated series was 60 episodes), is why Batman: The Animated Series was released in volumes rather than as single-season sets. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

The New Batman Adventures
These episodes were produced two years after the original Batman: Animated series ended, and were made for the KidsWB Saturday morning block, which was still relatively new at that time. What's notable about these episodes is that the character designs have been totally revamped, and this was when the "DC animated universe" really began, as Batman stories would often cross-over with the Superman series and vice-versa.

The real shame about The New Batman Adventures is that KidsWB basically stopped production after 24 episodes, so we don't get to see the new revamps as much as we'd like (ex. Riddler, unfortunately, only shows up in minor cameos). A host of new villains and femme fatales appear, including Calendar Girl, Roxy Rocket, and the (dreaded) Farmer Brown and his mutant farm animals. Etrigan and The Creeper make their first animated appearances, but only get an episode each (Etrigan was later fleshed out in Justice League). Most telling is that certain plot threads feel rushed, including the introduction of Tim Drake as the new Robin, the departure and return of Dick Grayson as Nightwing, and even a new twist involving Two-Face. There just weren't enough episode to tell everything the staff wanted to tell (and maybe they told one Joker story too many).

Are these episodes as good as the original B:TAS? Overall, no. It's more about comic book fights and action now. Bruce Wayne's a little stiffer and darker, and the stories have lost that humanizing touch the best B:TAS episodes had (with exceptions of course). Is the quality still there? Yes. This is still excellent entertainment for kids and adults alike, and new viewers may be surprised at how mature these episodes feel compared to the stuff on KidsWB these days.

Definitely pick up vol. 4. It's a nice supplement to the initial 3 volumes, and continues the animated legacy of Batman nicely. Here's hoping Batman Beyond gets the box set treatment next.

From The New Batman Adventures!
New adventures await you and the Gotham Knights in Batman: The Animated Series, Volume Four - The New Batman Adventures! Revamped from the dark deco days of the original series with a simpler yet stylized new look, the New Batman Adventures featured the Gotham Knights: Batman & Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing in some of their most memorable episodes. Introducing the voices of Mathew Valencia as Tim Drake, the new Robin and Tara Charendoff-Strong (replacing Melissa Gilbert-Brinkman) as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, this 4-disc (521 min.) set contains all 24 episodes from the series which include classics "You Scratch My Back", "Old Wounds" and fan-favorite "Over the Edge". Other highlights include "Legends of the Dark Knight" which acknowledges the works of Bill Finger, Dick Sprang and Frank Miller. Not to mention "Never Fear" featuring the most horrific version of the Scarecrow (chillingly voiced by Jeffrey Combs) ever animated. The New Batman Adventures not only refined the designs of the characters (a "taste great/less filling" matter of opinion) but also how the stories were presented to viewers. The show's pacing and even balance of mature melodrama and stylized action would serve as a blueprint for the success of future shows Batman Beyond and Justice League Unlimited. Here are the contents of this set:

Disc 1:
Holiday Knights
Sins of the Father
Cold Comfort
Double Talk
You Scratch My Back
Never Fear

Disc 2:
Joker's Millions
Growing Pains
Love Is a Croc
Torch Song
The Ultimate Thrill
Over the Edge

Disc 3:
Mean Seasons
Critters
Cult of the Cat
Animal Act
Old Wounds
The Demon Within

Disc 4:
Legends of the Dark Knight
Girls' Night Out
Mad Love
Chemistry
Beware the Creeper
Judgment Day

Special Features:
Commentary: On "Over the Edge", "Critters" and "Legends of the Dark Knight" by Bruce Timm (Producer), Paul Dini (Producer), Glen Murakami (Art Director), James Tucker (Storyboards), Dan Riba (Director) and Moderator Jason Hillhouse.

Featurette: "Arkham's Finest": Inside Batman's Rogue Gallery.


Worth the wait, and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Batman Ends
The episodes compiled in this fourth collection of the animated Batman series is from the Kids WB New Batman Adventures, which hit Saturday mornings a while after the classic Batman: The Animated Series was over with. Most of the voice cast was retained (including Kevin Conroy as the Dark Knight), but the animation underwent a complete overhaul, which would be seen on the animated Superman series as well as the current Justice League Unlimited. The animation transformation isn't for everyone, but it works for the most part, and the storytelling is still top notch. In the episodes collected here, we learn why Dick Grayson quit being Robin and became Nightwing, and we also see the origin of the new Robin, Tim Drake. DC character the Creeper makes his animated debut, and there's a delicious new, and horrifying, twist and look to the Scarecrow (voiced by Jeffrey Combs). The "World's Finest" episodes are here as well, which is the first (of many) cross overs with Batman and Superman as they team up to take down the Joker and Lex Luthor. However, this volume does have it's share of low points. The attempted new twist on Two-Face doesn't work, and the re-vamped animation is definitely going to be a downer for some. However, the strikingly mature tone of these episodes (including a nightmare-esque scenario where Batgirl is killed and Commissioner Gordon launches a full scale attack against Batman and co.) makes this set worth owning for longtime Bat-fans, and this is most certainly better than what's being passed off as a Batman cartoon these days.