Franchises: Batman Animated

Despite a brilliant concept, the Batman Beyond series didn't really come together. Return of the Joker was undoubtably the high water mark. A perfect bridge between the old and the new animated series. The flashback sequence is the finest 15 minutes of Batman animation ever made. The uncut version is a MUST.

The Batman animated series was a remarkable addition to the Batman mythos. The first animated movie is far better than most of the live action films. Reason being: Story. In fact, it may be a bit too story-heavy for kids. Batman falls in love and the Joker screws things up. The "Dark Deco" look is magnificent. I also love the fact that they aren't afraid to take the story into darker territory. Interestingly, there's also a strong female presence throughout. Bravo Bruce Timm!

The new Batman animated series took some getting used to but now it feels as thrilling as the 90s show. The newest feature-length movie is the darkest of the bunch. At times, it ventures into horror film territory and the results are incredible. The premise (and title) might sound horribly cheesy but the end result is surprisingly effective. The sequence with a blood-thirsty Joker is as intense and bold as any of the classic comics.

It amazes me just how much story they can fit into a 60 minute film. The season finale of the incredible animated series (a triple episode!) left Batman fans extremely pleased with this perfect little pairing of DCs two best super heroes. Bringing in Louis Lane, Joker and Lex Luther elevated the character dynamics far beyond what we had become accustomed to with the live action films at the time. Considering how much mythos there is for these two iconic characters, it's astonishing how effectively they pull this movie off. Truth be told, Batman is WAY cooler.