So I've been revisiting Batman: TAS recently and I'm struck but how adult and cinematic the show was. It really is like watching an update of a 40s serial. Yet it was a show that was made specifically for kids and aired in the early afternoon. Of all of the DCAU shows, it was the one that was the least suited for kids. With its adult themes, retro styling and vintage music it more suited for primetime.
While animation has come a long way since the early 90s it seems that shows aimed at kids are fairly upbeat and well...child like. Producers today are more likely to create more traditionally kid friendly shows and a series like Batman probably would not get made unless it was specifically targeted for adults. Indeed what eventually killed the DCAU was the fact that Cartoon Network decided that it wanted more kid friendly fare from DC. Thus Teen Titans and eventually Superman and the Legion of Super Heroes were made with kids in mind. Young Justice and Green Lantern certainly come close to the quality of the old DCAU, but nothing really touches the quality of that first Batman series.
Of course, had Batman been a primetime show t might have lasted longer than 4 seasons.
While animation has come a long way since the early 90s it seems that shows aimed at kids are fairly upbeat and well...child like. Producers today are more likely to create more traditionally kid friendly shows and a series like Batman probably would not get made unless it was specifically targeted for adults. Indeed what eventually killed the DCAU was the fact that Cartoon Network decided that it wanted more kid friendly fare from DC. Thus Teen Titans and eventually Superman and the Legion of Super Heroes were made with kids in mind. Young Justice and Green Lantern certainly come close to the quality of the old DCAU, but nothing really touches the quality of that first Batman series.
Of course, had Batman been a primetime show t might have lasted longer than 4 seasons.
) atmosphere so the style of BTAS wouldn't be as removed as if they were to try it now.
