Maybe the best thing to happen for fans of Batman in recent years was Warner Brothers getting a license to the 1966 TV series for DVD and Blu-ray. Previously, the rights to the show were tied up in legal wranglings for decades, particularly with the estate of producer William Dozier. (Fox currently owns the rights, which helped allow the development of the network’s Gotham series.)
With the license, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment were able to create merchandise and content based on the kitschy series starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. In 2012, DC created action figures and toys from the show, along with a Batman ’66 comic book series (first sold digitally, then in print) that perfectly captured the bright, pop look of the show, in addition to the campy tone that winked at the audience.
Two years ago, Warner Bros. finally released the entire 1966 series (comprised of 120 episodes) on Blu-ray, reuniting fans with an interpretation of the Caped Crusader that fans had alternately turned their collective back on, but later grew to embrace again. The Batman TV series had a sense of fun, which fans welcomed alongside the grim, dark turn that the character and his adventures had taken in the DC Comics books and movies since the mid-1980s.
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As the success of the collectibles line and Blu-ray set demonstrated, there was still a huge appetite for this lighter version of Batman. It wasn’t just about nostalgia. Yet the series was 40 years old. Producing new content wasn’t exactly a realistic option. Many stars of the original show — such as Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, Cesar Romero and Eartha Kitt — had passed on. Adam West is 88 years old, Burt Ward is 71. A new version of the series wasn’t going to happen, not with Warner Bros. wanting to maintain its blockbuster movie property and Fox creating a new take on Batman mythology with Gotham.
However, DC Entertainment did have one other road available with its successful animated division that has produced many direct-to-video films, most of which have been based on popular DC Comics storylines. Why not a Batman ’66 movie with an entirely new story? Animation was perfect, since the 1966 series was essentially a live-action cartoon anyway. Giving the project added credibility with fans was Adam West and Burt Ward voicing their original roles as Batman and Robin. Julie Newmar was also part of the cast, reprising her role as Catwoman.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, released on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday (Nov. 1), is essentially what would have happened if the 1966 TV series was revived with a feature-film budget. The tone is the same as the series with Batman the virtuous, upright Boy Scout who would order a glass of milk if he was looking for clues or suspects at a bar. But the scope of the story is far bigger with big set pieces that never would have fit in those old television studios.
In one scene, Batman and Robin are captured by a quartet of Gotham City’s most dastardly villains — Joker, Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman — and tied to a giant TV dinner placed on a conveyor belt heading toward an oven. That’s exactly the sort of trap Batman and Robin would have ended up in on the old TV series, probably in a cliffhanger leading to the next episode. (Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!) But the production never would have had a budget to create a giant aluminum foil tray with salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and a lemon curd dessert, or the flaming oven it was heading toward.
The climactic showdown between Batman and Robin and their adversaries (and a possibly conflicted Catwoman) takes place on a blimp. Again, a form of travel and spectacle that would be right at home in the 1960s. The ridiculousness of such a setting fits right in with the campy flamboyance of the series. But a blimp flying over Gotham City with six people trading POW! and SOCK! punches in a choreographed routine never would have happened on a TV budget. But that’s no problem with an animated film, which can take the story to the skies, through the city and even into outer space.
But this film isn’t just a nostalgia trip for a 40-year-old TV show and a version of Batman that has become all-too-rare in comic books, cartoons and movies. Return of the Caped Crusaders is also a tribute to Batman as a character. The script by Michael Jelenic and James Tucker contains several references to different interpretations of the Darknight Detective, such as Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns series, which so heavily influenced Zack Snyder’s version of Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. How easily could the righteous, honorable Batman portrayed by West become the angry, vengeful, joyless warrior that’s become the accepted take on the character over the past 30 years? What happens when this version of Batman becomes a jerk?
Early in the movie, the age shows in West’s voice. His Batman doesn’t have the vigor that he once did, even if the wit might still be there. It feels like a struggle for him. But maybe it just took him a while to get back into the character that he’s most well-known for playing. Ward sounds as if he hasn’t aged at all, still the curious, youthful sidekick who can always learn another lesson from his crimefighting mentor. Voice actors Jeff Bergman (Joker), William Salyers (Penguin) and Wally Wingert (Riddler) do a fine job of emulating the famous deliveries and laughs of these infamous Batman villains.
Those who enjoyed the 1966 TV series will love this movie. It’s a 78-minute episode of the old show they remember fondly. But the appreciation that comes with time and the greater scope allowed by animation expands the perspective of moments we know so well. What did it look like when the Batmobile drove out of the Batcave? How did Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson change into their Batman and Robin costumes while sliding down those Bat-poles from Wayne Manor? This animated film is a reminder of what makes Batman such an iconic character. He stands up to almost any interpretation. He can be grim in one movie and goofy in another. Most importantly, there’s nothing wrong with Batman being fun.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders will be released on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, Nov. 1, and is already available on digital media such as iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.
