Party Like it's 1966: Classic Camp Batman and Robin are Coming to Home Video in Return of the Caped Crusaders




Adam West and Burt Ward fans, rejoice: West and Ward--along with Julie Newmar--will be reprising their respective roles as Batman, Robin and Catwoman in the upcoming animated movie, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders animated movie. This movie will be released digitally on October 11 and on Blu-ray and DVD on November 1.

Many of DC's theatrical and home video releases from this year, which include Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad, and an animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke, have tilted toward darker, more violent fare. In contrast, Return of the Caped Crusaders goes back to the lighter, campier mood of the live-action Batman series from 1966, which is a breath of fresh air for superhero fans who appreciate the more absurd and outlandish aspects of the fantasy worlds that these characters occupy.

Not much is known about the plot of this movie, other than that it features the voice talents of three original '66 Batman cast members and will involve Batman and Robin combating a nefarious criminal campaign by Joker, Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman. I'm glad to see that this series is still getting plenty of love from the fan community. With the show's recent arrival on digital home video, '66 Batman has also been popping up in comic books, video games and high-quality merchandise. In fact, the Japanese toy company Revoltech is currently taking pre-orders for a detailed, scale-accurate replica of the '66 Batmobile that comes with two sets of Batman and Robin figures (one set standing, one set sitting).


Revoltech's '66 Batmobile replica.


Based on the previews I’ve seen so far, the only thing that doesn’t impress me is the movie's animation. While the character designs are obviously based on the actors and their costumes as they appeared in the original show, the overall quality feels underwhelming and lacks the brilliant color schemes that defined the show's comic book style. If I had the resources of Warner Bros. at my disposal, I'd ensure that this movie's animation matches the look and feel of the animation used in the '66 Batman opening credits (or, at the very least, that it matches the look and feel of the animation style of Batman: The Brave and The Bold). Furthermore, while I'm looking forward to hearing Newmar provide the voice of Catwoman again, it'd be cool to see members of Batman's rogues’ gallery that were specific to the '66 show appear in the movie. If it were up to me, there'd at least be one '66 Batman story involving a campified version of Professor Pyg teaming up with the villain Egghead in a pun-filled fight with the Dynamic Duo. Holy ham omelet, Batman!



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