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!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Tron: Uprising (Part 1 of 4): Characters

Image
This month marks the one year anniversary of the cancellation of Tron: Uprising , which aired on Disney XD for 19 episodes. Set between the events of Tron and Tron: Legacy , Uprising chronicled the events shortly after Clu’s rise to power within the stand-alone Grid created by Kevin Flynn. Personally, I think that Tron: Uprising got a raw deal from Disney. It’s a fantastic addition to the Tron saga that went on to win both Emmy and Annie Awards , yet Disney clearly had other priorities and was willing to toss Uprising aside without so much as an official cancellation notice. Even to this day, Uprising has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray and I’m wondering if it ever will. In honor of this amazing animated series that was cut down in its prime, I have decided to do something that Disney won’t. Since there will never be an official Tron: Uprising art book, I have searched across the Internet to find a selection of art from Uprising that I can share here on my blog with
Read more

FOUND: Mechanical Shark from Universal Jaws Theme Park Ride

Image
When the Universal Studios Theme Park in Florida shut down its Jaws ride back in January 2012, Jaws fans everywhere were devastated. Yet even though this part of the Jaws franchise is no longer operational, some of its sharks are swimming around out there … including places such as Frederick, Maryland. A few days ago, I was contacted by a fellow Jaws fan named John Ryan, asking me if I knew anything specific regarding the sharks from the Universal Jaws ride. He was asking because he thought he found one and is trying to verify its authenticity. We spoke on the phone and exchanged a few emails, and here’s what he told me about his find: “I've been collecting Jaws memorabilia for decades and when I found this incredibly rare gem sitting in a backyard in Frederick, Maryland, I wondered about its connection to the state. The current homeowners said the shark was already there when they purchased the property. They also told me it had been the subject of neighborhood rumor for y
Read more

Machine Robo's Magnificent Robot Combiners

Image
I don't collect Transformers merchandise, but I see articles and advertisements about it when I browse through Japanese robot toy sites. From what I can gather, one of the latest product lines for Transformers is called "Combiner Wars" , a line that consists of five or six transforming robot toys that combine into one bigger robot. Combiner robot toys have been around for a long time, and Transformers had quite a few of them even back in the '80s. Yet of the many combiner robot toys I've seen over the years, the ones that have consistently impressed me were the ones released by Bandai under the Machine Robo line. Whereas other robot toy lines are stuck in the novelty of combining smaller toys into a bigger toy, Machine Robo has used the concept of combination to promote creative play. Read on for a review of how Machine Robo has built upon its combiner toys throughout the years.
Read more