Overview
The series was partly inspired by Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman, as well as Burton's 1992 sequel Batman Returns and the acclaimed Superman theatrical cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in the early 1940s. In designing the series, Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski emulated Burton's films' "otherworldly timelessness", incorporating period features such as black-and-white title cards, police blimps (though no such thing existed, Timm has stated that he found it to fit the show's style) and a "vintage" color scheme with film noir flourishes. In addition, Radomski issued a standing order to the animation department that all backgrounds be painted using light colors on black paper (as opposed to the industry standard of dark colors on white paper.) The distinctive visual combination of "noir" imagery and Art Deco design was dubbed "Dark Deco" by the producers.
The series initially took a variation of music written by Danny Elfman for the Burton films as its theme; later episodes of the series used a new theme with a similar style by Shirley Walker (Walker was occasionally Elfman's conductor for films on which they collaborated). The score of the series was influenced by Elfman and Walker's work on the Burton films, as well as music of 1940s film noir.
The program was more adult-oriented than previous superhero cartoon series. It was the first such cartoon in years to depict outright physical violence, bloodshed, drug use (though minimal due to network censors) and use of firearms (though only one character was depicted as having been shot - Commissioner Gordon, in the episode "I Am the Night", is shown lying unconscious due to a gunshot wound he received offscreen). First-time producers Timm and Radomski reportedly encountered resistance from studio executives, but the success of Burton's first film allowed the embryonic series to survive long enough to produce a pilot episode, "On Leather Wings", which, according to Timm, "got a lot of people off our backs."
The series received critical acclaim for its distinctive animation and mature themes. Fans of a wide age range praised the show's sophisticated, cinematic tone and psychological stories. The show was also notable for its supporting cast - a number of well-known actors provided voices for various classic villains, most notably Mark Hamill, who later found success in voice acting thanks to his "cheerfully deranged" portrayal of The Joker. The recording sessions (under the supervision of voice director Andrea Romano) were recorded with the actors together in a studio, unlike most animated films, for which the principal voice actors record separately and never meet; various interviews have noted that such an arrangement (having the cast record together) was a benefit to the show as a whole, as the actors were able to 'react' to one another, rather than simply 'reading the words'. This method would later be employed for all subsequent series in the DC animated universe.
One of the series' most famous innovations was the Joker's assistant, Harley Quinn, who became so popular that DC Comics later added her to the mainstream Batman comic book continuity. The Penguin also underwent change for the series; his appearance was remodeled after the version seen in Batman Returns, which was in production simultaneously with the series' first season. New life was additionally given to nearly forgotten characters for the series such as the Clock King. In addition, dramatic changes were made to villains such as Clayface and Mr. Freeze. The latter character, for example, was turned around from a clichéd mad scientist with a gimmick for cold to a tragic figure whose frigid exterior hides a doomed love and vindictive fury.
Much discussion has centered around what decade or years the series takes place in. In episode #53, a clue is given. Bruce Wayne stumbles upon a note on the back of a photograph of his father and Dr. Tompkins, an old family friend. Bruce mentions that the photograph is 40 years old. He moves to the bookcase and finds the school yearbook for his father and Dr. Tompkins's medical school. The class year under their photographs read 1908 and 1907. That would seemingly place the year as 1947-1948. However, other episodes confuse or contradict this evidence, such as the television program a young Bruce Wayne watched in "Beware the Gray Ghost" or Robin mentioning the internet in "What is Reality?".
Read more about this topic: Batman: The Animated Series