The Adventures of Batman was one of the spotlight animated television series to be produced by Filmation, who generated more than 50 animated series, over a dozen television shorts, specials and movies, and eight feature films. The Adventures of Batman was also paired with another famous DC Super Hero to become The Batman/Superman Hour.
Filmation veteran Olan Soule (Super Friends, The Towering Inferno) provided the voice of Batman, while American Top 40 co-founder & host Casey Kasem (Scooby-Doo franchise) played Robin. The supporting cast featured two-time Emmy Award winner Ted Knight (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Caddyshack) as Commissioner Gordon, Larry Storch (F Troop) as Joker, and Jane Webb (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Archie Show) as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.
For thoughts on The Adventures of Batman: The Complete Collection, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings The Adventures of Batman to Blu-Ray sourced from newly remastered origins which marks a huge improvement from any previous standard definition release. The quality of these episodes is visually dazzling with bright colors and hardly a trace of damage to be found. There is the occasional softness with certain shots or a minuscule amount of debris due to issues with the source material, but these issues are few and far between. There is a solid amount of natural film grain present with a remarkable amount of detail and clarity to the picture. The textures of all the relatively simple environments look naturally filmic and give the series a semblance of depth. You can still tell that the series stems from low-budget roots, but the video quality is impeccable. The black levels hold up well with no instances of black crush to be found. It is clear that Warner Bros. has taken a great amount of care to restore these episodes to their most pristine condition.
Audio Quality
The audio quality of the Blu-Ray disc is likewise excellent with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that presents virtually no flaws or damage. While you may have previously seen some of these episodes with all manner of age-related wear and tear, these tracks provide clarity to the dialogue, sound effects and music throughout. This track will really impress within the limited sonic ambitions of the series. This disc also includes optional English (SDH) and French subtitles during all 34 episodes.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on this disc.
Final Thoughts
The Adventures of Batman does not offer much variance from episode to episode, but there is something endearing about the fact that you can drop into any episode and know what you are getting with this lighter version of the Caped Crusader. To be clear, the show is not actually high quality storytelling, but it holds some distinct charm that will work on audiences open to its throwback nature. The experience will obviously be aided if you have a nostalgic connection to it, but even newcomers might be able to find some charm in these adventures. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a fantastic A/V presentation that should make fans of the series swoon. This is how classic animation was meant to be treated. Recommended
The Adventures of Batman: The Complete Collection is currently available to purchase on Blu-ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
