Possibly the most influential and dedicated animation project to come out of Warner Bros., Batman: The Animated Series made an incredible impact to viewers in the 90s, and even after twenty years its elements and influences are still going strong today as it inspires plenty of Batman media and merchandise. The series has kick-started many careers in writing, animation and voice, including that of Paul Dini, who is still impressing viewers, readers, and gamers with his additions to the property. And, of course, Kevin Conroy will keep the Batman legacy alive until the day he dies. Out of all these influences the series have caused, which are still going strong even today?
Harley Quinn
A creation made solely as a temporary henchwoman to The Joker, Arleen Sorkin came in to do an incredible voice-over that shocked every person involved with the production. It was only inevitable that we would see more of her, so the creators eventually gave her some interesting story-lines and a developed for her a background to give her character more levels and value. A project that could have come out to be a Joker clone astonishingly did not. Mark Hamill had even stated that when Arleen came in to do the original voice overs, Harley didn’t even have a name for the character! To this day, Harley Quinn lives on through popular comic books and video games that are constantly released.
Kevin Conroy's Batman
We don’t know how he does it, but Kevin Conroy is the perfect Batman for any art-form and has recieved great recognition for his talents. He’s been voicing Batman for over twenty years now, making his debut in Batman: The Animated Series. The parallel between Bruce and Batman’s voices are incredible, and yet they don’t require throat cancer of any kind. His performance of Bruce hasn’t even deteriorated, yet it somehow improves every time he dons the (hypothetical) cape and cowl. When Conroy passes on, his legacy will be continued through countless video games and movies... and Bruce Greenwood isn’t a bad impersonator.
Mark Hamill's Joker
Once again, the Star Wars star-turned-voice-actor shocked the world with his sinister Joker voice over which continues to live on through countless Batman media adaptations. Although he claims to have retired the voice, the role is one of Mark’s favorites and he probably wouldn’t hesitate to do it again if the money were right! His Joker voice has had plenty of more screen time than any other adaptation of The Joker so far, and there has yet to be a single person to take on the mantle like Mark has. Debuting in Batman: The Animated Series, there’s no doubt at all that this voice will live on for ages.
The Animation Style
This style of animation for a superhero show at the time was a first, and was gorgeous at the time. The models were simple and clean, while the colors were dark and gritty. Although some studios seemed sloppy with the work, the show was always top-notch when compared to others like X-Men: The Animated Series, Spider-Man, etc. This animation continued for nearly ten years after that with Justice League, Superman: The Animated Series and actually slightly lives on through Green Lantern: The Animated Series except the models are now in 3D. As fans, we can only hope that Green Lantern: The Animated Series isn’t the last we see of it. Thank God for Bruce Timm…
Mr. Freeze's Story
Now, this opinion may vary from person-to-person but awards and reviews seem to agree with me here. Mr. Freeze was a terrible and awful villain until Batman: The Animated Series seriously overhauled Victor with a fresh, exciting and believable backstory with the episode “Heart of Ice”. He was the first pre-existing DC Comics character to be completely changed for a series, and some may say that this version of Mr. Freeze will forever remain the best. Most of the character you see in the comics today started from Batman: The Animated Series. It’s completely no shocker that they gave him his own movie, Batman: Sub Zero (even though it was delayed because of Freeze’s poor portrayal in Batman And Robin). I believe that this Mr. Freeze will forever influence the comics and any other portrayal of the character in media.