The Batman vs Dracula: The Animated Movie (2005) (V)

Director:

Michael Goguen

Writers:

Duane Capizzi (written by)
Bob Kane (Batman characters)

Release Date:

18 October 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Gotham City is terrorized not only by recent escapees Joker and Penguin, but by the original creature of the night...

Plot Keywords:

Cemetery | Blood | Asylum | Blood Bank | Super Villain

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bennett	...	Arkham Asylum Inmate, Additional Voices (voice)
Alastair Duncan	...	Alfred Pennyworth (voice)
Richard Green	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Tom Kenny	...	Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin (voice)
Kevin Michael Richardson	...	The Joker (voice)
Rino Romano	...	Bruce Wayne / The Batman (voice)
Neil Ross	...	Additional Voices (voice)
James Sie	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Peter Stormare	...	Dracula (voice)
Tara Strong	...	Vicky Vale (voice)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | USA:Unrated | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG

Company:

Warner Bros. Animation

Quotes:

Oswald Cobblepot: [Nervously watching Dracula drain the Joker of blood at dusk] Breakfast in bed... fresh-squeezed.

Movie Connections:

References The Shining (1980)

not a good crossover by any stretch, mostly something for die-hards, or those simply curious for Joker in dreadlocks

To be fair, I didn't watch much of The Batman animated series. It just seemed to kind of slip by my radar as a Saturday morning cartoon that seemed far too cartoonish- even by the standards of the 90s series, which were like HBO-made in comparison- and drained the humor out of certain areas like with the Joker, and made things seem unintentionally funny in others. According to a friend, however, this made-for-video movie might be a bit better than the series. I'd guess if you did like the new The Batman series then it would be advantageous to check out this new piece of fan-fare product. But that it is a bit sub-par goes without saying, and not without a little potential wasted; this could be a dark and exciting tale to tell, with possibilities even for that most retreaded of vampires Nosferatu-cum-Dracula. Under the direction and writing, however, it is squandered on clichés (will Batman make it to dinner in time with Vicki Vale, and what about the party at his house?), and sometimes the animation feels a little 'off' from previous outings (ever wonder what Batman looks like without a nose? or Dracula with several continuity-gaping capes?)

There are some moments and scenes where it looks like the animators try to give some real cinematic style, as if a DP is off to the side overseeing everything, and once or twice the big visual cues are a little intriguing (the first time, at least, Dracula looks through the penguin or other and sees only their pumping heart and veins, is a solid abstraction). But a lot of this is over-clouded by the fact that the script is fiddling around on the practical gimmick of having a guest star like Dracula on the program, from his resurrection from *one* drop of blood, to his uncanny ability to amass an army around himself, and even to be voiced by Peter Stormare and have it NOT be very amusing or really enlivening the proceedings, to his eventual demise. Can Batman defeat this bloodsucking un-dead, with his army of the walking flesh-eaters? There will be time for that- what becomes a detraction is that the writers and filmmakers feel they need to pack in too much; we don't need a whole sub-plot dedicated to the Joker and his descention into vampirism AFTER coming back from (another) supposed death scene over a waterfall, especially when the Joker is hardly up to snuff in design and in voice (where is Luke Skywalker when we need him), as he was in the past.

And yet, if it were on TV sometime, with a few big exceptions (namely those flashback scenes or dream scenes or even the big climactic fight scenes that rip off the Matrix of all programs), it might spark a few minutes of interest in an off-handed way. There's always a line or a flash of the old spark that keeps Batman going along. But it's also a stupefying detour into the realm of shameless marketing, as the movie franchise goes on (knocks on wood in desperation) in good spirits and the TV realm goes down the tubes.