Animation & Cartoons

Batman: Hush – Review: Another Fine Entry in DC’s Animated Line-Up

Batman & Nightwing
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DC Animation’s last Batman entry in its animated line-up was a massive disappointment (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight). This is keeping in mind that Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a collaboration between Warner Brothers and Nickelodeon. Moreover, it was not a part of the regular line-up of 3 animated DC movies that are released annually. Hence, when Batman: Hush was announced, there was a huge sense of expectation due to its iconic source material. Continue reading

Dragon Ball Super: Broly – Review: A Well-Done Film that Opens Up Possibilities

Broly goes Super Saiyan
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I usually don’t write about anime and prefer to focus on American animation in general. However, exceptions can be made. Who knows; perhaps there might be many more to come in the future. Continue reading

Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Review: A Fun Mash-Up

Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
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Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on the comic book mini-series Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When the trailer for this movie first appeared, it immediately piqued my interest. A Batman/TMNT crossover movie ? What’s not to like about that ? The very concept itself has ‘Cool’ written all over it. Continue reading

The Death of Superman: Review – A Comic Book Classic Packs an Emotional Punch

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It’s been a long time coming but DC really needed a movie like this to lift itself out of the mediocrity that has engulfed it over the last year or so. With the DCEU not really impressing thus far (with the notable exception of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman), it’s been up to DC animation to carry the mantle. To be really honest, DC’s annual line-up of stand-alone (or limited continuity) movies has been generally lacking in inspiration in recent times. This is not to say that their movies have been outright bad or a disaster but there is a feeling that the effort going into these movies has reduced. Sometimes, the quality of animation hasn’t been the best either. Continue reading

Batman Ninja: Review – An Interesting Spectacle

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Batman in Japan… This is not a concept that hasn’t been explored before. Many fans will remember Kyodai Ken and Bruce Wayne’s exploits in Batman: The Animated Series. Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan by Jiro Kuwata was also a memorable re-imagining of the character’s exploits in Japan and garnered very positive reviews. A story based on this work was portrayed in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Continue reading

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay – Review: A Breath of Fresh Air

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It’s been a while since DC has come out with a truly good stand-alone animated feature. Although, some of them have been a pretty fun watch such as ‘Teen Titans: The Judas Contract’, there have been some disappointing ones as well such as ‘Batman: Gotham by Gaslight’. It seems such a long time now, but ever since DC started releasing these stand-alone original animated features straight to DVD, the number and quality of truly memorable films has reduced. Continue reading

Batman: Gotham By Gaslight – Review: A Great Premise Underwhelms

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This movie is based on the 1989 Else Worlds comic of the same name by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola. The basic premise of this film is great. Batman taking on Jack the Ripper in a steam-punk Victorian era version of Gotham (London more-like). Batman and mysterious figures prowling the dark streets and alleys in foggy London (I mean Gotham !). What’s not to like about such a setting ? Continue reading

Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold – Review: Jinkies Outrageous !!

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It’s funny how many times the Dark Knight and the Mystery Incorporated gang have teamed up or crossed paths over the years. They couldn’t be more worlds apart from each other and at the same time be a goofily great fit. Continue reading

Batman vs. Two-Face: Review – Fitting Farewell To Adam West

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This may fly past many fans of the Dark Knight (or possibly even most casual viewers) but it takes some effort to make a movie like this. When producing something entirely new, one can always throw caution to the wind and unleash his/her creativity. However, works such as Adam West’s Batman from the 60s is another story. Being faithful to the source material is a must for most fans especially when it is something that you grew up with. One has to be careful while re-creating a work like this while adding a fresh take on it. Take a few wrong turns and you can end up with a monumental disaster or have the fans claiming ‘Blasphemy !! Blasphemy !!’. Continue reading

Teen Titans: Series Review – A Cult Success with a Lasting Legacy

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Teen Titans premiered in 2003 when the DC Animated Universe was still going strong with the Justice League. In Sam Register’s (Current President of Warner Bros Animation) words, the show was initially conceived as a children oriented show; primarily targeted at 7 and 8 year olds. The show however, evolved into so much more than that. So much so that, in spite of Teen Titans Go’s recent success, die-hard fans of the original series are still clamouring for a revival.

So what made fans fall in love with this show ? Continue reading