Skip to main content

dc - What time period is "Batman: The Animated Series" set in?


I've been re-watching "Batman: The Animated Series" (still as awesome as ever!) and I'm confused on what time period it's set in. The cars, buildings, and clothing imply that it's mid-twentieth century but Batman has advanced technology in the bat cave which makes me think that it's more modern. Is there an official answer?



Answer




Batman the Animated Series (September 5, 1992) was inspired by a variety of previous animated series including the famed Max Fleischer's, Superman produced by Fleischer Studios in the 1940s and based on the artwork of producer and artist Bruce Timm. Timm was also inspired by the various Batman series, both animated and live action. You can see his homages in his depictions of the Batmobile, the Batcave and the technology used by Batman.


Batmobile Launching


A homage to the live-action Batmobile launching sequence, complete with the flame jet and fins.




  • Considering its influences, it was designed to have a relatively timeless appearance with the automobiles having a rounded 1940-1950s look but having more modern looking trains. There are dirigibles and helicopters, so it mixes and matches technology from a range of modern eras ranging from the 40s to the 90s.




  • The look even coined its own name, "Dark Deco" which was a mix of retro-modern appearance and intentionally obfuscates what era it is meant to depict. This look was perpetuated in the later Superman the Animated Series and the Justice League Animated Series spin-offs. The look is designed to represent a relatively modern time period without giving too many hints of the era of its origin literally creating a cartoon outside of time.





Take a look at the Max Fleischer Superman and you will be amazed at how forward-thinking those images appear today.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - What is the difference between Diffindo and Sectumsempra?

In the Harry Potter books, Diffindo is called the 'Severing Charm' and it’s most commonly used to cut ropes and the like. However, in the last book Hermione uses it on Ron but misses, creating a 'slash in his jeans' and his knee gets cut, causing him to 'roar in pain'. We've only seen Sectumsempra used once on screen when Harry directly uses it on Malfoy in the sixth book, but there it's mentioned that he is 'waving his wand wildly'. Wouldn't Diffindo, if used in such a fashion also cause a similar effect? Similarly, if it was able to cut Ron, it would also be able to, say, chop off an ear (George's)? In that case, how are these two spells different, except for Sectumsempra seemingly used exclusively to hurt humans? Answer While Diffindo and Sectumsempra both can be countered by other spells, Diffindo is far more easily countered. Reparo, a relatively common spell, can completely reverse its effect when used once. “He pulled the old cop...
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...
Post a Comment
Read more