MovieChat Forums > The New Batman Adventures (1997) Discussion > Dumbed down for kids?

Dumbed down for kids?

posted 16 years ago by teestep
20 replies | jump to latest

Was this show dumbed down for kids when on WB Kids? I saw the episode on youtube when the Joker inherited phony money from a rival gangster. There were several campy elements such as the Joker being hassled by his landlady for rent who did not recognize him (!)and he even put an ad in the paper for a new henchgirl after Harley was sent to Arkham. Harley also tried to escape through the laundry chute and was subsequently caught in the spin cycle of a washing machine. I know it's a cartoon but these kind of things would have never happened in TAS.

[–] paranormaldibhuman 15 years ago

I too thought that episode was god awful. Nothing made sense. The Joker wasn't even acting like himself. He was about to jump off a boat and commit suicide - what? And his plans are usually a lot better executed... he IS an evil genius, after all.

[–] Mr-Awesome 15 years ago

I don't think it was dumbed down for kids. Realistic guns were still being fired and the word death was tossed around. Now a days you won't get it you just get laser guns and the word destroy in place of death

[–] sonicbro316 15 years ago

What about "Over The Edge"? Possibly the most memorable episode, definetely not dumbed down.

[–] mloston07 15 years ago

Or Mad Love...simply one of the best episodes EVER.

[–] GreatWhiteApeofBarsoom 12 years ago

Over the Edge got away with it because it was a dream. Yes, I know that was realistically the only way the episode could end, but it really lessened the impact of the story.

Carthago delenda est.

[–] Atotaleclipse 12 years ago

Agree. But they couldn't have everyone know Bruce was Batman unless it was the end of the series and they were not making any more episodes.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] JigJRod55 15 years ago

I'd say it was dumbed down in certain points, but still very good overall.
Certainly beats the brave and the bold.

F-ck it dude, let's go bowling.

[–] taijiquan12 15 years ago

I agree overall. When the animation changed and it became the "New Batman Adventures" things started to slack, but yes, overall the whole series was always high quality.
Someone mentioned the episode "Over the Edge" which was very good. I also enjoyed the episode where Robin became friends with a part of Clayface that had amnesia and manifested itself as a girl Robin's age. Good stuff.

"Bulls**t MR.Han Man!!"--Jim Kelly in Enter the Dragon

[–] jwm8 15 years ago

I don't know about it being "dumbed down". Violence aside there was so much innuendo in that show it was amazing. Especially that "Ultimate thrill" episode with Roxy Rocket, man they must have been pushing the limits with that one.

[–] The_Kingpun 13 years ago

To that I have to say "I've Got Batman In My Basement". The original series had its dumbed down episodes too. While I prefer the earlier seasons, I don't think there was much of a quality shift. I will say they get more regularly sci-fi and a little more contemporary in TNBA though.

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[–] sponix 12 years ago

yeah that was a sucky episode plus I didn't like the new simplified animations on the enemies

[–] Atotaleclipse 12 years ago

Joker's was the worst one.

[–] BelmontHeir 12 years ago

As a kid, I hated the simplified animation. Now that I'm older, I really appreciate it. The only thing I don't like is the lack of lips on Joker, but otherwise the animation is really crisp and stylish. Batman's costume looks great, with the simple black and grey design, as well as Batgirl's blacker costume.

The thing I like about the revamp is the fact that it's more continuity-heavy, paving the way for future DCAU shows. It's kinda interesting that that the producers tried to subtly push a romance between Bruce and Barbara, even though most fans thought it was icky. I didn't even pick up on that as a kid.

[–] Atotaleclipse 12 years ago

They should have made Joker look like he did in Justice league and Batman beyond in the flashback scene. That was a great design.

[–] movienerd666 12 years ago

Most of it wasn't dumbed down, but yeah, Jokers millions (the episode you are referring to) was seriously dumbed down. It would've probably been more in place in "brave and the bold".

there's no point in being grownup if you cant be childish sometimes!

[–] Atotaleclipse 12 years ago

Joker's Millions is one of my least favorite episodes. I think it was too campy and Joker was out of character for a lot of it. He doesn't care hat much about money.

[–] Kamina85 12 years ago

Sure, some episodes were goofy, but that was true for the first series as well. In the actual serious episodes, the show arguably got darker as this was the first time the villains actually started killing people besides flashbacks (heck, they just flat out say Tim Drake's father is dead, as opposed to how they had to work their way around actually saying that the Waynes and Graysons were dead in the original series).

Just have faith in the you that believes in yourself.
(formerly doctordoom85)

[–] SilentJay32 10 years ago

That's kind of a funny accusation, considering that according to Paul Dini, WB gave them more free reign than Fox ever did. Fox would give them pages of changes they wanted made to every episode, while WB give them a a couple of paragraphs.

[–] Moviefan-Two-Kay-Four 8 years ago

In the strictest sense, the 1990s cartoon was not "dumbed down". The writers tried keeping all the stories as intelligent and believable as possible. Having said that, they were also under very tight constraints regarding content. This was shortly after 1992, when "Batman Returns" was one of the most divisive comic-based films ever made. Many praised Tim Burton for his willingness to explore darker subjects, including things like more risque situations and dialogue. But others saw such changes as betrayals of characters they'd loved since their own childhoods...and in the end, Warner Bros.' executives found themselves in a bind. Back then, comics were still seen as a "kids-only" medium, in spite of popular books like Watchmen and The Crow. So when the time came to do another cartoon based on Burton's version of Batman, WB had certain boundaries they would not allow the writers to cross. As a result, much of the books' darker aspects were replaced with lighter fare...but there were also great tradeoffs. The character of Harley Quinn was actually created for the show, and became so popular that she was eventually transitioned to the comics (and now the movie screen).