This Batman Animated Collection Used Clayface To Ship One Of Its Darkest Episodes – SlashFilm – The Imperial Wire Insider

“Batman: The Animated Collection” used a college-aged Robin/Dick Grayson (Loren Lester), which meant he and Batman felt nearer to friends than father and son. Within the sequel collection “The New Batman Adventures,” Dick had turn out to be Nightwing and Batman had a brand new Robin, Tim Drake (Mathew Valencia). Tim was an precise child, so the present may use him to ship messages about rising as much as its younger viewers.

Tim’s darkest lesson comes, undoubtedly, within the fittingly titled “Rising Pains.” “New Batman Adventures” is usually dinged as lesser than the episodes earlier than it attributable to a unique artwork type and a better emphasis on action-based storytelling, however wonderful episodes of “New Batman Adventures” like “Rising Pains” are a counterargument that show the collection hadn’t misplaced its contact.

Like most of the greatest “Batman: The Animated Collection” episodes, “Rising Pains” places Batman in a supporting function and lets a visitor star take the highlight. Right here, that is Annie (Francesca Marie Smith, the voice of Helga from “Hey Arnold!”), an amnesiac lady darting by the darkish streets of Gotham Metropolis. (Since she’s a runaway, I might think about her title was chosen as a play on “Little Orphan Annie.”)

Robin saves Annie from a biker gang and later a terrifying man claiming to be her father. Smitten, Tim resolves to assist her at the same time as Batman (Kevin Conroy) suggests he keep away. The twist is that Annie’s “father” is Clayface (Ron Perlman) — she’s a bit of Clayface that developed its personal will, and now he needs to soak up her to be entire once more.

Clayface succeeds, with Annie sacrificing herself to avoid wasting Robin. The ultimate scene gives no aid; Batman can solely muse, “Generally, there aren’t any pleased endings,” as Robin bitterly suggests the cops guide Clayface for homicide.

Whereas “Batman: The Animated Collection” aired on Fox Children, “The New Batman Adventures” moved to Children’ WB. Author/producer Paul Dini (who personally co-plotted this episode with author Robert Goodman) has mentioned that the latter community was much less prohibitive in regards to the present’s content material. So, “New Batman Adventures” typically went even darker. 

“Rising Pains” is downright bleak; the episode primarily ends with a super-villain murdering a baby, onscreen. Evaluate this to “Robin’s Reckoning,” the “Batman: The Animated Collection” episode which instructed the unique Robin’s origin however could not immediately depict the homicide of Dick Grayson’s mother and father. That is not a slight on “Robin’s Reckoning” — it received “Batman” an Emmy, in spite of everything – however merely illustrative of the reveals’ totally different inventive restrictions.

Granted, Annie’s demise is cold; Clayface grabs her and he or she disappears inside his clay type, implicitly dissolved and reabsorbed into him. This contact of comedian guide fantasy might be why the present received away with killing a baby character. However whereas Annie’s inhuman nature offers the episode believable deniability to censors, Robin nonetheless calls her demise “homicide.”

The youthful Robin is one more reason “Rising Pains” may solely have been made throughout “New Batman Adventures.” Tim and Annie are barely sufficiently old to be excessive schoolers, however their youth would not spare them from the world’s harshness.

The episode’s belief in its younger viewers comes out most in a minute-long, dialogue-free scene of Robin looking Gotham for Annie and seeing a number of unhoused folks. Annie’s fantastical story is only one of many unhappy (and extra mundane) tales in Gotham Metropolis. Earlier than Batman took him in, Tim had been deserted by his felony father and was dwelling on the road, too. When he sees these unhoused boys, he should be pondering how that might have been him.

Mathew Valencia has mentioned that “Rising Pains” is one among his favourite episodes of “The New Batman Adventures,” and it is easy to see why. It would not simply put Robin in a starring function, it is a haunting story with stellar animation. Japan’s TMS Leisure animated “Rising Pains” and Atsuko Tanaka (who has labored as an animator for Studio Ghibli) directed it, so it carries an anime-style expressiveness.

There is a hanging bit the place Clayface extends his arm and tries to dam Robin and Annie’s escape. Robin kicks Clayface, then bits of mud cling within the air as he and Annie run. (This finally ends up revealing the twist, as bits of Clayface fall on Annie and her physique absorbs them.) Clayface’s writhing type even resembles the body-expanding viscera of Katsuhiro Otomo’s “Akira.” (The opening with Annie dodging some aggressive bikers may very well be one other “Akira” nod.)

Per collection co-creator Bruce Timm, Annie’s look was modeled on Mathilda (Natalie Portman) from “Léon: The Skilled.” It is a becoming homage, since that film is a few hitman (Jean Reno) attempting to assist an orphan lady like Robin helps Annie.

As for the writing, “Rising Pains” continues one other development in “New Batman Adventures” exhibiting the collection’ darker edge: once-sympathetic villains rising colder. Within the unique “Batman,” Clayface had been reworked in opposition to his will. Even in his second look, “Mudslide,” Batman provided to assist remedy him. Evaluate that to Clayface killing his “daughter” right here with no regret or regard.

It is not simply the villains who received darker. When making “New Batman Adventures,” actor Kevin Conroy made his Batman voice harsher to point out Bruce Wayne had grown extra cynical. When Gotham Metropolis produces tales like “Rising Pains,” it is easy to see how it will put on folks down.