Today marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the premiere of Batman: The Animated Series. It followed the success of the massively popular live action films Batman and Batman Returns, using many of its influences, styles, and musical theme as the basis for the animated show. The series premiered on this date in 1992 on Fox Kids running until September 15th, 1995 with eighty-five episodes. The series started an expansive animated universe for DC Comics characters. It was continued with The New Batman Adventures and spawned the follow up series Superman, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, The Zeta Project, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited as well as the features Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, and the recent Batman and Harley Quinn. Many of the cast and crew returned to their roles throughout the franchises.
The series was an instant hit and is still considered one of the greatest superhero adaptations and animated series ever made. Critics lauded the thematic complexity, darker tone, artistic quality, film noir aesthetics, and modernizations of the characters. It frequently tops numerous "Best Of" lists and won four Emmy Awards.
Batman featured the directing talents of Boyd Kirkland, Frank Paur, and Eric Radomski. Radomski, Michael Reaves, Paul Dini, Len Wein, Marty Isenberg, Robert N. Skir, Marv Wolfman, and Henry Gilroy all wrote for the series. Radomski and Dini served as producers.
The series had the talents of Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth, Loren Lester as Bruce's ward Dick Grayson also known as Robin the Boy Wonder, Mark Hamill in the first of many incarnations as Batman's archrival Joker, Richard Moll as Batman and Bruce Wayne's friend turned villain Harvey Dent/Two-Face, John Vernon as crime lord Rupert Throne, Neil Ross as an auctioneer, Jeff Bennet as rogue supercomputer H.A.R.D.A.C., Frank Welker as Selina Kyle/Catwoman's feline friend Isis, Edward Asner as sleazy businessman Roland Daggett, David Warner as the powerful crimelord and nearly immortal villain Ra's al Ghul, Ron Perlman as actor turned shapeshifting villain Clayface, Linda Gary as Harvey Dent's psychiatrist Nora Crest, Jim Cummings as Jekko the Clown, Michael Ansara as tragic doctor Victor Fries also known as Mister Freeze, Robert Ito as Bruce's enemy Kyodai Ken, Earl Boen as Ventriloquist's henchman Rhino, Townsend Coleman as Chick, Dorian Harewood as Boss Biggis' slave Dan Riley, John Rhys-Davies as conman Wacklaw Josek, Brad Garrett as circus performer Goliath, Malcolm McDowell as Ra's son Arkady Duvall, Mark L. Taylor as courier McWhirter, Matt Frewer as henchman Sid the Squid, Rob Paulsen as Jay, Adam West as Bruce's childhood idol Simon Trent also known as the Grey Ghost, LeVar Burton as one of Mad Hatter's henchman, Nichelle Nichols as Thoth Khepera, Alan Oppenheimer as an auctioneer, Gregg Berger as Rosie, Maurice LaMarche as Murphy, Seth Green as Wizard, Ed Gilbert as Jack Haley, Josh Keaton as Michael, Paul Winfield as Earl Cooper, as well as Michael Bell doing additional voices.