WB Animation Rumors and Batman Beyond
Weds., Nov. 29, 2000 18:17:39
Gookie
Ever since the critically acclaimed but poorly attended Warner Bros. animated feature, The Iron Giant, failed at
the box office, there have been whispers of rumors that the future of WB Animation is
extremely fragile. And since Fox Animation closed its doors, many have speculated that if
the upcoming live-action/animated "Osmosis Jones" also bombs (like Fox's
animated feature "Titan A.E." did), it could mean the same thing for WBA.
And now, for a second time, rumors on the cancellation of Batman Beyond after the close of
the third season are rapidly spreading across the web, even after an official announcement
was previously made by WB that they still supported the series.
Since this rumor has been revived, no official statement from the WB has been released.
Unfortunately, the prospects of the series continuation after the current season do indeed
look bleak.
Since this past summer, there have been three inside reports as well as other evidence
that cancellation for Batman Beyond is indeed apparent, and that doom has already been
knocking at the door of WB Animation.
The first report came directly from inside sources. I personally attended this year's San
Diego Comic Con, and in addition to getting to meet such industry "celebrities"
as Paul Dini, Mark Hamill, Mark Evanier, Hilary J. Bader, Don Bluth, Rob Paulsen, Maurice
LaMarche, and Matt Groening, I had the opportunity attend several panel discussions, and
afterwards chatted with the individuals themselves.
Though I heard the following information as far back as July, this is the first time, to
my knowledge, that this news has been reported anywhere.
Of all the panels I attended, the most enlightening by far was the "Careers in
Animation" panel, which featured Craig Miller (producer: "Elfquest",
"Pocket Dragon Adventures"), Bob Miller (director on "The Simpsons"),
and animation writers Stan Berkowitz, Marv Wolfman, and Robert M. Skir (who were also all
Batman writers).
Bob Miller of Film Roman offered a rather distressing overview of the current state of
animation, saying that classic animation is "depressed". He stated that Warner
Bros would soon be laying off animators from its feature animation department, currently
involved in the production of the live-action/animated "Osmosis Jones". And with
the phenomenal popularity of Japanese animation in mainstream US television markets,
"Warners Animation is shutting down in favor of foreign imports."
Robert M Skir (writer on Batman:TAS; Beast Machines: Transformers; Action Man) added his
opinion that this is the result of "short-sighted executives". (While on the
other hand, it's a great time to be an Anime fan.)
Miller also stated what fans have already feared, that Batman Beyond would have no new
episodes after the third season, and he did seem rather certain about this information. He
added the shocking detail that "Warner Bros is no longer interested in making this
kind of show." Not surprisingly, none of these items were mentioned during the
official WB panel at the same convention. Instead, members of the official WB panel stated
that the chance of another Batman Beyond direct-to-video movie was "very
possible", provided that the ROTJ release is successful. [In light of recent news,
this seems highly doubtful.]
These details discussed at the "Careers in Animation" panel were supported
shortly thereafter by yet another inside source. In issue #22 of TOON Magazine (Summer edition), a letter to the editor asked
the following question:
[You say] that your people work in the animation studios they cover. If that is true,
what's the deal with Batman Beyond? Is this series done or not?
TOON editor in chief Michael Swanigan replied:
The art team on Batman Beyond have all, but a few, been let go months ago. There are no
new scripts, designs or storyboards being worked on at this time. The 2000-2001 season of
shows is still overseas being animated and will air this coming season. There are rumors
of a new Batman spin-off series called "Batman on Mars". Let's hope not.
[Note: The above was published in August, and for the record, I have found no other
mention anywhere of this rumored "Mars" series. I assume it was caused by
misinformed details on Kids WB's upcoming "Zeta" series, slated to begin airing
on KidsWB possibly in December. Frankly, it sounds more like something DiC or Saban might
produce if they held the license. The prospect would be scary either way, but I think we
can safely say that this news was in error.]
Further evidence to support suspicions of WBA's numbered days occurred when WB revamped
all their online websites and dumped wbanimation.com as well as all their former official
sites for such TV shows as "Pinky & The Brain", "Tiny Toons
Adventures", and even movie sites for "Cats Don't Dance" and "Quest
for Camelot". Related WBA sites are now either redirected to warnerbros.com or are merely
dead links.
Most recently, another reliable inside source has reported that Batman Beyond will not
return for a 4th season because:
- The production team no longer has WB's support.
- The recent fiasco with the extensive editing of "Batman Beyond: Return of the
Joker" to remove content deemed either too violent or too graphic for younger
audiences.
- Alleged "personality conflicts" between Paul Dini and the rest of the WBA
team.
We will simply have to wait for official details to be announced, but at this point,
the Dark Knight of the Future doesn't have a very promising future at all. It may also be
important to mention that production is said to be underway both for an animated JLA
series, as well as a TV series based on the "Osmosis Jones" feature film for
2001. Whether or not these projects will be produced by WBA has not been announced. When
official details are released, rest assured, they will be reported here.
In the meantime, all Batman Beyond fans are invited to offer their support by signing the Save Batman Beyond Petition.
And so this article doesn't end with such disappointing information, here's a bonus:
In the most recent issue of TOON Magazine (#23; Michael Swanigan, Editor), Curt Geda
(director on ROTJ as well as several episodes from BTAS, STAS, and Batman Beyond) was
featured in a four-page exclusive interview that included a brief movie review, preview
images, and extensive details behind the production of the film's animation. [No author
was credited for the article.]
Before seeking a career in animation, Geda was "a welder in a Colorado coal
mine". It was while he was working there that he realized that animation was his
"true calling".
"[Animation] combined my love of art, storytelling and movies," says Geda.
"My wife and I came to California, but it was the mid-80's [and] a particularly bad
time for breaking into animation. I [trained] at the Cartoonist Union and worked in a
warehouse. Finally, the boom hit and Cosmo Anzilotti hired me at Hanna-Barbera.
Afterwards, Warners was staffing for Batman:TAS and I was fortunate to be offered a
position. I eventually became a director on Superman, Batman, and Batman Beyond with 37
episodes over the past five years."
When asked which episode of Batman Beyond is his favorite, and why, Geda responds,
"'Rebirth' is my emotional favorite. But, 'Splicers' is my favorite 'fun' show. From
the first outline is was a popular and sought after script. The models were terrific, the
story was straightforward and clear. The animation by Koko was beautiful. My personal
effort of boarding much of act III seemed to pay off. Monsters! Transformations! Heroic
dog Ace! What's not to like?"
And when asked if there was any episode he "hated", Geda states, "Over the
years I've found it to be an immense challenge to pull [off] a successful episode. There
are so many variables: assigned scripts, a busy talent pool, the juggling of multiple
shows, deadlines and erratic animation quality. It's a director's job to find or even
manufacture something in every story to care about and I'm very sympathetic to the effort
that goes into the work. I find it very hard to lightly criticize anyone's endeavor."
[Note: Other excerpts from the Curt Geda interview will be posted shortly in a feature
article on "Return of the Joker".]
[Sources: Batman:
The Animated Newsletter; World's Finest; TOON Magazine.] |
