Batman as a character has some amazing storylines that would make perfect sense to be adapted into an animated film. Initially, Bruce Timm thought that there was no way it was possible to adapt Batman: Under the Hood, an arc in the comics that served as the sequel to Death in the Family, which infamously killed off Jason Todd, who was serving Batman as his Robin after Dick Grayson’s departure.
Bruce Timm, speaking to Animation World Network, talked about how he and Alan Burnett first came across the comic with the intention of adapting it. The problem started when the duo realized the amount of work it would take to just set up the story, and the various characters that were making an appearance as the narrative unfolded.
However, the pitch for the film was what ended up convincing the duo to go ahead with it.
Judd Winick’s pitch for Under the Red Hood is what allowed the film to be made
Judd Winick was the author of Batman: Under the Hood, which served as the sequel to the critically acclaimed arc Death in the Family, which saw the demise of Jason Todd at the hands of The Joker after the Dark Knight failed to rescue him. Given that so much of the story had to be set for the film to make sense, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett were stumped thinking about how they would adapt the story. Judd Winick’s pitch for the story, however, is what won them over. Timm revealed to Animation World Network the details of the pitch:
“Quite frankly, it was confusing to me and I kept thinking to myself that I didn’t see how a lot of those things would work. The big thing about the story is that it’s a sequel to a big event in the history of DC comics – the death of Robin that happened back in the 1980s – and I didn’t see how we could set that up, because it all hinges on being a sequel to that story. Furthermore, the way the pitch was arranged, we were in a room in Burbank and Judd was in San Francisco and had to pitch over the speakerphone.
But amazingly, every single problem I thought we’d have trouble making into a movie, Judd had fixed in the pitch. Judd had already clearly put a lot of thought into the entire film – how to stay focused on the main story, how to clean up the death of Robin thing, and how to eliminate all the extra baggage. He pitched for about 45 minutes and when he was done, Alan and I looked at each other and said, “Yeah, that’s a movie. Let’s do it.” And away we meant.”
Winick’s pitch for the film was so well crafted that it took care of all the problems that Timm and Burnett identified in the story, which would have hindered the film from being adapted.
Under the Red Hood has remained one of the best Batman animated films
Batman: Under the Hood has one of the most complex and intriguing storylines that DC has come out with. While a large part of the mystery revolved around who was Under the Hood, which we now know to be Jason Todd, the story still holds up. It masterfully crafts the suspense of the plot, which is benefited by how the story is constructed and delivered.
Under the Red Hood, which is the animated adaptation of the story, similarly manages to craft an excellent story that brings back one of the most iconic Batman characters. Jason Todd has become one of Batman’s closest allies since the story, and one of DC’s most famous anti-heroes. Jason Todd has even headlined a slew of his own comic book runs, which are some of the most popular stories that have come out of DC.
