From Pixar making us cry our hearts out to Studio Ghibli leaving us depressed with Grave of the Fireflies, the medium of animation is no stranger to tugging at one’s heartstrings. And similar is the case with Bruce Timm’s magnum opus, responsible for the definitive version of Batman. While full of action, which is expected from the superhero genre, Batman: The Animated Series doesn’t shy away from pulling one’s heartstrings during the show’s more emotional bits.
Reflecting on such scenes, the animator recalled the time he was sobbing like a baby during one of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the show.
Robin’s Reckoning Left Bruce Timm Sobbing During Production
Amidst displaying the brooding vigilante at its top, BTAS also succeeds in leaving fans on the verge of tears, most apparent with Heart of Ice, which changed how fans perceived Mr. Freeze. But this isn’t the lone episode in the series responsible for making many cry their heart out, as the creator of the series recalled being in tears while producing Robin’s Reckoning.
Split into two parts in the fifty-first and fifty-third episodes of the acclaimed series, Robin’s Reckoning showcases the heartbreaking origin of Robin, and his pursuit to avenge his parents. From start to finish, the whole thing is DCAU at its peak, especially the ending, in which Batman and Dick make amends. But it’s the scene in which a young Robin bids goodbyes to his circus friends and the elephant after his parent’s death that left Bruce Timm sobbing during its sound mixing.
Timm said:
“Strangely enough, considering these are all heavily action-oriented shows, my favorite moments are the emotional ones…guess I’m just a big softy! If I can provoke a strong emotional response from the audience, then I feel I’ve done my job right. Ahh, but there’s so MANY great three-hankie scenes, it’s hard to choose…’Robin’s Reckoning’, Dick saying goodbye to the elephant (I sobbed like a baby at the sound mix”
Similar to Timm, Dan Riba, who was a storyboard artist on the show, couldn’t control his tears after Carlos Rodriguez’s score was added to the scene, which amplified the emotions.
Bruce Timm Wasn’t Allowed to Bring Everything to the Table With Batman: The Animated Series
While Batman: The Animated Series is still regarded as the definitive version of the Caped Crusader, being a show aimed at kids, the creators had to cut some corners.
This involved a scrapped idea for an episode, which would’ve seen Batman turn into a vampire by each night, but Fox Kids wasn’t on board with anything related to vampires.
He said (via ScienceFiction.com),
“There’s a character in the comics called Nocturna! And it didn’t get much past the idea phase, we floated it past Fox Kids and they said ‘Nope! No Vampires!’ and I said, ‘Well what if he wasn’t really a Vampire?’ And they said, ‘No Vampires!’”
Fortunately, he was allowed to bring his vision to light in 2015’s Justice League: Gods and Monsters, another worthy addition to Timm’s illustrious filmography.
Batman: The Animated Series is available to stream on Max.
Justice League: Gods and Monsters is available to stream on Max.
