The Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett-produced DCAU has had many shows and films that have attained the status of modern classics. Shows such as Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Teen Titans have been classics in the animated TV realm for a generation while the films have constantly been well-received.
While Marvel achieved many milestones through their live-action MCU, they seem to be way behind their DC counterparts. Only a few shows with their most profitable IP such as X-Men and Spider-Man have fared well with audiences. Alan Burnett, who served as a co-producer and writer on many DCAU shows and films reportedly has the reason why.
How Did Alan Burnett Get Into The DCAU?
Alan Burnett reportedly did not study animation when he went to film school. The producer reportedly ended up in the industry, starting as a page at NBC. He then went on to work at Hanna-Barabera as a young writer. He reportedly worked on shows such as Dukes of Hazzard, The Smurfs, and Super Friends.
Burnett was reportedly brought on board Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski’s Batman: The Animated Series after it was greenlit and they ran into trouble with storylines. Burnett mentioned that the company he worked at wanted to bring in Tiny Toons into the fold, but WB offered their other IPs such as Batman and other DC characters as a combo deal.
As part of the development process, Burnett said that Timm and Radomski pitched a few designs for Batman, which were approved. He said in an interview with The Comic Lounge,
“As production began, there were story problems, and that’s when I was brought over. The great attraction for me was that it was Batman, maybe my favorite hero as a kid, and that the show would be broadcast in the afternoon, which meant I could get more adult with it than on Saturday morning.”
Alan Burnett mentioned that he was excited to work on the show especially because he was not bound by children-friendly material as the show had received the afternoon slot.
Why Did Bruce Timm’s DCAU Fare Better Than The Marvel Animated Shows?
The MCU is one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time, with films like Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home creating history during their theatrical run. It has also had a cultural impact like no other on the industry as a whole. Many studios have tried to jump on the shared universe bandwagon, but none have seen the success of the MCU.
However, Marvel seems to be lacking in one aspect. While the live-action films and series have fared well (to varying degrees of success), Marvel’s animated shows have not seen the same amount of success. The studio has been creating shows since the ‘90s, with only a handful of shows receiving positive responses.
When compared to DC’s animated shows and films, Marvel has lagged extremely behind in terms of quality and quantity. The Bruce Timm-produced DCAU has had a cultural impact like no other franchise in the realm. Alan Burnett, co-writer and co-producer of the show mentioned what set them apart from other animated shows to The Comic Lounge,
“The fans like to see big, graphic novel stories. We do the best we can to stay as close to the original books as possible. Sometimes that’s not easy…I marveled when Dwayne McDuffie, who is still greatly missed, was able to boil down the 12 issues of ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to six issues and yet let us feel the wholeness of that comic’s complete run.”
The DCAU has seen multiple successful shows with the same teams such as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Batman Beyond, and Teen Titans, among others. Films such as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman: Under the Red Hood have been considered to be some of the greatest animated comic book films.
