Like it's predecessor, Batman Beyond would eventually become a franchise for the studio, Warner Bros. The studio announced plans for a live-action film as well as an animated film. With films like Mask of the Phantasm and Sub-Zero behind them, Warner Bros. Animation was descended to become an instant classic. The revival of a classic Batman villian as well as what happened to Robin was part of the plot for Batman Beyond's first animated movie. This film had the potential to put the young Batman into the annals of history, making him a legend before his time.

The producers and animators didn't want to make a movie that could have easily been an episode of Batman Beyond. They created something not unlike their first movie, Mask of the Phantasm, which would be darker than the original series, having a little more adult-oriented situations, and a kicked-up notch on the action meter. This was the things that made Mask of the Phantasm and Sub-Zero unique and very well recieved. Early reviews of the film were very positive, and the studio looked like it had a success on their hands with Return of the Joker. The reason I said HAD is because the film that will be released later in the month is not the same film that was originally produced, but a heavily censored version with little semblance to the original vision of the story. Sadly, a majority of the public won't even know about the fact that the released film is censored.

Bloodshed. Utterings of the word "kill." Shootings. References to sanity. A brief romantic interlude. A very violent, twisted videotape. Flashbacks to hookers. All of these events were present in the original version of Return of the Joker, but were wiped out in the editing room. Now, the studio is putting out a very sanitized version of the film. At last count, almost 30 total edits were found in the censored version, including a few pivotal scenes that affected the storyline of both the film and the television series. One particular scene showcased how exactly Bruce Wayne got his limp in the first place. As a huge fan of the series, I'm at the breaking point and angry beyond recognition. As a fan of animation in general, I'm appalled at this pointless editing.

The reason for the censorship? Well, it's satisfying the needs of a vocal minority, namely those that still think that animation is still supposed to be just for kids. Kids' WB, which I feel should have no responsibility in the production of a film in the first place, placed pressure on the studio execs to make the film more kid-friendly, instead of attracting the fans. Warner Bros really surprised me with the decision to dramatically edit the film like this. Afterall, many similar scenes were found in Mask of the Phantasm, which was very successful. Also, WB animation has a 70-year tradition in animation to push the envelope on many occasions. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were the antithesis of the saccharine sappiness of the Silly Symphonies of the Disney studio. Characters with rude, obnoxious, silly, and often violent behavior were the mainstay of the studio for generations and generations. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety and Sylvester, and Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner were the first, and modern characters like Taz, Pinky and the Brain, the Warners, and Slappy Squirrel kept the tradition going.

When WB made the original Batman series, it created a series that changed the look of action-animation forever in this country. Like it's comedic predecessors, it didn't kowtow to political correctness and didn't want to be considered the norm, and that's why the fans came to the series in droves. It clearly wasn't the traditional Batman an older generation knew, but rather a Batman that the fans loved and enjoyed. Batman Beyond was starting to have a similar fan response as even the most jaded fans grew to respect. And the creators knew what the fans wanted, because they're fans themselves. The fact that WB has basically edited the hard works of these creators has basically made morale within the studio at a low (a low which started back when Animaniacs, Freakazoid, and Pinky and the Brain were cancelled).

At this rate, WB Animation is headed for another shutdown. With the lack of the support from the studio for highly-praised films like The Iron Giant and now this censorship of Batman Beyond (which will likely lead to the series' premature demise), the animation department will probably go the way of the dinosaur, just like in the late 60s. Of course under a dramatic restructuring and more respect for the talented creators, the animation studio could arise like a phoenix once again.

What can you do? Well, for starters, don't buy the release that is coming out, especially if you like shows and movies unedited. Anime fans are well-versed in their anger towards heavily edited anime shows and series. Spread the word. Just don't go crazy about it. If you can, write well thought out letters to people in charge telling them that there is indeed a market for both a censored and an uncensored cut of the film. Afterall, if it wasn't, would companies like Bandai, ADV, Pioneer, Viz, and Manga be in business today? HBO, part of the Time-Warner family, has released their Spawn videos in dual versions (both the original cut and a censored version as well), and that's proof that a market does exist.

Who knows? Maybe we'll see an uncut version of a very pivotal film yet, and the unfinished legend of the future Batman will have a more positive ending.

Addendum (August 2002): In spring 2002, Warner Home Video released Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker on home video and DVD in its original, uncensored, unedited, uncut form, complete with new commentary and features not seen on the edited edition. Ah, the power of the fans. When harnessed correctly, it's a very, very good thing.