One of the best things about Batman is that he’s the rare superhero for everyone. Whether it be dark and gritty, like Ben Affleck’s Batman in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, or pensive and emo, like Robert Pattinson’s Batman in Matt Reeves’ latest big screen iteration in The Batman.
In fact, the Caped Crusader is even campy and goofy with Adam West’s portrayal of the DC superhero. In the straight-to-streaming version, animator Mike Roth (Regular Show) displays the Dark Knight’s bearded-fatherly side in Merry Little Batman.
Written by Morgan Evans (Teen Titans Go!) and Jase Ricci (Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham), and directed by Roth, Merry Little Batman finds an eight-year-old Damian Wayne, voiced by Yonas Kibreab (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sweet Tooth), wanting to grow up like his father, while Bruce Wayne, voiced by Luke Wilson (Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums), is reluctant to let his son become a superhero at such a young age.
While Batman is called out to investigate a Justice League distress call in The Arctic — after being coming of retirement for eight years — two burglars sent by a mysterious super villain break into Wayne Manor only to find Damian Wayne taking on the persona of “Little Batman” to defend his home and save Christmas for all of Gotham.
With its animation style that harkens back to ‘90s Nicktoons shows, Merry Little Batman is decidedly a simple, yet at times fun, adventure that’s aimed for kids more than anything else — with some nods to other Batman movies and comic books. It feels like Home Alone meets How The Grinch Stole Christmas, but with Batman and DC characters and settings. If that sort of thing is appealing, then this 92-minute feature film is for you.
However, for this reviewer, it was too aggressive in animation, while the voice performances seemed a little too phoned in. For example: While Luke Wilson is a well-guarded actor when it comes to movement and expression, he’s not someone who relies on his voice for a great performance. It was just too stilled to convey any emotion other than loud.
Merry Little Batman hits all of the marks for Batman, such as his troubled past, slayed parents, an assortment of gadgets and weaponry, a caring and protective Alfred Pennyworth, voiced by James Cromwell (Babe, L.A. Confidential), the Batmobile, super villains and their henchmen, and other traits and tropes. It may be just too kiddie times at the playground for some viewers, especially with its ease of accessibility on Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming service. Although there’s a Batman for just about everyone, and this movie does its job and entertains a young audience, this iteration of the Guardian of Gotham isn’t for this writer.
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