The Batman vs Dracula: The Animated Movie (2005) (V)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Michael Goguen

Writers:

Duane Capizzi (written by)
Bob Kane (Batman characters)

Release Date:

18 October 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Gotham City is terrorized not only by recent escapees Joker and Penguin, but by the original creature of the night...

Plot Keywords:

Joker | Dracula | Batman | Vampire | Reporter

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bennett	...	Arkham Asylum Inmate / Additional Voices (voice)
Alastair Duncan	...	Alfred Pennyworth (voice)
Richard Green	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Tom Kenny	...	Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin (voice)
Kevin Michael Richardson	...	The Joker (voice)
Rino Romano	...	Bruce Wayne / The Batman (voice)
Neil Ross	...	Additional Voices (voice)
James Sie	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Peter Stormare	...	Dracula (voice)
Tara Strong	...	Vicky Vale (voice)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:PG | USA:Unrated | Australia:PG | USA:TV-PG

Company:

Warner Bros. Animation

Trivia:

Upon meeting Bruce Wayne, Dracula refers to himself as Dr. Alucard, which is 'Dracula' backwards.

Quotes:

The Joker: Joker's back from the grave!
The Penguin: Yeah, a lot of that going around.

Movie Connections:

References Jerry Maguire (1996)

Fun - but certainly a hack job

This cartoon movie has a lot going for it - zippy animation, a cool music score, and two of the greatest pop culture icons ever.

Unfortunately, Batman and Dracula don't mix quite as well as they should. Super-hero comic books, fun as they may be, usually stink at doing horror. This movie has that problem, too. Personally, I thought it was silly every time Dracula zoomed around like the Flash or turned into a drooling Nosferatu. His melodramatic dialogue wasn't much good, either - "I'll use your cape for a dinner napkin," indeed! I also had problems with the movie's tackiness. A vampire Joker is fun, but showing him lick up blood from the floor like a dog is in questionable taste.

There's some originality issues here, too. The Vicki Vale subplot is lifted right out of the first Tim Burton movie, and it's become a dull cliché to have the police chase Batman.

Still, I was entertained. This is pacey fun, and it's got a cool visual style. But ultimately it's too fannish. (By fannish, I mean it was obviously written by a fan who cut-and-pasted genre stories together in a somewhat dull fashion.) And how come Bob Kane is credited with creating Batman, but Bram Stoker doesn't get a nod for creating Dracula?