Editing Batman: The Animated Series (section)

===Visual style and themes===
Originally, the series was partly inspired by [[Tim Burton]]'s blockbuster ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' (1989), which portrayed Batman's universe as darker than in previous adaptations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kendall |first=Gene |date=2019-06-16 |title=Could Batman: The Animated Series Exist Without The 1989 Film? |url=https://www.cbr.com/could-batman-the-animated-series-exist-without-the-1989-film/ |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":522"/> The series also took influence from Burton's [[Sequel|follow-up]] film, ''[[Batman Returns]]'' (1992).<ref name="bof2">[http://www.batman-on-film.com/historyofthebatman_tv_animated_btas.html Batman-On-Film] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722143405/http://www.batman-on-film.com/historyofthebatman_tv_animated_btas.html|date=July 22, 2010}}, ''Batman: The Animated Series''.</ref> The creators abandoned some of the [[Gothic fiction|gothic]] aspects of the film, instead incorporating more [[Art Deco]] elements inspired by 1940s New York, coining this unique aesthetic "Dark Deco." Without a precise temporal setting, the city features a blend of 1940s cars, police "[[blimp]]s," and [[Retrofuturism|futuristic]] helicopters, alongside Batman's advanced vehicles, while television broadcasts are shown in black and white. The backgrounds were drawn on black paper to create darker settings, whereas white paper is typically used.<ref name=":522"/><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> Radomski issued a standing order to the animation department that all backgrounds be painted using light colors on black paper as opposed to the industry standard of dark colors on white paper.<ref name="LeatherWingsComm">Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, audio commentary for "On Leather Wings", ''Batman: The Animated Series'', Warner Bros, Volume One box set DVD.</ref>

The series employs "[[vintage (design)|vintage]]" colors, partly inspired by the 1940s ''[[Superman (1940s animated film series)|Superman]]'' cartoons, as well as [[film noir]] classics like ''[[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]'' (1921), ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941), and ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' (1927).<ref name=":522"/> Background designer [[Ted Blackman]] cited [[Eyvind Earle]] and [[Bruce McCall]] as influences, particularly for their ability to depict "cartoonish settings."{{sfn|Dini|Kidd|1998|p=169}} The distinctive visual combination of "noir" imagery and Art Deco design was dubbed "Dark Deco" by the producers.<ref name="btas2">[http://www.batmantas.com/ ''Batman: The Animated Series''], an explanation of "Dark Deco".</ref>

The show depicts outright physical violence against antagonists, including realistic firearms (though only one character, [[Jim Gordon (character)|Commissioner Gordon]], was ever depicted as having been shot, in the episode "I Am the Night"). First-time producers Timm and Radomski reportedly encountered resistance from studio executives, but the success of Burton's first film allowed the embryonic series to survive long enough to produce a pilot episode, "[[On Leather Wings]]", which, according to Timm, "got a lot of people off our backs".<ref name="LeatherWingsComm" />