| Batman: Gotham Knight | |
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| Based on | Batman by Bill Finger and Bob Kane |
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| Distributed by | Warner Home Video |
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Running time | 76 minutes |
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| Languages | English Japanese |
Batman: Gotham Knight (Japanese: バットマン ゴッサムナイト, Hepburn: Battoman Gossamu Naito) is a 2008 Japanese-American adult animated superhero anthology film based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name. The film consists of six segments produced by Japanese animation studios Studio 4°C, Madhouse, Bee Train and Production I.G in association with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation. Set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the segments in the film depict Batman battling against the mob of Gotham City, as well as other villains. Although stated to take place within The Dark Knight trilogy, the producers have acknowledged that the plot from the anthology is not necessarily integral to the main story told within the films. The shorts are written by Josh Olson, David S. Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg and Alan Burnett. Although all use Japanese anime art styles, each segment has its own writing and artistic style, similar to other DC Universe works and The Animatrix; however, some segments are connected, giving it the nickname, "The Batimatrix".[1][2] All six segments of the anthology film star Kevin Conroy, reprising his voice role as Batman from the DC Animated Universe.
It is the third film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies released by Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation; with the first two releases being Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier. It is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for "stylized violence, including some bloody images",[3] and is the first animated Batman movie to be rated as such. This film is also notable for being the first DC Original Animated movie to have a connection with another Batman medium. While Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier have been released in the United Kingdom with a 12 rating, Batman: Gotham Knight was instead released with a 15 rating for "images of bloody violence and injury". The film had its television premiere on Cartoon Network on October 4, 2008 with a TV-14-V rating and an exclusive parental warning after each commercial break, with a few of the more graphic scenes cut. Over a decade later, it once again aired on the network on its nighttime programming block Adult Swim's Toonami block on August 22, 2020, in partnership with DC FanDome.
- ^ "Batman: Gotham Knight". Wizard. December 2007. p. 101.
- ^ "Japanese Anime Studios Confirmed for Batman Video". Anime News Network. 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
- ^ Brevet, Brad (2008-04-02). "Latest MPAA Ratings: #99 | Movie News | RopeofSilicon.com Entertainment News". Ropeofsilicon.com. Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2011-01-02.