Justice League | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Based on | Justice League by Gardner Fox & DC Comics |
Developed by | Bruce Timm |
Written by | Rich Fogel (seasons 1-2), Stan Berkowitz (seasons 1-2) & Dwayne McDuffie (season 2) |
Directed by | Butch Lukic & Dan Riba |
Voices of | |
Theme music composer | Lolita Ritmanis |
Composer |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 52 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer |
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Producer |
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Editor | Joe Gall |
Running time | 20-22 minutes 40-44 minutes (2-part episodes) |
Production companies | DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation & Warner Bros. Family Entertainment |
Original release | |
Network | Cartoon Network |
Release | November 17, 2001 – May 29, 2004 |
Justice League is an American animated television series which ran from November 17, 2001 to May 29, 2004 on Cartoon Network. [1] The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics. It serves as a sequel to Batman: The Animated Series (including The New Batman Adventures ) and Superman: The Animated Series , as well as a prequel to Batman Beyond , and is the seventh series of the DC Animated Universe. The series end after two seasons, but was followed by Justice League Unlimited , a successor series which aired for three seasons.
Bruce Timm, who co-produced Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series in the 1990s, became producer on an animated series focusing on the Justice League. The roster consisted of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), The Flash (Wally West), Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), and Hawkgirl. [1]
According to audio commentary on the DVD release of Season 2, the second-season finale "Starcrossed" was expected to be the final episode of the series. However, in February 2004, Cartoon Network announced a follow-up series, Justice League Unlimited , which premiered on July 31, 2004, and featured a larger roster of characters.
It is the first series in the DC Animated Universe to fully use digital ink and paint, also the first to be produced in widescreen starting in Season 2.
Kevin Conroy reprised his voice role as Batman from Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), and Batman Beyond (1999–2001). Batman's costume was redesigned, but this time, his costume was a combination of his last three costumes. The same costume from The New Batman Adventures is retained, but with the blue highlights from the Batman: The Animated Series costume and the long-ears from the Batman Beyond costume are added to the costume. Tim Daly, who voiced Superman in Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), was initially involved, but he was unable to continue his role due to involvement with The Fugitive . [2] He was replaced by George Newbern. Both Newbern and Daly have voiced the character in different DC projects outside the DCAU, with Newbern becoming the longest-running actor to portray Superman.
Alongside Kevin Conroy and George Newbern as Superman, joining the rest of the main cast is Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman, Maria Canals-Barrera as Hawkgirl, Phil Lamarr as John Stewart, Michael Rosenbaum as Wally West / The Flash and Carl Lumbly as J'onn J'onnz / Martian Manhunter.
Several actors in previous DCAU media also reprise their roles, including Dana Delany as Lois Lane, David Kaufman as Jimmy Olsen, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth, Shelley Fabares and Mike Farrell as Jonathan and Martha Kent, Mark Hamill as The Joker, Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor, Corey Burton as Brainiac, Ron Perlman as Clayface, Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, Peri Gilpin as Volcana, Diane Pershing as Poison Ivy, Mark Rolston as Firefly, Ted Levine as Sinestro, Brian George as Parasite, Michael Ironside as Darkseid, Michael Dorn as Kalibak, Lisa Edelstein as Mercy Graves, and Brad Garrett as Lobo. Due to budgetary reasons in the episode "Hereafter", Corey Burton served as a substitute for Bud Cort as Toyman and Malcolm McDowell as Metallo, although both Cort and McDowell would reprise their roles in Justice League Unlimited. Likewise, Maria Canals (who provides the voice for Hawkgirl) voiced Livewire in the same episode, instead of Lori Petty.
Most of the characters retained their general comic book origins and continuity, with some notable changes. In the Justice League series continuity, the premiere story arc "Secret Origins" revises the plot of Diana's competition against her fellow Amazons to be the ambassador of peace to man's world, and she is referred to as a "rookie" superhero during her first encounter with the League. (Subsequent episodes touched on her attempts to adjust to her new world). In an interview segment on the Season One DVD, Bruce Timm stated that he initially ran into some legal issues in using the Wonder Woman character, but he was adamant that she be used in the series. Additionally, the character of The Flash was portrayed as somewhat younger and significantly more brash than his comic book counterpart, taking on a number of personality traits of Wally West, who provides a similar comic relief function in the JLA comics. Major changes were also made to the Hawkgirl character. She became romantically involved with the John Stewart Green Lantern as the series progressed.
Superman was initially redesigned to have a bit of a squint to his eyes as well as cheekbones that were meant to make him look older than he did in Superman The Animated Series. Fans did not like the older appearance and in the second season the squint, grey streak and cheekbones were removed, in essence reverting Superman to his earlier animated look. As an in-joke, Superman's season one facial designs are used for an older Jor-El in the Justice League Unlimited episode "For the Man Who Has Everything". Furthermore, a common complaint in the first season of Justice League was Superman's powers being toned down even more than in Superman: The Animated Series. He was portrayed as unnaturally weak and vulnerable to harm with most episodes showing him being defeated by foes he should not have a problem with. This was changed from the second season onwards, where his strength and durability were increased.
Although the series itself is animated in traditional 2-dimensional style, the opening credits are rendered in 3D with toon shading. The intro is a "stock" intro used throughout the series until Justice League Unlimited premieres.
From 2006 to 2011, Warner Home Video (via DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment) released the entire series of Justice League on DVD and Blu-ray, and presented in original broadcast version and story arc continuity order.
Season releases
Name | Disc | Release Date | Ep # | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Season One | DVD | March 21, 2006 | 26 | Contains a set of 4 DVDs with all of the episodes from the first season as well as audio commentaries, interviews, and other special features. |
Season One | Blu-ray | August 19, 2008 | 26 | Season One has been re-mastered and re-issued as a set of 3 Blu-ray Discs (in full 1080p and with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound) with everything included on the prior release. |
Season Two | DVD | June 20, 2006 | 26 | Contains a set of 4 DVDs with all of the episodes from the second season as well as audio commentaries and a panel discussion involving the production team of the series (although the set packaging indicates a featurette hosted by voice actor Phil LaMarr, it is misprinted, the featurette is on Disc One instead of Disc Four). Despite the show having been produced in a widescreen format this release lacks anamorphic encoding. |
Season Two | Blu-ray | July 26, 2011 | 26 | Warner Home Video released Season Two on a two-disc (50GB each) Blu-ray set. |
Warner Home Video also released another DVD set titled Justice League: The Complete Series. It contained all 91 episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited on a 15-disc set with the 15th disc containing a bonus documentary. This was later re-packaged and sold as a 10-disc set without the bonus documentary.
DVD name | Release date | Additional information |
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Justice League | April 23, 2002 | Contains all three parts of "Secret Origins". A mini-DVD version of this disc has also been released. |
Justice on Trial | April 22, 2003 | Contains "In Blackest Night" and "The Enemy Below". |
Paradise Lost | July 22, 2003 | Contains "Paradise Lost" and "War World". |
Starcrossed The Movie [3] | July 13, 2004 | Contains "Starcrossed" in both widescreen and fullscreen. |
The Brave and the Bold | October 19, 2004 | Contains episodes "The Brave and the Bold" and "Injustice For All". |
DVD name | Release date | Additional information |
---|---|---|
The Justice League Collection | April 13, 2004 | Contains previous "Secret Origins", "Paradise Lost", and "Justice on Trial" DVDs |
Challenge of the Super Friends to Justice League: | April 13, 2004 | Contains the previously released "Justice League" (Secret Origins) DVD along with two Super Friends discs in a slip-case. |
Justice League - The Complete Series | June 20, 2006 | Contains Justice League seasons 1 & 2 along with Justice League Unlimited seasons 1 & 2. (Blu-ray/DVD release) |
Justice League: 3-Pack Fun | July 19, 2011 | Contains "The Brave and the Bold" and "Injustice For All" As well as the Justice League Unlimited episodes: * "For The Man Who Has Everything" * "The Return," * "The Greatest Story Never Told," the Young Justice episodes: * "Independence Day" * "Fireworks," * "Welcome To Happy Harbor" * "Drop Zone". |
A 4-disc soundtrack of musical highlights from both seasons of Justice League was released by La-La Land Records in July 2016. It is a limited edition of 3000 units and can be ordered at the La-La Land Records website. [4] The set includes tracks from fan-favorite episodes like A Better World, Hereafter, Wild Cards and Starcrossed.
La-La Land are hoping to release a soundtrack for Justice League Unlimited as well, provided that sales of the Justice League soundtrack improve significantly and that there is sufficient demand from fans. [5] [6] A second Justice League volume may also follow if fans support the existing release.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2016) |
The series premiere on November 17, 2001, set a Cartoon Network record with over 4.114 million viewers. This made it the channel's highest rated premiere ever, a record it would keep until September 13, 2009, when the world premiere of Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins gathered over 6.108 million viewers.
The show was aired in the Republic of Ireland on TG4 in both Irish and English from 6 September 2002 to 2007. [7]
Justice League and Justice League Unlimited has received critical acclaim and is often listed as one of the best animated shows of all time, with praise for its stories, writing, character development, and voice acting. IGN named Justice League/Justice League Unlimited as the 20th best animated television series of all time. [8] Similarly Indiewire also ranked Justice League as the 20th best animated show of all time. [9]
Many fans including the creative team felt that season one of Justice League was a mixed bag, with the crew admitting it was a learning curve for them. Producer Bruce Timm had remarked "some of the first season episodes I think were really good, but we had so many challenges inherent in the show. So many balls juggling in the air, and inevitably some of them dropped." He further added "I think we were making a conscious effort to make it a little more of a family-friendly show, but unfortunately by pulling back on some of the more adult storylines, we didn't really replace it with anything. Something of a blandness set in with the show. We made steps to remedy that situation in Season Two, and to the point where I think the Season Two episodes make a much better show across the board. We're constantly calling it new improved Justice League." [10]
The second season of Justice League however, is considered to be one of the best seasons of the entire DC Animated Universe, with Oliver Sava from The A.V. Club writing "good enough isn't good enough." "That's the philosophy for Justice League season two, according to producer Bruce Timm on the DVD commentary, and this two-part season opener is the perfect example of that new attitude in action. Just as Batman: The Animated Series set a new standard for solo superhero cartoon excellence, Justice League season two is only eclipsed by Justice League Unlimited as the strongest superhero-team series. Everything is of higher quality this season: the direction, animation, music, sound effects, and most importantly, the stories." [11]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Television Animated Series – Sound | Robert Hargreaves, Mark Keatts, George Brooks, and Kelly Ann Foley (for "In the Blackest Night, Part II") | Nominated | [12] |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Main Title Theme Music | Lolita Ritmanis | Nominated | [13] | |
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards | TV Presentation of the Year | Runner-up | [14] | ||
2003 | Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Television Animated Series – Sound | Robert Hargreaves, Mark Keatts, George Brooks, and Kelly Ann Foley (for "Savage Time, Part I") | Nominated | [15] |
2004 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Writing in an Animated Television Production | Paul Dini (for "Comfort & Joy") | Nominated | [16] |
Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Television Animated Series – Sound | Robert Hargreaves, Mark Keatts, George Brooks, Mark Keefer, Kelly Ann Foley, and Kerry Iverson (for "Twilight, Part II") | Nominated | [17] | |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Main Title Theme Music | Michael McCuistion | Nominated | [18] |
Writers Guild of America Awards | Animation | Rich Fogel, John Ridley, and Dwayne McDuffie (for "Starcrossed") | Nominated | [19] | |
2006 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Directing in a Television Production | Dan Riba (for "Clash") | Nominated | [20] |
2007 | Gold Derby Awards | Animated Series | Nominated | [21] | |
2009 | Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for DVD Original Programming | Edwin O. Collins, Tim Borquez, Eric Freeman, and Doug Andorka | Nominated | [22] |
Circa 2004, Bruce Timm announced that a direct-to-video Justice League feature film was being planned. The film was intended to make a bridge between the second season of Justice League to the first season of Justice League Unlimited . The film was planned to reveal how Wonder Woman acquired her Invisible-Jet, and also planned to feature the Crime Syndicate as the main antagonists, an idea that was originally conceived for the two-part episode "A Better World", until the Syndicate was replaced by the Justice Lords. [23] Dwayne McDuffie wrote the script and Andrea Romano assembled the cast, but Warner Bros. finally scrapped the project. [24] In 2010, however, the film's plot was used for the non-DCAU film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths with all references to the continuity of the DC Animated Universe removed. Most notably of these changes is the replacement of John Stewart with Hal Jordan as the Justice League's Green Lantern.
DC Comics published a series of 34-issue numbered comics based on the television series, between 2002 and 2004.
Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics character Superman. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and originally aired on Kids' WB from September 6, 1996, to February 12, 2000. It was the second series in the DC Animated Universe after Batman: The Animated Series, and like its predecessor, it has been acclaimed for its writing, voice acting, maturity, and modernization of the title character's comic-book mythos.
Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in Flash Comics #1. Shayera Hol was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Joe Kubert, and first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #34. Kendra Saunders was created by writer David S. Goyer and artist Stephen Sadowski, and first appeared in JSA: Secret Files and Origins #1. One of DC's earliest super-heroines, Hawkgirl has appeared in many of the company's flagship team-up titles including Justice Society of America and Justice League of America.
The Batman Adventures is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman. It is different from other Batman titles because it is set in the continuity of Batman: The Animated Series, as opposed to the regular DC Universe.
Justice League Unlimited (JLU) is an American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the previous Justice League animated series and picks up around two years after it. JLU debuted on July 31, 2004, on Toonami and ended on May 13, 2006.
Bruce Walter Timm is an American artist, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for contributing to building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, most notably as the head producer behind Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), Batman Beyond (1999–2001), Justice League (2001–2004), and Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006).
The DC Animated Universe is a shared universe centered on a group of animated television series based on DC Comics and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It began with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 and ended with Justice League Unlimited in 2006. The associated media franchise also includes theatrical and direct-to-video feature films, as well as shorts, comic books, video games, and other multimedia adaptations.
The New Batman Adventures is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, it is a continuation of Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), serving as the third season of the show, and the third series in the DC Animated Universe. It was followed by Batman Beyond (1999–2001). The series was revamped from BTAS, replacing its art style with streamlined designs for more consistent animation, and to maintain similarity with the simultaneously running Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), with episodes airing on Kids' WB under the title The New Batman/Superman Adventures.
The American comic book character Superman, created in 1938, has appeared in many types of media since the 1940s. Superman has appeared in radio, television, movies, and video games each on multiple occasions, and his name, symbol, and image have appeared on products and merchandise.
While Batman and Superman had their own animated series and comic book follow-ups, the rest of the characters in the DC Comics Universe appeared in the following comics often.
Roxy Rocket is a comic book supervillainess. Originally created in 1994 for The Batman Adventures Annual #1, a series published by DC Comics, based on Batman: The Animated Series, Roxy was incorporated into The New Batman Adventures in the episode "The Ultimate Thrill", which first aired on September 14, 1998. Shortly thereafter, Roxy appeared in "Knight Time", an episode of Superman: The Animated Series. Roxy later appeared in several comic books based on the TV show. In 2006, the character was introduced to the main DC Universe.
The Justice Lords are a fictional team of anti-heroes/anti-villains who first appeared in the two-part Justice League episode "A Better World", which was broadcast on November 1, 2003.
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Since their first appearance in The Brave and the Bold #28, various incarnations of the team have appeared in film, television, and video game adaptations.
The Justice Guild of America is a superhero team featured in the Justice League animated series two-part episode "Legends", an homage to the Golden Age Justice Society of America, and to a degree the Silver Age Justice League of America.
DC Universe: Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection is an action figure line based on the highly popular Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series. Though it was based on the show(s), the line has continued well beyond it, and has been re-branded in 2008, as a Target exclusive. Mattel announced in February 2011 that the line would come to an end later in the year with the final figures being released on the Mattel website including the final two three-packs, a seven-pack as well as the three exclusive Con three-packs being made available to the public.
The DC Universe Animated Original Movies are a series of American direct-to-video superhero animated films based on DC Comics characters and stories. From 2007 to 2022, films were produced primarily by Warner Bros. Animation, but subsequently fell under DC Studios Animation. Many films are usually stand-alone projects that are either adaptations of popular works or original stories. From 2013 to 2020, the DC Animated Movie Universe was a subset of this series featuring several films that took place in a shared universe, influenced predominantly by "The New 52". Following the DCAMU's conclusion, the Tomorrowverse was launched the same year, beginning with Superman: Man of Tomorrow.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is a 2010 American animated superhero film directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu and written by Dwayne McDuffie. It is based on the abandoned direct-to-video feature Justice League: Worlds Collide, which was intended as a bridge between the DC Animated Universe series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, and reworked to act as a standalone story. It is the seventh film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
Since her debut in All Star Comics #8, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman has appeared in a number of formats besides comic books. Genres include animated television shows, direct-to-DVD animated films, video games, the 1970s live action television series, Wonder Woman, The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie, and the live-action DCEU films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League (2017), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), and The Flash (2023).
Justice League vs. the Fatal Five is a 2019 American animated superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. Featuring the DC Comics team Justice League created by Gardner Fox, the film is the 36th of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The film features the voices of Elyes Gabel and Diane Guerrero alongside Kevin Conroy, Susan Eisenberg, and George Newbern reprising their roles as Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman, from various DC productions.
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