Image provided by Warner Bros. Japan
Batman and all related characters and elements © & TM DC © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment. All rights reserved.
One of the most famous superhero characters continues to find himself in unusual situations. The best example is Batman Ninja, a CG animated film that takes Batman and his many villains to feudal Japan. Immediately following the film's success came the highly anticipated sequel, Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League. At New York Comic Con 2024, fans were given an exclusive preview of the first 10 minutes.
The film seems to pick up almost immediately from where the previous film left off. Batman and Robin were on patrol when they discovered dozens of yakuza with jetpacks falling from the sky. The threat is dealt with quickly until the skies open up and the Japanese islands appear above in a sequence reminiscent of the original Digimon. Batman and Robin fly to these islands, only to find themselves face to face with members of the Justice League, such as Green Lantern, Aquaman and Flash, all fully decked out in wardrobe inspired by Japan. The Batman family is attacked by these three until they are saved at the last minute by Wonder Woman and a yankee-inspired Harley Quinn. The preview ends with a sequel trailer that seems to promise to feature classic Batman villain Ra's al Ghul and a potential appearance from Superman.
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Even though these first ten minutes look every bit as gorgeous as Batman Ninja, Junpei Mizusaki, one of the film's directors, makes it clear that the movie isn't over yet. In fact, at the time of the final cut the film was still being made. Screenwriter Kazuki Nakashima made it clear that this time they wanted to go further and go even crazier. The introduction of the Justice League as a potential obstacle for Batman to overcome seems to coincide with that desire. Considering the scale of the previous film, I wonder how over-the-top the action will be as the film introduces the powerhouses of DC mythology.
Batman and all related characters and elements © & TM DC © 2024 Warner Bros. Recreation. All rights reserved.
Batman Ninja wasn't the only new entry introduced as attendees finally got a more detailed and exciting look at the upcoming animated film Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires. The team worked on the film for many years and to see the fruits of the animation team's labor was a treat. The animation style looks very clean, if a bit flat. The use of color and the way it blends into some of the designs is especially impressive, and I like how the film uses fire to emphasize the dark background. Writer and director Juan Meza-León outlined how their version of Batman uses the night after being trained by this film's version of Catwoman, who serves as his mentor.
This section emphasizes how faithful and accurate this film is to the Aztec culture. Researchers were brought in to ensure everything was portrayed accurately despite the fantastical elements. We have seen the evolution of film design from initial sketches to its final creation. Some characters have certain color combinations or are taken from famous Aztec symbols. However, other characters must be altered for accuracy or altered for smooth animation.
Juan Meza-León explains that Tzinacan, an Aztec bat god, is where this story begins. Batman takes on the responsibilities of this god. The staff worked hard to find ways to reinvent or present these characters specifically through this Aztec lens. That way, they will still feel like the original characters but also evolve into certain versions of themselves despite their new starting point. This movie is very well made considering the level of detail and love that was poured into it.