MERRY LITTLE BATMAN – Review

Here’s a new streaming flick that’s perfect for the season and answers a question that’s probably on the minds of many youngsters: do my favorite superheroes get to celebrate the holiday? I mean do the ‘super-baddies” give them a day off? Those queries have been explored in many animated TV shows and in the comic book source materials (the rival comics companies would usually publish a “Christmas with the Superheroes” annual special edition). So a feature-length “jolly romp” is well overdue. So, will Christmas Eve lighten up the Dark Knight? Especially if there’s a junior caped crusader in the mix (and we’re not talking about the “boy wonder”). Hey, who’s that swinging over the roofs of Gotham City? It’s none other than a MERRY LITTLE BATMAN.

The title refers to the son of Bruce Wayne, Damian (voice of Yonas Kibreab) who gets into loads of mischief with his pet cat Serena as they “cosplay” (he’s got a paper-bag cowl) through the vast environs of stately Wayne Manor. Luckily Alfred the trusted butler (James Cromwell) still has enough energy to clean up, while Papa Bruce (Luke Wilson) worries about his boy’s safety. He doesn’t have much else to do, since his alter ego has pretty much made Gotham crime-free. Ah, but there’s still his duties as a founding member of the Justice League. This afternoon he gets an emergency phone call from them requesting that he tend to an emergency in the Arctic, on Christmas for bat’s sake! But before he starts up the ole’ Batjet, Bruce lets Damian open one present. And it’s a great one, his very own utility belt! Sure it’s full of bandages, but still…wow! After Bruce departs, Damian figures out a way to get Alfred outta’ the way (urgent marshmallow run), so that he can really test out the belt, which leads him to discover the secret passage to the Batcave. In one display case, Damian finds the bat-suit made just for him. Of course, he’s gotta try it on which activates a monitor in its chest emblem. Plus it instructs him using the voice of his dad. And he’ll need that fatherly AI advice when two burglars bust in and somehow nab his prized belt. Damian’s pursuit of the duo leads him into a showdown with Batman’s “arch-est” enemy and most of the old rogue’s gallery. Even with all the hi-tech gizmos, can one eight-year-old lad save the city? And will Batman Senior return before the bad guys ruin Christmas?

Now, here’s a fun little stocking stuffer, a nice switch from the ultra-somber and serious hero in most live-action movie offerings, though missing the “camp” of the 60’s TV incarnation (though this film gives a quick nod to it). Much of the fun is conjured by the superb vocal performances. Kibreab has a natural energy to his line readings, as he conveys a sense of wonder over each discovery. Cromwell channels a bit of the classic British character actors (always enjoying a “spot o’ tea”) as the slightly grumpy but still grandfatherly Mr. Pennyworth. And in the father role, Wilson exudes a similar warm, naturing vibe that he perfected as the father of “Sttargirl”, a much-missed “under the radar” superhero TV show. Speaking of the small screen this has a much different look, much more exaggerated than the Bruce Timm-designed Dark Knight of the last thirty or so years. And thankfully it’s not “over-rendered” CGI either. The look here is very much inspired by the gnarly “ink-scratches” of the great Ronald Searle (for the movies he designed the title sequence for THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES), though I detected elements of the great magazine cartoonist Arnold Roth with a pinch or two of Charles Addams and Mad magazine’s Peter Paul Porges. It’s filled with scrunched-up noses and figures that shouldn’t be able to stand though they glide with grace past the exquisite ink-type backgrounds full of intricate machinery and towering buildings. And all popping to life with a color scheme that recalls delicate dyes and watercolor paints. I’m sure there was some software used, but it’s refreshing to see this old 2D animation in vogue once more. And did I mention how great the classic villains look in this type of “zany takes”? So, to steal a line from a popular schoolyard song parody, Mr. Wayne “doesn’t smell”, but instead hopes that his fans everywhere will have a MERRY LITTLE BATMAN. No “humbugs” here!

3 Out of 4

MERRY LITTLE BATMAN is now streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime