Merry Little Batman, on Prime

Cops work on Christmas and so does the MTA, so superheroes should too. However, Batman doesn’t think he has to anymore, because he supposedly eradicated all crime from Gotham. It was all for the sake of his young son Damian, whom Bruce Wayne hopes will eventually succeed him as Batman. In the meantime, he is an over-protective parent, but somehow, he is still tricked into leaving Damian “home alone” in Mike Roth’s animated feature, Merry Little Batman, which premieres tomorrow on Prime Video.

Admittedly, Damian’s parentage and origins are a little complicated. Wayne is his father and super-villainess Talia al-Ghul is his mother, but screenwriters Morgan Evans, Etan Cohen, and Jase Ricci do not dwell on his demonic backstory. Instead, he is a bratty kid with superhero dreams. He cannot wait to start fighting crime alongside his father, especially when he receives his first utility belt as a Christmas present.

Unfortunately, Damian will be spending Christmas Eve alone when Dr. Freeze fakes a distress call from the Justice League luring Batman to the Arctic. For a while, Damian (a.k.a. “Little Batman”) gets to act like Macaulay Culkin, giving a pair of burglars holy heck. Nevertheless, they manage to get away with one treasured item, Damian’s new utility belt, so the young wannabe superhero tracks them back to their hideout. Initially, their boss, the Joker, is rather disappointed in his thieves’ performance, but when he realizes who Damian really is, he improvises a fiendish scheme to exploit the lad’s naïve enthusiasm. Just like the Grinch, the Joker is going to steal Christmas.

The truth is the best recent superhero movies have been produced by DC Animated, because they have not been afraid to venture outside the recognized “canon.” The alternate history Superman: Red Son, the Lovecraftian Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham, and the Chanbara-inspired Batman Ninja were way more interesting and quite a bit more fun than any of the recent live-action movies from either Marvel or DC. Seeing familiar characters in radically different contexts really keeps the superhero genre fresh.

Merry Little Batman somewhat follows in this tradition, but it was clearly conceived for an even younger audience. Most adults will consider Damian the Hellion his name might suggest. Nevertheless, when he finally faces the consequences of his actions, it is pretty dramatic. This is also a more comedic Batman, voiced by Luke Wilson, than many fans are used to. Yet, the father-son dynamic is endearing.

Wilson’s Batman might be contentious within the DC fanbase, but they all should dig how gleefully evil David Hornsby (of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) sounds as the Joker. He definitely enjoys his super-villainy, so viewers will too. James Cromwell also brings a lot of warmth and dignity as Alfred Pennyworth.

There is a lot of bright, colorful action sequences, as befits a Christmas movie. Yet, the best sequence is striking black-and-white pseudo-German expressionist sequence that visually conveys Little Batman’s state of despair. It is precisely this kind creativity that distinguishes DC Animated from the cookie live-action superhero movies.

Granted, Little Batman’s immature bravado can be a lot, but at least he is fun to watch during the “Home Alone” sequences. There is no question Merry Little Batman skews younger than most of DC Animated’s features, but that is fitting, given the Christmas themes and youthful protagonist. Frankly, it is probably the best Christmas film of the year, so far. Recommended for Batman fans and for family viewing, Merry Little Batman starts streaming tomorrow (12/8) on Prime.