What is the best order to watch the Batman animated movies?

It seems that nowadays you can’t go five minutes without tripping over an animated Batman movie. Once upon a time animated adventures with the Caped Crusader were few and far between, but today Batman is the go-to guy for cartoon capers.

The character is so popular that over the last few decades he has fronted or guest starred in an ever-expanding list of DC animated films. But what are they?

Today I’m taking a look at a long collection of DC animated movies – as well as a few non-DC movies – that feature Batman. This list of animated Batman movies should give you a rundown of all the Dark Knight’s animated film appearances, as well as a guide to the order with which to watch them.

You might want to put on a pot of coffee – this could take a while.

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Batman meets Scooby-Doo

First up, no discussion of the Dark Knight can be had without talking about Scooby-Doo. Mr Doo is one of the best-loved cartoon characters of all time and this means he has crossed paths with Batman on more than one occasion.

The first time Scooby and Batman teamed up was for The New Scooby-Doo Movies. I’ve talked a little about this in post about Scooby-Doo’s animated movies, but in short this was a TV show which ran for two seasons between 1972 and 1973. 

The show was angled as a series of ‘mini-movies’, but in reality these weren’t movies at all, it was simply another Scooby ‘toon, with notable guest stars. However, for the purpose of this post I’m acknowledging the episodes that feature Batman, so you can seek them out should you wish.

The two Batman-themed episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies are:

• The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair (1972)
• The Caped Crusader Caper (1972)

Of all the episodes to appear in The New Scooby-Doo Movies, the Batman shows were arguably the most memorable. In fact, the popularity of the stories led to a Batman/Scooby-Doo crossover in 2011, this time for the TV show, Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

The season two episode, Bat-Mite Presents: Batman’s Strangest Cases!, saw the Caped Crusader team-up with Scooby-Doo as a nod to their previous adventures during the ’70s. Once again, it’s worth checking out if you’ve never seen it.

So what does this have to do with films?

Well, that episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold inspired a direct-to-video movie which was released in 2018. It took 46 years from their initial meeting, but finally we got a Batman/Scooby-Doo movie.

The film is:

• Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2018)

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Bruce Timm Universe

The ’90s was a big time for Batman; not only was he the star of a series of live-action films, but he was also appearing in the critically acclaimed TV show, Batman: The Animated Series. The show – from producer Bruce Timm – was hugely successful resulting in a number of spin-off shows (Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, etc).

In addition to the TV output, Batman: The Animated Series was also responsible for a collection of animated feature films. The first of these was Batman: Mask of the Phantasm – the first animated Batman movie to get a theatrical release.

The viewing order for the Bruce Timm movies is:

• Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
• Batman: Subzero (1998)
• Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)*
• Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)

*Please note, the events of Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman take place before the events of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. To provide you with the best viewing order I have placed it as the third entry on this particular list.

In addition to the four movies listed above, a couple of other films have been produced that share the look, feel, and sounds of the Bruce Timm Batman Universe (see below for full explanation). However, these movies are not part of this world, which is why they are not listed here.

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The Batman

Following the conclusion of the Bruce Timm-era of Batman cartoons and movies, Warner Bros. launched a new television show featuring the Caped Crusader. Simply titled The Batman, the show took a back-to-basics approach to the character.

The Batman wasn’t an initial hit with Bat-fans, but slowly over the course of five seasons it developed a loyal following. It was also responsible for the release of one direct-to-video movie:

• The Batman vs Dracula (2005)

And now onto something BIG!

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DC Universe Animated Original Movies – The Batman only collection

In 2007, Warner Bros. launched a new line of animated films called the DC Universe Animated Original Movies (DCUAOM). The series began with Superman: Doomsday, then continued with adaptations of some of the most iconic comic book tales of all time.

Some of the films share continuity, such as the Superman/Batman titles (see below) or many of the Justice League movies, while others are unconnected. As such, keeping track of the continuity can get a little confusing, as some times different projects will share the same voice talent.

To help navigate your way through these films, I suggest viewing them as one big multiverse, where some chapters link and others don’t. This way you will be able to get a true feel for what this collection of movies is all about.

Here are the DCUAOM titles that JUST feature Batman:

• Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
• Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
• Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
• Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
• Under the Red Hood (2010)
• Batman: Year One (2011)
• Justice League: Doom (2012)
• The Dark Knight Returns – Part 1 (2012)
• The Dark Knight Returns – Part 2 (2013)
• Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
• Justice League: War (2014)
• Son of Batman (2014)
• Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
• Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
• Batman vs. Robin (2015)
• Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
• Batman: Bad Blood (2016)
• Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
• Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
• Justice League Dark (2017)
• Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)**
• Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
• The Death of Superman (2018)
• Reign of the Supermen (2019)
• Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019)**
• Batman Hush (2019)
• Superman: Red Son (2020)
• Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
• Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
• Batman: The Long Halloween – Part 1 (2021)
• Batman: the Long Halloween – Part 2 (2021)
• Injustice (2021)

**It should be noted that 2017’s Batman and Harley Quinn and 2019’s Justice League vs. the Fatal Five share the same animation style and (some) voice actors from the Bruce Timm Batman Universe, but they are not part of that world. The films contain enough continuity errors to suggest they are separate pieces, that are produced in the spirit of that universe.

And remember, the DCUAOM titles listed above are just the movies which feature Batman – other films exist within this collection. Should you want to watch all of the movies in this universe, then you are best running through the full list:

• Superman: Doomsday (2007)
• Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
• Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
• Wonder Woman (2009)
• Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)
• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
• Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
• Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
• Under the Red Hood (2010)
• All-Star Superman (2011)
• Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)
• Batman: Year One (2011)
• Justice League: Doom (2012)
• Superman vs. The Elite (2012)
• The Dark Knight Returns – Part 1 (2012)
• The Dark Knight Returns – Part 2 (2013)
• Superman: Unbound (2013)
• Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
• Justice League: War (2014)
• Son of Batman (2014)
• Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
• Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
• Batman vs. Robin (2015)
• Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
• Batman: Bad Blood (2016)
• Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
• Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
• Justice League Dark (2017)
• Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)
• Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)
• Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
• Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)
• The Death of Superman (2018)
• Reign of the Supermen (2019)
• Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019)
• Batman Hush (2019)
• Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019)
• Superman: Red Son (2020)
• Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
• Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)
• Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
• Justice Society: World War II (2021)
• Batman: The Long Halloween – Part 1 (2021)
• Batman: the Long Halloween – Part 2 (2021)
• Injustice (2021)
• Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022)
• Legion of Superheroes (2023)
• Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023)

In addition to this, there are also a number of animated shorts that are part of this collection. The shorts – which fall under the DC Showcase banner – are: The Spectre, Jonah Hex, Green Arrow, Superman/Shazam!, Catwoman, Sgt. Rock, Death, The Phantom Stranger, Adam Strange, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! and The Losers.

Perhaps the most notable of these shorts (for Bat-fans) is Batman: Death in the Family – an interactive short film, which follows on from the events of Batman: Under the Red Hood. Released on Blu-ray, the short film gives audiences the opportunity to create their own story through seven alternate endings.

I appreciate there is a lot to work through here, so to help simplify things even further I have published a separate list of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. This post explains which films are connected and which aren’t.

If you want to read this post – and I recommend that you do – open it in a new tab and save it for when you have finished working your way through this one.

And now for something a little less confusing.

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Justice League Adventures

In 2014, Warner Bros. released a standalone, directed-to-video Justice League movie that was not part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movie collection and was not connected to any other project. The film was:

• JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (2014)

JLA Adventures was a one-off tale, that to date has had no follow-up.

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Lego Batman

In 2008, Traveller’s Tales and Warner Bros. Interactive teamed up for the computer game, Lego Batman: The Videogame. The game was very popular and kick-started a series of Batman-themed Lego games.

The game series eventually spawned a run of direct-to-video animated movies, beginning with Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite. This movie was composed of scenes from Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, as well as new material, and yes, you guessed it, also led to more films.

• Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite (2013)
• Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered (2014)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League (2015)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Attack of the Legion of Doom (2015)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Gotham City Breakout (2016)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Cosmic Clash (2016)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash (2018)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman – Rage of Atlantis (2018)
• Lego Batman: Family Matters (2019)
• Lego DC: Shazam! Magic and Monsters (2020)

As well as the direct-to-video movies, Lego went to the big screen and took Batman along for the ride. These movies were box office hits and so far include:

• The Lego Movie (2014)
• The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
• The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)

And now onto another series of movies connected to a toy line.

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Batman Unlimited

Batman Unlimited was a collection of toys produced by Mattel. To help promote the toys, the series was accompanied by three direct-to-video movies:

• Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (2015)
• Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem (2015)
• Batman Unlimited: Mech vs. Mutants (2016)

If Batman Unlimited is your thing, then you might also like to know that the toys/movies were also followed by a web series which ran for 33 episodes.

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Batman ‘66

If you ask most people to name three things about Batman, it’s a strong possibility they will name something connected to the Adam West Batman show from 1966. Why? Because the series was immensely popular and since its debut it has become a huge part of our pop culture.

But that show now exists outside of the ’60s, having had somewhat of a revival during the 2010s. At first it was revived as a comic and then it was turned into two animated movies.

The first of these films was Batman: Return of the Caped Crusader, which featured the voice work of Adam West and Burt Ward, reprising the roles of Batman and Robin from the ’60s show. The film received a limited theatrical release, before arriving on home video.

Due to its popularity a follow-up was commissioned, called Batman vs. Two-Face. The film introduced a villain that had never appeared on the ’60s show, with William Shatner providing voice work.

The films are as follows:

• Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)
• Batman vs. Two-Face (2017)

Following the death of actor, Adam West it is unlikely that any more movies will be released under the ’66 banner.

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Batman Ninja

In 2018, Warner Bros. released Batman Ninja, a direct-to-video Batman anime movie. Largely set during Feudal Japan, the movie featured character designs from Takashi Okazaki, and is available in two very distinct versions:

• Batman Ninja (2018) – The original Japanese version
• Batman Ninja (2018) – The American version

Why are there two versions of this film? Because the original Japanese edition was rewritten for Western audiences, resulting in two different movies!

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Teen Titans GO!

Back to the big screen now, but for an animated movie that’s not really about Batman – he merely features in it. In fact, most of the DC Universe appear in this movie, including the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern.

The film in question is:

• Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018)

I’ve included it in this post because Batman makes a few appearances, but keep in mind this is very much a Teen Titans film – not a Bat-flick.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Still with me?

Good.

From the big screen back to the small screen now for the direct-to-video animated movie:

• Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2019)

This film is based around the popular Batman/TMNT crossover comics. The movie is a co-production between Warner Bros. and Nickelodeon and was well received by fans of both franchises.

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DC League of Super-Pets

In 2022, Batman appeared in the movie, DC League of Super-Pets (voiced by Keanu Reeves).

• DC League of Super-Pets (2022)

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Justice League x RWBY

And finally, in 2023 Batman appeared in Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Hunstmen: Part One.

• Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Hunstmen: Part One (2023)

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Production order

And finally, should you simply want to watch all of the movies in order, regardless of what timeline or universe they slot into, then I suggest you work through the following:

• Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
• Batman: Subzero (1998)
• Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)
• Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)
• The Batman vs Dracula (2005)
• Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
• Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
• Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
• Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
• Under the Red Hood (2010)
• Batman: Year One (2011)
• Justice League: Doom (2012)
• The Dark Knight Returns – Part 1 (2012)
• The Dark Knight Returns – Part 2 (2013)
• Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
• Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite (2013)
• JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (2014)
• Justice League: War (2014)
• Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered (2014)
• Son of Batman (2014)
• Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
• The Lego Movie (2014)
• Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
• Batman vs. Robin (2015)
• Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
• Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (2015)
• Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem (2015)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League (2015)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Attack of the Legion of Doom (2015)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Gotham City Breakout (2016)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Cosmic Clash (2016)
• Batman Unlimited: Mech vs. Mutants (2016)
• Batman: Bad Blood (2016)
• Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
• Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
• Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)
• Justice League Dark (2017)
• The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
• Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)
• Batman vs. Two-Face (2017)
• Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
• Batman Ninja (2018) – Japanese and American editions
• The Death of Superman (2018)
• Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018)
• Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2018)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash (2018)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman – Rage of Atlantis (2018)
• Reign of the Supermen (2019)
• The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
• Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019)
• Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2019)
• Lego Batman: Family Matters (2019)
• Batman Hush (2019)
• Superman: Red Son (2020)
• Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
• Lego DC: Shazam! Magic and Monsters (2020)
• Batman: Death in the Family (2020)
• Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
• Batman: The Long Halloween – Part 1 (2021)
• Batman: the Long Halloween – Part 2 (2021)
• Injustice (2021)
• DC League of Super-Pets (2022)
• Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022)
• Legion of Superheroes (2023)
• Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023)
• Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Hunstmen: Part One (2023)

Please note: This list doesn’t include the Scooby-Doo shows, the non-Batman DCUAOM films, or any other spin-offs that might have cropped up during the course of this post. Should you want to include all that extra material, go back to the relevant sections and add as you see fit.

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Should all of the above not be enough to satisfy your Bat-needs you might like to know that many animated Batman shows are available on DVD, Blu-ray or digital. One of these show is Batman: The Animated Series – arguably the best-loved Batman animated show of all time.

I’ve previously published a hands-on review for the Batman: The Animated Series Blu-ray boxset, explaining why it is a such a good set to have in any home video collection. If you’ve not read this review, read it now!

In terms of DVD movie releases, in the UK Warner Bros. has released the Batman 80th Anniversary DVD collection. This set includes 18 different animated Batman movies covering all different eras and styles of Batman – from Mask of the Phantasm, to Batman Ninja, Gotham Knight and more.

The DVD boxset doesn’t include every animated Batman movie listed in this post – sadly no boxset includes all of the animated films – but this one offers a great way to get 18 of them in one go. The set is priced well and is widely available, including Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Bat’s all, folks!

Disclaimer: I earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.