These are two promotional images for the popular TV series Batman: The Animated Series. There are differences in these two images, mainly in the animation style. The former's features detailed coloring and backgrounds, while the latter is noticeably more simple and streamlined. The second image promotes a retool the show went through following its second season. This move caused some fan controversy, with quite a few hardcore B:TAS fans criticizing the "new look" series. I, on the other hand, find myself in the minority and prefer the animation in the revamp.

One thing that always bothered me about the style of the original series was that it simply tried too hard. The animators tried to achieve a cinematic feel to the presentation, and some attempts at doing so succeeded more than others. While there was some great cinematography in many episodes, the action suffered pretty heavily, as they were often too over-the-top for such realistic character designs. Dialogue-driven scenes suffered on occasion as well, as characters would often make unnecessarily complex gestures that would distract from the actual dialogue and plot. The main reason why things didn't always work out is because some things in live action simply don't work in animation. In the retool series, the animators seemed to have learned this lesson, as they stripped the animation down to its most basic elements. Characters and backgrounds alike were simplified to look more abstract and cartoonish. As silly as such a retool may sound, it actually works. The action scenes were much more fluid and engaging, and the dialogue-heavy scenes came across as more poignant, as emphasis was placed on dialogue and characters' subtle facial expressions, not on over-the-top gestures that made them look like cartoon characters.

Although most Batman: TAS fans would disagree, I believe that the revamp series was an improvement in animation quality, as the simple, streamlined designs allowed for more fluidity and an overall more atmospheric feel.