Warner Brothers have released the final details of a Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray collection of the classic Batman: The Animated Series. Though the show's long-awaited release on Blu-ray was announced earlier this year, there was no indication of just what extras fans might expect in the new collection. Nor was there any hint of a Limited Edition version of the collector's set being in the works.
First airing in the fall of 1992, Batman: The Animated Series is widely considered to be one of the best animated television series of all time and easily the best of the many cartoons to star Batman. At first adopting an aesthetic inspired by the Tim Burton Batman films, the show slowly developed a more streamlined style, which went on to inform other animated series based on Superman and the Justice League. Collectively known as the DC Animated Universe, these shows are still held in high esteem by animation scholars and comic book historians as some of the greatest adaptations in the history of their respective mediums. The show went on to influence the comics that inspired it, with characters such as Joker's hench-woman Harley Quinn and GCPD police officer Rene Montoya finding their way into the Batman comics.
Related: Batman The Animated Series is Finally Coming to Blu-ray
The details of the Deluxe Limited Edition collection, which can be viewed in the photo below, were released in an official press release from Warner Brothers. In addition to 10 Blu-Ray discs containing all 109 episodes of the classic animated series in a digitally remastered format, the set will include two bonus discs containing exclusive content. This will include The Heart of Batman - a new documentary on the making and influence of the show - and the feature-length animated films Mask of the Phantasm and Sub-Zero.
Beyond the episodes themselves and all the documentaries and commentaries previously released with the original DVD collections of the series, the Deluxe Edition set will have a few more physical goodies to offer. These will include a series of three limited-edition miniature Funko Pop! figurines (modeled on Batman, The Joker and Harley Quinn) as well as a collection of seven art cards. Only 30,000 copies of this set will ever be manufactured and Amazon apparently sold 2,000 on the first day that it started accepting orders, despite a hefty $113 price tag.
Given the popularity of Batman: The Animated Series and its wide influence on modern animation and the Batman comics, it seems unlikely that Warner Brothers will have trouble finding homes for the remaining 28,000 collector's sets. Thankfully, for those who care little about limited edition collectibles, a more modestly priced edition is sure to be forthcoming. The remastered episodes will be also be available as a digital download when the physical media is released to stores on October 16.
More: What You Didn't Know About Batman: The Animated Series
Source: Warner Brothers