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Batman and Harley Quinn is a direct-to-video movie featuring Batman and Harley Quinn. It was released in 2017 as part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line. The movie used a similar art style to that of The New Batman Adventures, whilst Kevin Conroy and Loren Lester reprised their roles from the series.
Plot
Poison Ivy and Floronic Man learned of a formula created by a scientist named Alec Holland. Holland was a scientist in Louisiana who was working on a bio-restorative formula, which would stimulate hormonal growth in plant life. At some point, an accident occurred that caused him to be doused with the formula and go up in flames. He jumped into the bayou to try to douse the fire, but the chemical reacted with the minerals in the bayou and turned him into Swamp Thing, a hybrid of human and plant.
Poison Ivy and Floronic Man broke into S.T.A.R. Labs to steal Alec Holland's work and his DNA. They sought to turn Holland's formula into a virus that would turn the world's population into human plant hybrids. Since neither Poison Ivy nor Floronic Man were fully human, they hypnotized a scientist named Harold Goldblum to force him to utilize Holland's formula using his DNA to create the virus.
Batman and Nightwing form an uneasy alliance with Harley Quinn to stop Poison Ivy and Floronic Man from transforming people into plants. This alliance was necessary due to the fact that Harvey was a former accomplice of Poison Ivy, and had connections with criminals who could know where they could find Poison Ivy and Floronic Man.
When Batman, Nightwing, and Harley Quinn reached their destination, the resulting fight caused a fire, and Dr. Goldblum recovered from his hypnosis. Floronic Man stabbed him in the heart, as he had already told them what they needed to complete the formula. With his dying breath, Dr. Goldblum told Harley Quinn that they needed swamp water from the exact Louisiana bayou that created Swamp Thing.
At the bayou, Poison Ivy ultimately turns on the Floronic Man after Harley convinces her, pointing out how even if they got even the tiniest detail wrong in their plan, they could easily kill off all life on the planet. However, he managed to best Poison Ivy, as well as Batman, Nightwing and Harley Quinn in a fight. As Floronic Man was about to complete the virus, Swamp Thing emerged from the bayou and told him that though his cause was just, as the Earth had been mistreated by mankind, his method was not the way to go about rectifying things. However, he stated that he was not there to judge, and receded back into the swamp. All hope seemed lost, but Harley Quinn then suggested simply setting the Floronic Man on fire, since he is made out of plants (Floronic Man is shown running around screaming after being set on fire in the middle of the end credits).
The threat was neutralized, and Harley Quinn returned to civilian life, hosting a television show titled "Ask Dr. Quinn", which contained a disclaimer about the fact that she was not currently a licensed psychiatrist.
Cast
- Kevin Conroy as Batman
- Loren Lester as Nightwing
- Melissa Rauch as Harley Quinn
- Paget Brewster as Poison Ivy
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Floronic Man
- John DiMaggio as Swamp Thing, Sarge Steel
- Eric Bauza as Wesley
- Robin Atkin Downes as Rhino
- Trevor Devall as Bobby Liebowitz
- Rob Paulsen as Harold Goldblum, Min and Max
- Mindy Sterling as Project Supervisor
- Bruce Timm as Booster Gold
Background information
Production notes
- In a sneak peek featurette, Bruce Timm described Batman and Harley Quinn as essentially a 48 Hours inspired version of Batman and Harley Quinn teaming up.[1] The film features a premise similar to the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Harlequinade" (another story where Batman teams up with Harley Quinn). Interestingly, Paul Dini also noted 48 Hours as an inspiration for that episode.[2]
- In the same featurette, co-writer Jim Krieg remarked "This is kind of a strange, red-headed nephew of Batman: The Animated Series, but don't show it to your kids thinking that it's Batman: The Animated Series, it is its own thing, kind of extrapolated."[3]
Trivia
- Many small time crooks familiar to Batman can be seen during the scene at the Bludhaven bar, including Min and Max, Captain Clown, Randa Duane, Ubu, Candice, Maven, an Ice Maiden, one of the Penguin's henchwomen, Lar and Cur, Rocco, Henshaw, Snap, Numbers, Germs and Emmylou Brown.
- A five-issue prequel miniseries Harley Quinn and Batman was released as a tie-in for the film and was penned by Ty Templeton, who has been a long-term writer for various DCAU Comics. Afterwards, a seven-issue miniseries (which shares the same title as the film) was released, serving as an anthology series that takes place after the events of the film.
- Batman and Harley Quinn was released in theaters for one night only in the United States on August 14, 2017.
References
- ↑ Batman and Harley Quinn sneak peek BTS (included in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract 2017 film).
- ↑ "Things to Come Second Season" by Robert T. Garcia - Cinefantastique Vol. 24 #6/Vol. 25 #1 (February 1994)
- ↑ Batman and Harley Quinn sneak peek BTS (included in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract 2017 film).