The best order to watch animated Batman films

While live-action Batman movies are incredibly popular and get a great deal of attention, there is a vast collection of fantastic animated Batman films just waiting to be discovered. From 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), through to 2011’s Batman: Year One, and 2017’s Batman vs. Two-Face, the portfolio of Batman animation is ever expanding.

But what are all of the Batman animated movies and what is the best order to watch them in?

In this post I will highlight all of the animated movies that feature Batman, including solo stories, team-up tales, and exciting ensembles. This post will provide a guide to all animated Batman features, then delve into all of the individual subcategories.

To begin, let’s take a look at the list of Batman animated films. Here is every Batman animated movie, listed in production order:

• 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)
• DC Super Friends (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)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash (2018)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman – Rage of Atlantis (2018)
• Batman Ninja (2018) – Japanese and American
• The Death of Superman (2018)
• Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018)
• Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2018)
• Reign of the Supermen (2019)
• The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
• Lego DC Batman: Family Matters (2019)
• Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019)
• Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2019)
• Batman Hush (2019)
• Lego DC: Shazam! Magic and Monsters (2020)
• Superman: Red Son (2020)
• Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
• Batman: Death in the Family (2020)
• Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
• Batman: Long Halloween – Part 1 (2021)
• Batman: 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)

OK, so those are all of the animated movies that feature Batman. As you can see, it is an extensive (and exhaustive) list.

Now let’s break down the list into subcategories for simple viewing. These categories will help you navigate around the different movie universes, helping to point you in the direction of films you might like to watch.

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DC Animated Universe

The DC Animated Universe began in 1992 with Batman: The Animated Series. The show was hugely successful and produced a number of spin-offs, including Superman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures.

In addition to the spin-off shows, the DC Animated Universe also produced four feature-length tales. I’ve placed all four in chronological order (rather than production order):

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

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The Batman

The Batman was an animated show which first hit television screens in 2004. The series ran for five seasons and produced one direct to video feature:

• The Batman vs Dracula (2005)

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DC Universe Animated Original Movies

In 2007, Warner Bros. kick-started a commercially successful run of direct-to-video movies under the banner heading DC Universe Animated Original Movies. A large number of these films have included Batman, either as the lead character or as part of an ensemble.

Here are all of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies that 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: Death in the Family (2020)
• Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
• Batman: Long Halloween – Part 1 (2021)
• Batman: 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)

Please note: The DC Universe Animated Original Movies series is best viewed as a multiverse, with a mix of connected and unconnected films. The above list is presented in production order.

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JLA Adventures

In 2014, Warner Bros. released a standalone Justice League tale that was not connected to any other animated movie.

• JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (2014)

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Lego

Batman and Lego have enjoyed a fruitful partnership which has spanned games, toys and books. This partnership has also included a series of direct-to-video movies and specials, as well as big screen adventures.

The direct-to-video Lego Batman movies have included:

• 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)

The theatrically released Lego movies which have featured Batman have included:

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

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Batman Unlimited

Batman Unlimited was a short-lived toy line from Mattel. To expand the excitement of the toy shelf, the company produced three animated tie-in movies:

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

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Batman ‘66

In 2016, Warner Bros. released an animated film set within the ‘60s era of Batman. Featuring the vocal talents of Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, respectively, the film was a hit and was followed by a sequel in 2017.

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

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Scooby-Doo

Batman has met Scooby-Doo on a number of occasions, including twice in the 1970s via The New Scooby-Doo Movies (which weren’t actually movies). The only feature-length tale to date is:

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

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Batman Ninja

And now to Japan for Batman Ninja – a movie so complex it was produced in two different versions! Oh wait, there are two versions simply to appeal to the original Japanese market as well as the Western market.

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

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Teen Titans GO!

In 2018, the Teen Titans went to the movies for their first big screen adventure. Keen not to go it alone, the Titans roped in a number of iconic comic book characters, including Superman, Green Lantern and Batman!

• Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018)

OK, so the film is not a Batman movie, but it does feature the Caped Crusader.

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TMNT

What’s better than a movie featuring Batman (or Scooby-Doo)? A movie featuring Batman, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Leonardo!

In 2019, the Dark Knight and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appeared in a direct-to-video feature film. The movie saw Batman and the Turtles take on Shredder and it was Turtle-y awesome!

• Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2019)

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DC Super-Pets

In 2022, Superman’s best pal, Krypto the Super Dog, took to the big screen for the feature-length animated adventure, DC League of Super-Pets. Although the movie was primarily about Krypto and his animal friends, the movie did include appearances from the key members of the Justice League, including Batman, as voiced by Keanu Reeves!

• DC League of Super-Pets (2022)

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Justice League x RWBY

And finally, in 2023 Batman featured amongst the cast the 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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So, those are all of the Batman animated movies, broken down into easily digestible subcategories. You can either watch all of the movies (using the list at the beginning of this post) or you can pick and choose as you see fit.

Happy viewing!