I always get excited when Warner Animation releases one of their animated comic adaptations, especially anything dealing with the deep and often misunderstood Batman mythology.  With few exceptions, the company has been spot-on with many of their recent releases (including both The Green Lantern: First Flight and Wonder Woman), so it's hard for me not to get excited about the possibility of this track record applied to one of the most famous scenarios in the franchise's long history.  Those who've followed the Dark Knight and his various cast of companions and villains over the years probably know the fate of Robin, and to see this tragedy play out in the excellent Batman: Under the Red Hood was particularly meaningful for me, as it easily sits among Warner's best animated efforts.

The story loosely follows the controversial comic book Batman storyline 'Death in the Family', which sees Jason Todd / Robin captured and beaten senselessly by the Joker with a crowbar. Batman blames himself for it and the tragedy that ensues, and then decides to continue his crime-fighting vendetta solo.

Some years later, Gotham City's most famous criminals are being terrorized by a newcomer who calls himself the Red Hood.  It isn't long before he makes them an offer they can't refuse: pay him for protection or die.  Naturally, this doesn't sit well with The Black Mask, current head of Gotham's crime enterprise, who has other plans for anyone looking to edge their way into his lucrative black market dealings.  With Batman being caught in the middle, the stage is set for one of the most action-packed and intense Batman sagas yet...animated or otherwise.

Batman: Under the Red Hood departs from most of Warner's recent animated films and features solo direction from Brandon Vietti, whose previous work on several Batman and Warner Bros' animated projects (including The Brave and the Bold and Superman/Doomsday) helped prepare him for the task.  The film looks fantastic - especially in glorious high-definition - and it's good to know that Gotham is still very much a dark and brooding place, and seems to be the only city in the world that still makes use of police zeppelins.  The film is packed with great artwork and many of the familiar Warner-style traits that tend to dominate their line-up

In fact, those who've collected previous animated features won't find anything particularly innovative or ground-breaking with the stylized animation or style, but I was really surprised at the amount of violence shown.  The film is rated PG-13 for a reason, and those who might be expecting to see the typical 'white flashes' when characters fight or become injured might be shocked when blood (colored red, no less) splashes on walls and characters die (often violently) throughout.  I'm not saying that it's a gore-fest, but it does showcase the darker elements of the character that previous features seldom have.

The voices are spot on as well, thanks to Andrea Romano's superb voice casting and directing. Bruce Greenwood does an impressive job as Bruce Wayne / Batman, and should remind fellow Bat fans of Kevin Conroy's legendary performances as the Dark Knight.  The cast also features Supernatural's Jensen Ackles as the Red Hood, Futurama's John DiMaggio as The Joker, Neil Patrick Harris (Harold and Kumar) as Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter) as Ra's al Ghul, and Gary Cole (Office Space) as Commissioner Gordon.

Perhaps the most incredible features on the disc are the two historical documentaries on Robin that true fans definitely won't want to miss (especially those clued into the character's ill-fated destiny).  Other features include four handpicked episodes from Batman The Animated Series character designer Bruce Timm, a 12-minute animated short for Warner's Jonah Hex, which is considerably better than the box-office flop, and a sneak peek at the next Warner Animation film, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.  That's a lot of bonus content for any movie, and Warner should be commended for packing so much into a single release.

With its heighted sense of drama and mature storytelling, I really enjoyed Batman: Under the Red Hood and would easily recommend it.  The film earns its PG-13 rating by cramming some of the most intense action and content ever seen in a Warner animated release, and isn't shy about uncloaking the character's darker side. It really hits on how Batman lives in a sort of gray area of moral haziness, and how his past directly affects both his future and the future of Gotham.  This is truly a thought provoking entry in the Batman franchise, with should please fans who appreciate their favorite character being treated with such respect.