Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg! The Batmobile broke its wheel, and the Joker got away! Hey! Entertainment Weekly brings holiday cheer to Bat-fans this Friday with a gallery of images from Merry Little Batman, an animated holiday film coming to Amazon Prime Video next month!
Sliding down the chimney and onto your Amazon Prime account before Christmas, Merry Little Batman focuses on Damian Wayne (voiced by Jonas Kibreab) defending Wayne Manor from some of Gotham City’s most despicable villains on Christmas Eve – Home Alone-style!
“Because it’s a Christmas story, telling it through the eyes of a child seemed apropos,” the film’s director and producer, Mike Roth (Regular Show), tells EW. “Typically, Damian is a teenager who struggles with good and evil. While this was an interesting idea that was initially explored, we landed on a younger Damian. We decided to turn the clock back on Damian’s petulant nature to a time when he was more innocent and wide-eyed. The idea of a teeny, tiny, little kid in this huge city aspiring to become Batman like his dad was such a fun starting point. It gave us the heart and comedy we were looking for and opened the window to a Gotham City Christmas like we’ve never seen before.”
Giving the Grinch a run for his money as the worst villain to encounter at Christmas time is the Jester of Genocide, The Joker (David Hornsby). The Riddler also plays a role in the holiday-themed events, with Batman (voiced by Luke Wilson) swooping in to spread his brand of broody cheer.
“He is heavily inspired by Bob Fosse’s portrayal of the Snake in the 1974 version of The Little Prince,” Roth told EW about Hornsby’s portrayal of Mr. J. “Our Joker is a perfect foe to a little kid because he is basically like a big, peevish child himself — coaxing, cunning, and apt to rapid and irrational tantrums. His temperament swings from merry to murderous faster than you can say, ‘Holy nightmare, Batman.'”
The art for Merry Little Batman is unconventional, almost like it’s got Mad Magazine vibes. Holy, Al Jaffee, Batman!Merry Little Batman arrives on Amazon Prime Video on December 8! Meanwhile, you can check out Entertainment Weekly‘s exclusive images from the bat-tastic holiday special below: