Merry Little Batman: Review

Cast: Luke Wilson, James Cromwell, Yonas Kibreab
Director: Mike Roth

You'd be hard pressed to see a more joyous take on Batman as this 90 minute Warner Bros Animation outing.

Set on Christmas Eve, Merry Little Batman follows young eight year old Damian Wayne (a pitch perfect Kibreab) who's left at home at Wayne Manor when his dad Batman (Luke Wilson) is called away on an  investigation, some 50 days after he seemingly cleaned up Gotham of all its criminals.

Desperate to be like his father, Damian finds his chance unexpectedly when criminals break into his home - can he step up to be the Batman?

Merry Little Batman starts off like a riff on Home Alone, before widening its scope to reveal the consequences of Batman ridding Gotham of its hoodlum element and crafting a story that's more about familial bonds and relationships.

Roth's frenetic pace takes a little bit to get used to initially and a distinctive animation style seems to mesh early Addams Family designs with the traditional Batman gloom. From Wilson's overprotective father who worries about his son being orphaned like he was to Kibreab's sheer enthusiasm for his Wayne who wants to step out of the shadows, Merry Little Batman is an animated pearler of a movie that freshens up the tired vibe of the gloom and doom of the tortured Bat-world.

Kibreab in particular does much to gel this together - his over-zealous child meshes both innocence and being on the cusp of growing up away from family in a truly sweet turn that plays with, rather than on, the relationship between a father and son.

There are important messages within Merry Little Batman of kinship, of family and of growing up, but not once ever does it become didactic. Roth keeps the tone light when necessary and allows the message to organically grow throughout - it's a delightful film that shines a light on Batman in ways that the pantheon of Bat-outings has failed to do for decades. 

Bathed in joy, Merry Little Batman is a delight.

Merry Little Batman is streaming now on Prime Video.