Movie Review: ‘Merry Little Batman’

With beautifully odd animation and a new take on DC's mythology, 'Merry Little Batman' skews young but presents the Dark Knight as an overprotective dad.

'Merry Little Batman' premieres on Prime Video December 8th.

Premiering on Prime Video beginning December 8th is the new animated movie ‘Merry Little Batman,’ which stars Luke Wilson (‘Old School’) as the Dark Knight and was directed by Mike Roth (‘The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie’).

Initial Thoughts

'Merry Little Batman' premieres on Prime Video December 8th.

‘Merry Little Batman’ is a cute and fun Christmas themed superhero story that places the Dark Knight’s parenting skills front and center and focuses on his relationship with his son and future Robin, Damian Wayne. While the animation is odd and messy, its punk-style and the rock n’ roll soundtrack fits the project well and meshes with Damian’s rebellious attitude. The movie falls into some holiday cliches but is otherwise a fun new take on the Caped Crusader.

Story and Direction

Luke Wilson stars as Bruce Wayne/Batman in 'Merry Little Batman.' Copyright: © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Merry Little Batman and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC. All rights reserved.

The movie begins on Christmas Eve in a new crime free Gotham where Bruce Wayne (Luke Wilson) and his butler Alfred (James Cromwell) are raising Bruce’s 8-year-old son, Damian Wayne. (Yonas Kibreab) With all the super-villains either retired or behind bars, Bruce has hung up the cape and cowl, and is now focusing on being a single dad. But Damian, who also goes by the name “Little Batman” desperately wants to be a superhero like his dad and secretly wishes crime would come back to Gotham. While Bruce does not think Damian is ready for that, he does give him a gift on Christmas Eve, which is his very own utility belt. However, the belt is absent of any of the cool Bat-Gadgets, and Damian is tired of his father treating him like a child.

When a Justice League emergency calls Batman away on Christmas Eve, Damian is left behind with Alfred. But while Alfred runs out to grab hot coco, Damian ends up home alone when burglars attack Wayne Maynor. Damien attempts to protect his home, but soon loses his utility belt and goes on a journey throughout Gotham to retrieve his Christmas gift. However, Damian and Batman both soon realize that it was all a trap set by some of the Dark Knight’s most dangerous enemies to get Batman out of town and take advantage of Damian. Now, the future Robin must protect Gotham and save Christmas before it’s too late, and Bruce must learn to trust his young son.

Director Mike Roth wisely keeps the focus on Damian and his journey while also commenting on Batman’s parenting skills and his relationship with his son. Roth’s use of punk and hip-hop music blends well with the unique animation, to create a fresh look at the Caped Crusader. Working off a strong script from screenwriters Morgan Evans, Jase Ricci, and Etan Cohen, Roth succeeds in creating an unusual, family friendly Christmas-themed Batman movie.

Voice Performances

David Hornsby star as Joker in 'Merry Little Batman.' Copyright: © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Merry Little Batman and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC. All rights reserved.

Young actor Yonas Kibreab’s voice is perfect to play this specific version of Damian Wayne, who unlike the comics, was not trained by his grandfather (Ra’s al Ghul) to be an assassin. While there are references to his mother (Talia al Ghul), she does not seem to be part of Damian’s life, as Bruce and Alfred are raising him by themselves. So, this version of Damian is much more of a “normal” kid than the comic book version fans may be used to, and in that sense, Kibreab superbly captures the youth and excitement of this Damian.

Luke Wilson brings his signature charm to the voice role of Batman, and in doing so, shows us a side of the Dark Knight we usually do not see: Batman as a father. This version of Batman is an overprotective parent, and while Wilson’s performance reinforces that idea, the actor never loses the recognizable elements of the character that has made him so popular over the years. James Cromwell lends his voice to an older and wiser Alfred Pennyworth, while Reid Scott plays a bumbling version of Commissioner Gordon.

Brian George voices The Penguin and gives us a familiar interpretation of the character, while Dolph Adomian is clearly channeling Arnold Schwarzenegger from ‘Batman and Robin’ for his voice work. But it's David Hornsby’s work as The Joker that really makes the character equally intimidating and fun. The Clown Prince of Crime’s masterplan is to convince Robin that he is really a super-villain, and the character almost succeeds, coming across as both creepy and hilarious.

What Doesn’t Work?

Yonas Kibreab as Damian Wayne in 'Merry Little Batman.' Copyright: © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Merry Little Batman and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC. All rights reserved.

The animation is purposely messy and avant-garde, not unlike ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ or ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’ While at times it can be jarring, the animation does have a punk youthfulness to it and mostly fits well with the story. Speaking of which, the story does skew very young and while this is a family movie, very young audiences will probably relate to it best.

But the biggest problem with ‘Merry Little Batman’ for Batman purists will be the fact that this version of the character sports a beard. It makes sense, since this Bruce Wayne has been retired from crime fighting for years, the beard helps illustrate the passing of time and Batman’s retired status. But something just doesn’t look right about facial hair poking out of the iconic cowl, and it’s a choice by the filmmakers that just doesn’t work.

Final Thoughts

In the end, ‘Merry Little Batman’ features a fresh look at Batman as a dad, and a version of Damian Wayne seldomly seen. While the animation is purposely rough and the movie is intended for very young audiences, it still features enough holiday fun for the whole family and a different look at the Batman mythology.

‘Merry Little Batman’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

Merry Little Batman

PG1 hr 37 minDec 8th, 2023

Watch Merry Little Batman Online

What is the plot of ‘Merry Little Batman’?

After Damian Wayne (Yonas Kibreab) is left alone in Wayne Manor on Christmas Eve, he transforms himself into "Little Batman" to safeguard his home and the rest of Gotham City from supervillains during the holiday season.