Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Merry Little Batman’ on Amazon Prime Video, An Animated Christmas Movie That Makes DC Fun Again

Merry Little Batman, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is an animated Christmas-themed Batman flick for kids, directed by Regular Show creator Mike Roth, for part of his overall deal with Warner Bros. Animation. Though it was originally intended to be a release for HBO Max and Cartoon Network, Max dropped the film in August 2022, during the streamer’s controversial purge of content. The film was eventually picked up by Amazon Studios, and a TV series based on the film, titled Bat-Family, is also in development for Amazon.

MERRY LITTLE BATMAN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Eight-year-old Damien Wayne (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) can’t wait to live up to his dad’s legacy. Who’s his dad, you ask? Why, it’s none other than Bruce Wayne (voiced by Luke Wilson), aka Mr Batman himself. (Screenwriters Morgan Evans and Jase Ricci never address the pressing question of who, exactly, is Damien’s mother, but true DC fans know it’s Talia al Ghul, who does not appear in this movie.)

Damien is itching to fight crime alongside his dad, but there’s just one problem: Batman finally solved Gotham’s crime problem. Every bad guy is in jail, and Gotham is now the safest city on earth. Still, Bruce worries about his son. Damien is thrilled to inherit his father’s utility belt as an early Christmas gift, only to realize Bruce has filled the pockets with lame safety precautions like a foam batarang and a distress whistle.

On the day before Christmas, Bruce gets called away on an emergency Justice League mission. Damien, determined to prove he’s ready to be a real hero, manages to give Alfred (voiced by James Cromwell) the slip so he can train in peace. Then burglars break into the mansion and steal Damien’s belt. Oh no! On a mission to get his dad’s belt back, Damien finds himself at the center of a plot cooked up by The Joker (voiced by David Hornsby) to steal Christmas from Gotham. Can this Little Batman save Christmas, recover his dad’s belt, and repair his relationship with his father? We’ll see!

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Other than, you know, the whole Batman of it all, the plot of this movie is Home Alone meets How the Grinch Stole Christmas. But with Batman characters.

Performance Worth Watching: David Hornsby, who fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia know as the much-maligned supporting character Cricket, delivers his all as the voice of The Joker. This is actually Hornsby’s second time voicing an animated Batman villain—he did the voice of Riddler in 2021’s DC Super Hero Girls—and his experience shows. It’s not easy to live up to Mark Hamill’s iconic Joker voice acting, but Hornsby delivers a big performance, full of high-pitched evil cackles and wild inflection, that’s perfect for this less-scary, more comical version of the famous villain.

Memorable Dialogue: “Crime must be back in Gotham. It’s a Christmas miracle!” I lol’d.

Sex and Skin: None. This is a movie for children. Holy inappropriate, Batman.

Our Take: Merry Little Batman is a cute, fun, and punchy animated movie that feels very much like a nostalgic throwback for ’80s and ’90s kids that grew up on superhero cartoons. There are plenty of bam-pow-kaboom fight sequences and fun visual gags—like the reveal that Batman’s intimidating silhouette is just a kind-eyed dad with a goofy beard. Kids will no doubt love that the story is centered on an awesome little boy whose talents are underrated, but manages to prove to his dad that he’s plenty capable in the end. Parents will appreciate the one-liners for adults, like a quip about the parasites found in kitty fecal matter.

The animation style might be jarring for anyone not used to Roth’s unusual style, but you’ll quickly adapt and sink into the story. And there are plenty of appearances from classic Batman villains to please DC fans, especially those who grow weary of the super-serious Batman adaptations that have dominated the culture for the last two decades. This Batman movie is bringing back light-hearted camp. It’s not a life-changing entry into the canon, nor is it trying to be. It’s just fun!

Our Call: Merry Little Batman is a light-hearted, delightful Batman-themed Christmas story that is sure to put a smile on the face of Batman fans young and old. Go ahead and STREAM IT.