Warner Bros. to launch new Batman, Justice League animated movies based on toys

Chances are you’ve already gotten a sneak peek at DC’s next big animated project if you’ve spent any time buying superhero toys.

According to Variety, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is gearing up to release a series of animated films and shorts based on two DC Comics toy lines, Batman Unlimited and DC Super Friends. The projects are being overseeen by Warner Bros Consumer Products, which is in turn working closely with DC and toy manufacturers Fisher-Price and Mattel.

It’s an interesting inversion of the usual toy/cartoon formula. One of the dirty little secrets of a lot of animated series, especially action-oriented superhero shows, is how they really exist as a vehicle to sell toys, as Paul Dini—one of the most celebrated writer-producers in animation—illustrated in a recent interview. T

It’s interesting to see DC approach animated series from the exact opposite approach, but there are a lot of beloved franchises that start that way—Transformers and G.I. Joe come to mind—so it’s not impossible for a good series to come out of them.