Honorable Mention: Batman: Gotham Knight
Batman: Gotham Knight is often overlooked when we reflect back on Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. That might have something to do with the fact that it was an animated companion or that Nolan and the franchise’s cast weren’t involved, but that doesn’t make it any less of an achievement.
Released in 2008, it is set between the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, dramatizing how Batman’s reputation as a hero/vigilante is growing throughout Gotham City, and how various people react to the city now having a watchful protector.
What sets Gotham Knight apart is that each of its six segments are produced by Japanese animation studios, with each one of them having their own styles. It makes each chapter stand out, offering up some powerful visuals as Batman continues to clean up the streets in the Narrows and take down the mob.
From a “Tales of the Dark Knight”-like chat between kids on what they think Batman is really like, to an amazing showdown between the Caped Crusader and Deadshot, Gotham Knight is an incredibly enjoyable animated movie that adds more context to Nolan’s unique world of The Dark Knight Trilogy. It’s not an integral part of the saga, but it’s a fun one nonetheless. And it’s all capped off by the fact that Batman is voiced by the late, great Kevin Conroy.