All 31 animated Batman movies ranked from worst to best

5. Batman: Under The Red Hood

Hopes were high for Batman: Under The Red Hood prior to its release. The Jason Todd-into-Red Hood storyline is one of the greatest modern DC stories ever told, so to see it come to life in animation format was always going to be exciting. But not even that could prepare audiences for the sheer brilliance they were about to witness whenever it came out.

The film showcases the arrival of the mysterious Red Hood, his criminal activities and the unusual amount of knowledge he seems to possess on the Bat-Family. It’s only a matter of time until Batman deduces that the former Robin has returned from the dead, and he must juggle feelings of guilt over Jason’s death with his never-ending drive to protect the city from harm. The result is a compelling tale that hits you every bit as hard even if you know how the DC Comics story plays out.

When people claim that nobody makes animated movies like DC, this is often one of the examples they use to back up that argument. It’s easy to see why, because Under The Red Hood is a masterclass in storytelling, adaptation, and voice acting. Jensen Ackles’ performance is outstanding – so outstanding that he has been associated with the role of Red Hood ever since.

When he graduated to Dark Knight in another animated movie, he was equally brilliant. Speaking of which…