December 17th – Christmas with the Joker

For the full Movie Advent Calendar click here.

Family reunions can be a pain, crowded, tension everywhere and not really much of the Christmas joy to be found anywhere near aunt Mildred – but that is nothing compared to what the Joker has in store for Batman on Christmas Eve.

In the Batman: The Animated Series episode Christmas with the Joker the Clown Prince of Crime delivers a very uncomfortable reunion, kidnapping three of Batman’s allies among them Commissioner Gordon. So naturally Batman and Robin stop their Christmas program to save their friends touring through a snowy Gotham filled with Traps by the Joker.

One particularly creepy set-piece is a hall where Joker is playing Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. Behind Batman and Robin there are huge Nutcrackers with a disturbing Joker smile and although the episode is not that phenomenal the combination of Tchaikovsky and Joker smile just left an impression I can’t shake off.