Appropriately dropping on Blu-ray and DVD on Batman Day, we sent a staff writer to an exclusive Batman Ninja screening to get a glimpse of the incredible voices and minds behind the film.
Since it’s announcement back at New York Comic Con 2017, both DC and anime fans have been captivated by DC’s newest and wildest animated film. The Junpei Mizusaki (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) directed feature brings the very best of both East and West, combining Gotham’s beloved capes and cowls with the rich landscapes of feudal Japan, large-scale samurai battles, and the amazing, over-the-top character designs of Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai).
From Gorilla Grodd to Alfred, Batman Ninja is any but short on a roster of characters, we had the good fortune to grab a word from the Queen of Voice Acting and the English voice for Harley Quinn, Tara Strong!
You’ve voiced numerous characters, from Raven of Teen Titans, Rugrats, and considerably your most famous role now, Harley Quinn. You probably get asked a lot what voices you would love to do next, but is there a voice you would never want to do? A character whose headspace is too challenging or ambitious to get into?
No, not really. I mean, except for like maybe an old man? [Laughter] Someone just asked me to do a guy in a video game, and I’m like ‘Yeah, you have guys for this.’ I think too with ethnic roles, that shouldn’t be twisted to be a white girl. If you could bring in a really cool actress that can portray an African American role, or a Japanese role, I wouldn’t want to take that away from someone that ethnically matches and can do just as good of a job as me.”
Now with this movie, Harley Quinn has been in some insane situations, but she has never been to Japan before, so what aspect of Harley Quinn did you have to tweak or bring to the table that was different of this historical and cultural context?
I think everytime I do her, it’s a different iteration and she’s in a different world — certainly this is a really different world. Visually, when I watched it, since it’s already been animated, I sort of fell into the feeling of it. Which to me was, even though it is over-the-top, it steers a little bit more natural. Her moments with Joker felt very real to me, then there are certain scenes that are so opposite to what Harley has been in the past. It’s a completely unique experience.”
One last question, are you an anime fan? Anime is getting big now, Michael B. Jordan has said he loves to watch Dragon Ball Z, and the Kardashians are getting in on it.
I don’t watch Dragon Ball Z, but I really do love and appreciate anime. I love all the Miyazaki films. I’ve been working in the business a long time, but I always appreciate the art. It’s just a different artistry than what we have here, it’s beautiful.
There you have it folks! A quick word from one of the biggest, baddest names in voice acting, Tara Strong! Batman Ninja is available now on digital, blu-ray, and DVD. You can check our full review of this insane, beautifully DC animated film here!
