At the 1988 San Diego Comic-Con, Bob Kane was on hand to present the very first footage from Tim Burton's big screen Batman movie: a trailer that would soon be appear in theaters. The quick assemblage of footage is one of the worst previews of all time: no music, few sound effects and dialogue pulled straight from set -- the thing came straight from the editing bay. But, hey, it was BATMAN!!
The movie debuted in 1989 and saw huge success. Any footage must have been good footage. The movie opens with Burton's iconic interpretation of Gotham city, a Gothic, timeless era that blended pulp '30s art deco with modern technology. Since no city in the world is quite like Gotham, the metropolis was rendered with beautifully crafted matte paintings -- and so were a few shots of the Bat himself. In this early birds-eye view, the looming Batman is, in fact, animated!
Take a look at the first, raw trailer:
