Harley & Ivy

Harley & Ivy is an animated superhero buddy comedy road trip film directed by Cathy Yan from a screenplay co-written with Chesire Castro Smith, Matt Braly, Dana Terrace, and Mindy Kaling. An entry in the DC Animated Theatrical Universe and based on characters created by DC Comics, the film stars the voices of Kaling and Anna Akana as the title characters, alongside Rachael Zegler, Vincent D'Onofrio, Keith David, Brenda Song, Sarah-Nicole Robles, and Tara Strong, while Kathryn Bostic composes the score.

An animated Harley Quinn-centered film was first announced duting the 2037 DC FanDome, with Yan and Kaling attached. The title and Akana's casting were announced in December 2037, with the rest of the cast announced in 2038. Yan wanted the film to provide commentary on dealing with criminals by having an heroic Harley befriend a villanous Poison Ivy. She would also develop the film as a road trip buddy comedy, as she felt a traditional superhero film approach "just didn't worked for the story". The film would be hand-drawn animated, as a tribute to Harley's first appearance in Batman: The Animated Series.

Harley & Ivy would be released in July 1, 2039, to critical acclaim, with particular praise going to the film's screenplay, themes, animation, direction, departures from the superhero genre, humor, and Kaling and Akana's vocal performances and chemistry. Earning 1.2 billion dollars over a budget of 160 million dollars, the film was a box office success, becoming the hightest-grossing hand-drawn animated film of all time. The film also won two Academy Awards for Best Animated Movie and Best Original Screenplay.

Synopsis
Harley Quinn, everybody's favorite nutty hero, finds herself in a situation few other herpes have been in... a road trip with a villain! Following an intense portal-hopping battle with eco-terrorist Poison Ivy, the two end up lost in a desert away from Gotham. With Harley unwilling to let her to die, and Ivy unable to find her away in the dessert wothout her powers thanks to a power-supressing collar, the two end up having to travel together to find a way home. During their journey, Harley finds out that there is more to the plant-control villaim than meets the eye, while Ivy begins to find something she lost a long time ago. With funny syops abd a friendship former, these two girls begin to see that they are not so different and how there are many solutions to a problem.

Voice cast

 * Mimdy Kaling as Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn: An hyperactive and comedic hero from Gotham, who is also a gifted psychiatrist student and Batgirl's best friend. Kaling said that "Harley has been getting a bit more black-and-white througth the films", but that she will "change course" in the film. Director Cathy Yan, who previously helmed the DC Extended Universe Harley Quinn-led film Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Enmancipation of One Harley Quinn), said she was excited to work on the project, calling working on the DCATU version of Harley "a bit fascinating" due to her being more heroic than the DCEU version, giving Yan "a different type of story to tell" while also wanting to "keep everything that makes Harley so Harley". She was also excited to "have such a quirky character as Harley to lead a story that feels so relevant and is so emotional".
 * Anna Akana as Pam Isley / Poison Ivy: An eco-terrorist and misanthrope able to control plants, with whom she shares a telepatic and emotional connection. Akana called Ivy a "tortured, but kind if feisty, spirit" with "not only good arguments, but a surprinsgly personal reason" for her actions "that will reasonate with far more people than just activists". Ivy's characterization was based on her Harley Quinn incarnation, as director Cathy Yan felt "her down-to-earth personality was more fitting for the version of Ivy [the filmmakers] wanted to create", througth they also incorporated a few elements from her 2019 DC Superhero Girls incarnation.
 * Rachael Zagler as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl: A vigilante from Gotham and Batman's ward and partner, who is Harley's best friend.
 * Vincent D'Onofrio as Lyle Bolton: A self-centered Gotham City Police Department officer with a short-sighted view on criminals.
 * Keith David as Frank: sentient carnivore plant and Ivy's friend, who is rather sarcastic but friendly.
 * Brenda Song as Anne: A sentient carnivore plant and Ivy's friend, who is much more willing to talk with Ivy about her problems, while also being very energetic.
 * Sarah-Nicole Robles as Renee Montoya: A young and idealistic Gotham PD officer, who becomes disgusted with Bullock's actitude. Robles called the film "Mobtoya's origin story", saying that "while she starts off as this optimist, she ends up more like the Montoya fans know".
 * Tara Strong as Oracle, an AI system developed by Batgirl.

Animation
Wanting to honor Harley Quinn's origins in animation, director Cathy Yan choose the film to be hand-drawn animated. Animation services were provided by Dong Yang Animation, withg layouts by Spectrum Animation; both studios previously worked on said capacities in 1993's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and both provided animation for Batman: The Animated Series, where Harley made her debut. Yan said she wanted each character's movements to represent their characteristics, while also being consistent with each other. For Harley, her animation was inspired by Popeye and Looney Tunes, as she felt the character's energetic personality made her fit for said shorts' physical comedy and movement. Ivy's movements were more realistic, in order to represent her being Harley's straight woman.

Music
Kathryn Bostic would return as composer from previous DC Animated Theatrical Universe. In addition to reusing her themes from previous DCATU films, she would also compise a theme for Poison Ivy using rustical instruments as inspiration. She would also create a "rusty and sinister theme" for Harvey Bullock to reflect his age and dark nature, as well as an "energetic and optimistic" theme for Renee Montoya that "becomes a bit more cynical" througth the course of the film.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film would earn an approval ratimg of 98%, with an average rating of 9/10, based on 233 reviews. The critical consensous woukd read, "A sincere and heartfelt departure of standard superhero stories, Harley & Ivy honors the titular duo's iconic relationship with a journey full of laughs, emotion, and surprising thematic depth, that will leave comic book fans satisfied and non-fans pleased". On Metacritic, the film would earn an score of 91 out of 100, based on 50 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Trivia

 * Anna Akana, Keith David, and Brenda Song previously worked together on tye Disney animated series Amphibia.
 * This is Cathy Yan's first animated film.
 * According to Yan, she was given more creative control than in Birds of Prey.