| Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Boyd Kirkland |
| Written by | Boyd Kirkland Randy Rogel |
| Based on | Batman byBill Finger andBob Kane |
| Produced by | Boyd Kirkland Randy Rogel |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Al Breitenbach |
| Music by | Michael McCuistion |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Home Video |
Release date |
|
Running time | 66 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero is a 1998 American animatedsuperhero film, the second film based onBatman: The Animated Series, taking place between the end of the show and the start ofThe New Batman Adventures.Kevin Conroy andMichael Ansara reprise their respective roles from the series as the two title characters whileMary Kay Bergman replacesMelissa Gilbert as the voice of Batgirl. It was produced byWarner Bros. Animation as a marketing tie-in withBatman & Robin and was animated overseas byKoko Enterprises andDong Yang Animation in South Korea. The film received positive reviews from critics and won theAnnie Award for Best Home Video Animation.[1]
Since his last encounter againstBatman,[a]Victor Fries has made a home for himself in anArctic cave with a newly adoptedInuit son, Koonak, andpolar bears Notchka and Shaka. His wife,Nora, remains in hercryogenic chamber while he seeks a cure for her illness. A researchsubmarine surfaces through the frozen floor of the cave, shattering Nora's containment vessel and causing her to rapidly deteriorate. Fries freezes the submarine crew and returns toGotham City, enlisting his old colleague Dr. Gregory Belson to help find a cure.
Belson determines that Nora's only chance at survival is an organ transplant, but due to her rare blood type there are no suitable donors. Fries declares they will use a live donor, even if it means killing an innocent person, and bribes a reluctant Belson into compliance with a promise of gold that will end his current financial problems. After learning thatBarbara Gordon (Batgirl) is a perfect match, Fries kidnaps her while she is on a date withDick Grayson (Robin). Barbara is taken to an abandonedoil platform, where Fries and Belson falsely tell her they need her for a blood transfusion to save Nora.
Back in Gotham,Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Dick investigate Barbara's kidnapping, which leads them on the trail of Belson, whose wrecked car Bruce had discovered earlier in a deep puddle on the night of his disappearance despite no rain. They investigate Belson's home and track Belson's broker, Dean Arbagast, who explains Belson's debts to them. In the process, Belson calls Arbagast from the oil platform, allowing them to learn where Fries has taken Belson and Barbara. They also deduce Fries's plan from a list of supplies used for an organ transplant that Belson left behind. As they head for the oil rig in theBatwing, Barbara realizes Fries and Belson have been lying to her and escapes with the help of Koonak, who Fries had falsely promised that Barbara would not be harmed. Batman and Robin arrive and confront Fries and Belson, who accidentally starts a fire by shooting at the fuel tanks. Fries traps Batman and Robin and orders Belson to perform the operation despite the fire spreading rapidly across the rig, but Belson pushes Fries under some falling debris and attempts to escape, only to end up crushed and killed by the falling helipad while driving a speedboat.
Batman and Robin escape and free Fries with Barbara's help and he in turn, despite his leg having been broken, helps them with saving Nora and Koonak, but while everyone else is put onto the Batwing, Batman is unable to save Fries, who plummets to his apparent death. Batman makes it back to the Batwing and they fly away just as the rig finally explodes. Fries, however, is revealed to have survived, and swims to safety with the bears.
Sometime later, Fries has returned to the Arctic, and sees on a television in a research station that while the world believes her dead, Nora has been revived after an organ transplant funded by Wayne Enterprises, moving him to tears of joy as he walks away with his polar bears.
The film was completed in 1997 as a tie-in toJoel Schumacher'sBatman & Robin (which also featuredMr. Freeze as the main villain andBatgirl as one of the protagonists). Its release date, however, was pushed back to 1998 after the poor reception of Schumacher's film.Boyd Kirkland and Randy Rogel produced and wrote the film, both of whom had previously worked on numerous episodes ofBatman: The Animated Series. According to series developerBruce Timm, who was not involved with the film, he stated he would not have brought Nora back to life, considering her dead since going under cryonic stasis. When he discovered thatNora Fries was to be brought to life in the film, he was forced to drop the idea of adaptingGlen Murakami's story "White Christmas" inThe New Batman Adventures episode "Holiday Knights", as it would have been required to have Nora dead, as in the original issue written by Murakami.The New Batman Adventures episode "Cold Comfort" would address the events of the film.[2]
It was the finalBatman direct-to-video film to usecel animation.
Based on 12 reviews collected onRotten Tomatoes, 92% of critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.6/10.[3]
TV Guide praised the film for being "more enjoyable — and far less campy — than Joel Schumacher's first two live-actionBatman movies." In addition, the magazine stated that "Though clearly aimed at kids, there's also plenty to keep adult viewers entertained, not the least of which are the amusingly curvaceous drawings of several dishy dames and the exaggerated muscularity ofBatman & Robin."[4]
DVD Talk noted that the film was a solid adventure that played out like an extendedBatman: The Animated Series episode, praising the character of Mr. Freeze but criticizing the simplistic plotting and scripting.[5]
SubZero was originally slated for a release on July 15, 1997, and to be cross-promoted withPlanet Hollywood andSix Flags Theme Parks, but due to the poor reception ofBatman & Robin it was delayed and did not see release until March 17, 1998.[citation needed] Trailers for the film, narrated by the lateTony Jay, were featured onWarner Home Video's VHS releases in 1997 and 1998, includingEraser (1996),Batman & Robin,Selena (1997), andWarner Bros. Family Entertainment titles such asSpace Jam,Free Willy 3: The Rescue,Wild America (1997),The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, andA Rat's Tale (1997).
The film was included in the 2018 Blu-ray release ofBatman The Complete Animated Series box set.[6][7]
After the success of this film,Warner Bros. greenlit the production of another film, entitledBatman: Arkham.Boyd Kirkland was attached to write and direct. The film would have Batman and Robin facing off against a collection ofArkham Asylum escapees, in addition to Batman finding himself falling in love with a new character, planned to be voiced byAngie Harmon. The main cast ofBatman: The Animated Series was attached to reprise their roles. Steven E. Gordon also drew some art concept for the film. However, the film was eventually canceled in favor ofBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker (which also featured Harmon as a much older Barbara Gordon, withTara Strong voicing young Barbara in the flashback sequence),[8] whileBatman: Arkham eventually became the name of a successfulvideo game series byRocksteady Studios and featured Conroy as the voice of Batman.[9]
The fourth and final film of the original run of the DCAU,Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, based onThe New Batman Adventures, was released in 2003.[10]
