| Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Alan Burnett |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Al Breitenbach |
| Music by | Shirley Walker |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros.[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States[1] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $5.8 million[2] |
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (also known asBatman: The Animated Movie – Mask of the Phantasm) is a 1993 Americananimatedsuperhero film featuring theDC Comics characterBatman. It was directed byEric Radomski andBruce Timm, and written byAlan Burnett,Paul Dini,Martin Pasko, andMichael Reaves. The film is based onBatman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), and is the first film of theDC Animated Universe and the only one to receive a theatrical release.Kevin Conroy,Mark Hamill,Efrem Zimbalist Jr.,Bob Hastings andRobert Costanzo reprise their voice roles fromBatman: The Animated Series, joined byDana Delany,Hart Bochner,Stacy Keach,Abe Vigoda,Dick Miller andJohn P. Ryan.
Produced between thefirst andsecond seasons of the series, the film follows Batman as he reconciles with a former lover,Andrea Beaumont, and faces a mysterious vigilante, the titular Phantasm, who is murderingGotham City's crime bosses. The plot partly mirrorsMike W. Barr's "Batman: Year Two" comic bookstory arc, with theReaper from it loosely inspiring the Phantasm character made for the film, while also borrowing elements from the "Batman: Year One" arc, recounting how Bruce Wayne became Batman and his first attempts to fight crime.
Originally planned for adirect-to-video release,Warner Bros. ultimately gaveMask of the Phantasm a theatrical release, condensing its production into a strenuous eight-month schedule. The film was the first theatrical feature film produced byWarner Bros. Animation, and was released through the studio'sFamily Entertainment[1] label on December 25, 1993, to generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the stylized animation, voice performances, story, and music.
Due to the decision to release it in theaters on short notice,Mask of the Phantasm failed at the box office. After its release on home media, it became financially successful. Until the limited release ofBatman: The Killing Joke in 2016,Mask of the Phantasm was the only animatedBatman film to be given a theatrical release, as well as the only one to receive a full theatrical release untilThe Lego Batman Movie in 2017.
A young Bruce Wayne vows to avenge his parents' murders by fighting crime inGotham City, but while he is initially successful at thwarting robberies, he is disappointed that criminals are unafraid of him and seeks a more fearful image. He also begins a relationship withAndrea Beaumont after they meet at the Gotham Cemetery while she pays respects to her mother. Though conflicted about whether to honor his promise to his parents or pursue a happy life with Andrea, Bruce eventually proposes to her. However, Andrea abruptly leaves Gotham with her father, businessman Carl Beaumont, ending the engagement in aDear John letter. Heartbroken, Bruce commits to a new life as a vigilante crime fighter, converting a cavern underWayne Manor intoa base and assuming the mantle ofBatman.
Years later, Batman interrupts mobster Chuckie Sol and his associates plotting to laundercounterfeit money. Sol escapes but dies after crashing his car during a confrontation with the Phantasm, a masked vigilante resembling theGrim Reaper. Witnesses see Batman at the scene, leading councilman Arthur Reeves to vow to have him arrested. Mobster Buzz Bronski visits Sol's grave at the Gotham Cemetery, where he is murdered by the Phantasm, whom Bronski's bodyguards mistake for Batman. While investigating the scene of Bronski's death, Batman lingers by his parents' grave, where he encounters Andrea, who deduces his identity.
Batman discovers that Sol, Bronski, and another mobster named Salvatore Valestra were bankrolled by Carl Beaumont. He interrogates Andrea, who claims no knowledge of Carl's whereabouts. After learning of Sol's and Bronski's deaths, the elderly and ailing Valestra fears Batman will kill him next. He seeks help from former ally councilman Reeves, but is rebuffed, and in desperation turns to theJoker, whom he offers $5 million to kill Batman. The Phantasm goes to confront Valestra in his penthouse and finds that he has been killed by the Joker, who set up a camera on Valestra's body to identify the mobsters' killer. The Joker then remotely triggers rigged explosives, but the Phantasm escapes and avoids capture by Batman. Responding to the blast, the police pursue Batman, who eventually eludes them with last-minute help from Andrea.
Andrea admits to Bruce that her father worked for Valestra and was forced to take her into hiding in Europe because he was unable to repay money that he hadembezzled from the mob. Carl later accumulated a fortune and offered to repay the mob, but they refused to lift thehit on him. Andrea says that she returned to Gotham to stop Carl from killing his former partners. Bruce and Andrea consider resuming their relationship, despite Bruce's uncertainty. Bruce later examines an old photograph of the mobsters and realizes that Valestra's enforcer was the man who became the Joker. The Joker confronts Reeves, accusing him of ordering the murders to hide his mob connections, but a call from Andrea interrupts them and shifts the Joker's suspicion onto her. Reeves is injected with Joker's toxin and taken to the hospital, where Batman forces him to confess that he previously worked as the Beaumonts' lawyer and helped them hide from the mob. Carl refused to bankroll Reeves's first struggling election campaign, so Reeves revealed his location to Valestra in exchange for the mob's support. Batman visits Andrea's apartment in her absence and intercepts a message for her from the Joker, who implies that he knows that Andrea is the Phantasm, then survives the Joker's bombing of the apartment. Batman determines that the Joker killed Carl Beaumont on the mob's order and that Andrea has gone after him.
Andrea confronts the Joker at his hideout, the abandoned Gotham World's Fair, where he attempts to trap and kill her, but she is saved by Batman, who unsuccessfully pleads with her to stop. The Joker tries to escape but is incapacitated by Batman and surrenders to Andrea, who bids Bruce farewell before disappearing with the Joker as the fair explodes.[b] Bruce survives and is later consoled byAlfred, who assures him that he could not have stopped Andrea's self-destructive revenge. Batman resumes his watch over Gotham City as a sorrowful Andrea departs the city on an ocean liner.
Impressed by the success of the first season ofBatman: The Animated Series onFox,Warner Bros. assigned Alan Burnett to write a story for a full-length animated film. The original idea for the film was to have Batman being captured by his enemies atArkham Asylum and face akangaroo court in which the villains try him for making them what they are. The idea's concept, however, was considered "too brainy", as it required Batman to be immobile for a long time, so the idea was later used in the series' episode "Trial", which was aired after the film's release.[3] Although the Joker does play a pivotal role in the film, it was Burnett's intention to tell a story far removed from the television series' regularrogues gallery. Burnett also cited he "wanted to do a love story with Bruce because no one had really done it on the TV show. I wanted a story that got into his head."[4] Members of the creative team have claimed that they did not intend for the Joker to appear in the film;Paul Dini has contradicted this, stating that the Joker's role was always part of the story from the beginning of the film's production.[5] The writers were highly cautious of placing the Joker in the film, as they did not want any connection toTim Burton's 1989 filmBatman, but writer Michael Reaves said, "We then realized that we could make his appearance serve the story in a way that we never could in live-action."[6] In order to keep the Joker as a solo threat,Bruce Timm and Burnett convinced frequentAnimated Series writer Dini to not useHarley Quinn in the film for that reason (althoughArleen Sorkin did a bit part in the film voicing a minor character). The same technique was previously used in the episodes "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne" and "Joker's Wild".[7][page needed] Conversely, the episode "Harley's Holiday" featured Harley Quinn and did not feature the Joker.
Aiding Burnett in writing the script wereMartin Pasko, who handled most of the flashback segments; Reaves, who wrote theclimax; and Dini, who states he "filled in holes here and there".[4]Orson Welles' 1941 classicCitizen Kane served as an influence for the flashbacks, a story about loss and the passage of time.[8] According to Kevin Conroy, Andrea Beaumont was named after voice directorAndrea Romano.[9] The character of Hazel, the cook robot of the World of the Future Fair, was named by Burnett after Hazel the Maid (portrayed byShirley Booth),The Saturday Evening Post protagonist of cartoonistTed Key's TV seriesHazel.[10] On the other hand, the design of the Phantasm went into 20 different versions until one was found which convinced the film's crew. According to Burnett, the Phantasm was like theGrim Reaper with a cape, although the idea was to make her resemble theGhost of Christmas Yet to Come ofCharles Dickens' novelA Christmas Carol,[11] something that even the Joker mentions in the finished version of the film.
"It was basically an expanded episode. We boarded the script and did all of our designs and shipped it overseas. We were treating it with more quality, but we originally didn't intend it for the big screen."
Early in production, Warner Bros. decided to releasePhantasm theatrically, rather thanstraight to video. That left less than a year for production time (most animated features take well over two years from finished story to final release). Due to this decision, the animators went over the scenes in order to accommodate the widescreen theatricalaspect ratio.[13] The studio cooperated well, granting the filmmakers a large amount of creative control.[14]
Warner Bros. also increased the production budget to $6 million,[12] which gave the filmmakers opportunities for more elaborate set pieces. The opening title sequence featured a flight through an entirelycomputer-generatedGotham City.[4] As a visual joke, sequence directorKevin Altieri set theclimax of the film inside a miniature automated model of Gotham City, where Batman and the Joker are giants. This was an homage to a mainstay of Batman comic books of theDick Sprang era, often featuring the hero fighting against a backdrop of gigantic props (they would later do another homage to Sprang's works inThe New Batman Adventures episode "Legends of the Dark Knight").[13] From start to finish, the film was completed within eight months.[12] The film's animation was provided by regularBatman: The Animated Series overseas studios:Dong Yang Animation in South Korea andSpectrum Animation in Japan. While most of the animation was done by Dong Yang, Spectrum handled the layout work.
The film's plot heavily resembles the 1987 storyline "Batman: Year Two", written byMike W. Barr and illustrated byAlan Davis andTodd McFarlane.[15] Bruce Timm called "Year Two" an "accidental inspiration" when designing the Phantasm, stating that he did not consciously base the Phantasm's look on the visually and thematically similar to "Year Two" villain the Reaper, while Alan Burnett said he modeled Phantasm'smodus operandi after theSpider-Man villainMysterio, namely "the idea of someone who could disappear into smoke."[16] Conversely, in May 2017, Barr stated he believedMask of the Phantasm's similarities with "Year Two" were intentional, claiming, "I dropped by the offices of theBTAS staff twice [and] each time I dropped by I saw a guy—a different guy each time—industriously typing away, with a copy ofBatman: Year Two open beside him. That was when I first became aware of their use of 'Year Two' [for the film]," with the early designs of the Phantasm in particular convincing him to bring up the matter of financial compensation toPaul Levitz at DC Comics. After telling Levitz, "I really want to keep this in the family," Barr was given a portion of the film's earnings, as well as money for the creation of the Phantasm herself.[7][page needed]
Paul Dini intended each of the flashbacks into Batman's love life to "have a tendency to get worse, when you hope things will get better." Bruce's relationship with Andrea, which at first shows promise, eventually turns into turmoil. At first, Bruce and Andrea are set for marriage, but then Bruce is given a farewell note from Andrea cutting off their relationship. This seals Bruce's decision to become Batman after he had previously forsaken it to settle down with her.[17]Richard Corliss ofTime felt this scene paralleled Andrea's decision to avenge her own parents and reject love when she finds her own father murdered. Both events transform the two people (Bruce becomes Batman, Andrea becomes the Phantasm).[18] One scene depicts Bruce Wayne at his parents' tombstone saying, "I didn't count on being happy." According to Reaves, this scene was to be a pivotal moment in Bruce's tragic life, as he denies himself the opportunity to live a normal life. Reaves also stated: "When Bruce puts on the mask for the first time, [after Andrea breaks their engagement], and Alfred says 'My God!' he's reacting in horror, because he's watching this man he's helped raise from childhood, this man who has let the desire for vengeance and retribution consume his life, at last embrace the unspeakable."[6]
The soundtrack was composed byShirley Walker, the main composer forThe Animated Series. Walker cited the score as a favorite among her own compositions.[19] In an interview with Cinemusic.com, Walker explained that the "Latin" lyrics used in the main title were actually names of key Warner Bros. staff read backwards.[20] The song "I Never Even Told You" was written bySiedah Garrett andGlen Ballard, and performed byTia Carrere.Hans Zimmer, who would later compose the score forChristopher Nolan'sThe Dark Knight Trilogy, played the synthesizer on the score.
The score was originally released on December 14, 1993, byReprise Records.[21] On March 24, 2009, La-La Land Records released a limited expanded edition.[22] The release includes all tracks found on the original release with some tracks expanded. It also features almost 30 minutes of previously unreleased material.
In December 1993, twonovelizations were released. One was a young readers book written by Andrew Helfer,[23] the other an adult-oriented novelization authored byGeary Gravel.[24]
DC Comics released a comic book adaptation written byKelley Puckett and drawn byMike Parobeck.[25] The comic book adaptation was later included with the VHS release.Kenner, who had already released toys for the cartoon series, produced several tie-in figures for the film, including Joker and the Phantasm (packaged unmasked, spoiling a pivotal plot point in the film).Batman & Robin Adventures Annual #1: Shadow of the Phantasm is a comic book sequel to the film. It was written by Dini and released in 1996. In 2015, a DC Collectibles action figure 2-pack featuring Batman and Phantasm was released.[26]
Mask of the Phantasm was released onLaserDisc in April 1994[27] and onVHS in May of the same year.[28] The VHS was reissued in April 2003 as part of a three-tape pack withBatman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero andBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker.[29]Mask of the Phantasm was first released onDVD in December 1999 as asnap case[30] and in October 2005 as akeep case with the insert.[31] The film was re-released in April 2004 as a three-disc DVDbox set that includedSubZero andReturn of the Joker. That version is currently out of print.[32]Warner Home Video re-released the film again in February 2008 as adouble feature DVD withSubZero.[33]
The film was released as part of theWarner Archive Collection onBlu-ray on July 25, 2017, featuring newhigh definition transfers in16:9 andopen matte4:3 presentations.[34] The film was also included in the Blu-ray release of theBatman: The Complete Animated Series box set in late 2018.[35]
The film was released onUltra HD Blu-ray on September 12, 2023. It featured a 26-minute documentary about the legacy of Kevin Conroy, who died 9 months prior to the 4K re-release.[36]
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm opened on Christmas Day, 1993 in the United States in 1,506 theaters, accumulating $1.2 million over its first 2 days. The film went on to gross $5.8 million in the domestic total box office intake.[2] The filmmakers blamedWarner Bros. for the unsuccessful marketing campaign, which is commonly attributed to the rushed production schedule due to the studio's last-minute decision to release the film theatrically. Despite this,Mask of the Phantasm eventually turned a profit with its various home media releases.[13]
Mask of the Phantasm is possibly the bestBatman movie ever made; it certainly has the best story... That movie will always stand up against time and it's a testament to the quality of the show that Bruce (Timm) launched in 1992.
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 83% of 58 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Stylish and admirably respectful of the source material,Batman: Mask of the Phantasm succeeds where many of the live-action Batman adaptations have failed."[38]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[39]
Empire cited it as the best animated film of 1993, and felt it contained better storylines thanTim Burton'sBatman andBatman Returns.[40]TV Guide Magazine was impressed with theArt Deconoir design that was presented. In addition the film'sclimax and Batman's escape from theGotham City Police Department were considered to be elaborate action sequences.[41] Richard Harrington ofThe Washington Post agreed with overall aspects that included the animation, design, dialogue and storyline, as well asShirley Walker's film score.[42]Gene Siskel andRoger Ebert regretted not having viewed the film during its theatrical release and gave it a positive review on their television series,At the Movies, when the film was released on home media, with Siskel feeling thatPhantasm was better thanBatman Returns andJoel Schumacher'sBatman Forever, and only slightly belowBatman.[43]
However, Chris Hicks of theDeseret News felt "the picture didn't come alive until the third act" feeling that the animators sacrificed the visuals for the storyline.[44] Leonard Klady ofVariety had mixed reactions towards the film, but his review was negative overall. He felt the overall themes and morals wereclichéd and cited the animation to be to the "point of self-parody".[45]
In a 2010 list,IGN rankedMask of the Phantasm as the 25th best animated film of all time.[46] That same year,IGN also stated it was "the Dark Knight's best big screen story" untilBatman Begins.[47] In 2011,Total Film also namedMask of the Phantasm as one of the greatest animated films of all time, coming in at 47th out of 50.[48]Time rankedPhantasm as one of the 10 best superhero films ever in 2011.[49] In 2017,Screen Rant named the film the best Batman film of all time.[50] In 2018,Paste magazine called the film "the greatest Batman movie".[51] In 2022,Empire magazine namedMask of the Phantasm the best Batman film.[52] Also in 2022, nearly 30 years after its release,Rolling Stone placedMask of the Phantasm at number 19 on its list of the 50 Greatest Superhero Movies of All Time, being the only traditionally animated film included, the third-best animated superhero film and the second-best Batman film of all time, behind onlyThe Dark Knight (number 8).[53]
Mask of the Phantasm was cited as an example of a film that effectively personified the character's "inner bubble" and psyche by actorRobert Pattinson, who portrayed Batman in theMatt Reeves filmThe Batman (2022).[54][55]
To commemorate the film's 20th anniversary, a screening of the film was held inSanta Monica with cast members Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany and Mark Hamill in attendance.[37] To commemorate the film's 25th anniversary,Fathom Events rereleased the film for one day on November 12, 2018.[56]
AlongsideThe Lion King andThe Nightmare Before Christmas,Mask of the Phantasm was nominated for anAnnie Award in the category ofBest Animated Feature, but lost to the former.[57]
