With the recent loss of Kevin Conroy, I’ve been revisiting a lot of his iconic work as the Dark Knight. Many likely remember him as the voice of Batman in the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series. But Conroy’s work as the Dark Knight didn’t stop there, he was also involved in a number of other animated films. The focus of today’s article is one such film. Let us dive into Batman: Mask of the Phantasm!
Mask of the Phantasm was originally released in theaters in December, 1993. The film was directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm and written by the team of Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reeves. The score was produced by Shirley Walker, and the film starred the voice talents of Kevin Conroy, Dana Delaney, and Mark Hamill. The plot once again focuses on Batman’s eternal struggle against the criminal elements of Gotham. However, new dangers come to town in the form of the mysterious masked Phantasm who wastes no time in killing off the town’s mob leaders. In desperation the mob turns to the Joker to try and rid themselves of both Batman and the Phantasm. Batman sets out to discover the truth behind the Phantasm whilst also dealing with the return of a long-lost love.
Mask of the Phantasm is rather special as an animated Batman film in the sense that it had a theatrical release as opposed to directly releasing on home video. The following animated features that also saw theatrical releases were The Killing Joke as well as Lego Batman. Despite being produced by the same team that worked on the Batman: The Animated Series, the events of this film are not tied to any particular story line. It is a standalone tale that can be enjoyed without watching said series. As for the story itself, it dives into the origin and psychology of Batman and how he very easily could have become as vile as the criminals he fights. Devoted fans of the caped crusader will enjoy what the writers have to offer. I do think this is a better Batman story than what was presented in the Burton films and Mask of the Phantasm most definitely stands above the Schumacher films in terms of writing quality.
As for presentation I have nothing but pleasant things to say about how this film looks and sounds. Walker was the main composer for Batman: The Animated Series. She does a wonderful job both there as well as here as the score serves as a perfect supplement to the film. The animation largely holds up today with the exception of the opening credit sequence, which was computer generated and pales in comparison to the stylized animation you’ll find throughout the film itself.
Those compliments also extend to our voice cast. Conroy’s work as the Dark Knight is as great as it ever was. Many actors who played Batman in live action often only understood parts of the character, but Conroy has a great deal more range of emotion as the Dark Knight. Mark Hamill’s Joker is a delight as always. My compliments also extend to the Phantasm and the rest of the voice cast.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was born as a result of the impressive success of the Batman: The Animated Series. The first season did so well that Warner Brothers requested a feature length animated tale. The film did face challenges on the production side of things as it was meant to be released on small screens via a home video release, but Warner Brothers pressured the producers to release it theatrically. As a result, the budget was upped from $5 million to $6 million, but the trade off was that the film had to be completed in less than a year. The industry standard for animated films at that time was generally two years at the very least for a finished animated feature.
Mask of the Phantasm grossed $5.6 million at the box office not making back its budget, however it was viewed very favorably by critics and found an exceptionally healthy life on home video. The film has become a cult classic among Batman fans and is often viewed as one of the best Batman films, animated or otherwise.
Mask of the Phantasm was intended to feel like an extended episode of the animated series according to the writers. And in fact the entire production staff who had worked on The Animated Series also worked on this film. As a result, this film has a level of technical and writing polish you would be hard pressed to find in any other DC project, especially since this film had half the production cycle and still came out quite good on a technical level. I recommend Mask of the Phantasm not only to fans of The Animated Series but also to comic book fans in general! I’ve even partnered with Amazon to bring you a special purchase link for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which helps support my reviews at no additional cost to you. I very much recommend this film if you haven’t picked it up already!
