Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman is wrongly implicated in a series of murders of mob bosses actually done by a new vigilante assassin.

Directors:

Eric Radomski, Bruce Timm (as Bruce W. Timm)

Writers:

Bob Kane (character created by: Batman), Alan Burnett (story)

Stars:

Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Conroy	...	Batman (voice)
Dana Delany	...	Andrea Beaumont (voice)
Hart Bochner	...	Arthur Reeves (voice)
Stacy Keach	...	Phantasm / Carl Beaumont (voice) (as Stacy Keach Jr.)
Abe Vigoda	...	Salvatore Valestra (voice)
Dick Miller	...	Chuckie Sol (voice)
John P. Ryan	...	Buzz Bronski (voice)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	...	Alfred (voice)
Robert Hastings	...	Commissioner Gordon (voice) (as Bob Hastings)
Robert Costanzo	...	Detective Bullock (voice)
Mark Hamill	...	The Joker (voice)
Jane Downs	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Pat Musick	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Vernee Watson	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Vernee Watson-Johnson)
Ed Gilbert	...	Additional Voices (voice)

Storyline

Batman, the costumed crime-fighter who prowls the night skies in Gotham City, soon finds there's another vigilante in town knocking off prominent mob figures. Despite the scythe-like blade for a hand, a mechanical voice and the cloud of smoke that follows the figure wherever it goes, the police and outraged officials mistake the homicidal crusader for Batman himself and demand that the city's longtime hero be brought to justice. Meanwhile, Andrea Beaumont returns to town. She is the lost love of Bruce Wayne, the billionaire playboy who is Batman's alter ego, and was an integral part of Wayne's decision ten years earlier to don the cape and cowl. Now, she is back in his life and is no less a disruption than the return of his old archenemy, The Joker, who has a stake in seeing the annihilation of this new vigilante, whoever it proves to be.

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Plot Keywords:

batman character | bruce wayne character | batmobile | view through binoculars | alfred pennyworth character | 

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Taglines:

The Dark Knight fights to save Gotham City from its deadliest enemy.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Family | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for animated violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm: The Animated Movie

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,189,975, 26 December 1993

Gross USA:

$5,617,391

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Animation,Warner Bros. Family Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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."

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Goofs

Just before Batman comes to question Arthur Reeves in his hospital room, the doctor and orderlies tell him to rest and clearly slam the door. In the next shot of the room's door, it is half open. Then, immediately after Batman is seen, it is fully closed.

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Quotes

The Joker: What a photo op: The city councilman and his wacky pal!

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Connections

Version of Alyas Batman en Robin (1991)

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Soundtracks

There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
(uncredited)
Written by Richard M. Sherman (as Richard Sherman) and Robert B. Sherman (as Robert Sherman)

User Reviews

An absolute classic, the best Batman movie so far

Out of all the Batman films so far, including all the live action films, this one is still the only one to really explore the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman and examine what drove him to becoming Batman.

It has a great story that flashes back to just before Bruce took up the mantle of the bat and the woman he was involved with at the time, then skips forward to an unknown assassin killing Gotham City's mobsters, and we see how the 2 story's meet. The writing is top-notch, in no-way predictable and the voice acting by Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker truly amazing and bone-chillingly scary.

The only complaints is that the animation could have been better at some points, but that is because it was originally meant to be a straight to video release before Warner's saw what a masterpiece they had created, and also it should have run for a little bit longer, but oh well. If you haven't yet seen it i highly recommend it.