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 | joker | neo noir | based on tv series | 

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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

Andrea Beaumont is based loosely on a combination of Judson Caspian (the Reaper) and his daughter Rachel Caspian, characters from the "Batman: Year Two" comic book storyline. Andrea was allegedly named after casting and vocal supervisor Andrea Romano, whom star Kevin Conroy occasionally teased.

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Goofs

When Andrea first encounters Batman in her apartment and he asks her about her father, he hands her a photograph with his bare hand. In the very next shot his glove is back on.

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Quotes

Alfred: Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that.

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Alternate Versions

A version shown on UK channel ITV-1 was cut: most of the fight between the Joker and Phantasm is edited out. When Joker sprays Phantasm with his flower, in the unedited version she takes off the glove he hits pushes Joker into a table where he reaches between the large sausage and a knife, and grabs the large sausage. He then runs past her, and escapes by running through a window. In the edied version, he sprays her glove and then escapes through the window. The table fight is completly removed.

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Connections

Version of Batman and Robin (1964)

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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

The Greatest of all the animated Batman films!

Not only the best animated flick but one of the greatest Batman movies ever made!

Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, and Bruce W. Timm are without doubt the best creative team of any involved in a Batman film or/television show. In this first animated film based on the animated series, the creative team does both a prequel and a sequel to the show as it introduces the characters of Andrea and Phantasm. Which both have an enormous impact on Bruce Wayne's journey to becoming Batman. And the character of Andrea helps us understand Bruce Wayne a little better. And know him a little better before becoming Batman.

Inspired by Frank Miller's "Year One" comic and Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, Burnett/Dini/Timm create a magnificent Batman movie and a great movie as well!

4(****)out of 4(****)stars

AN ANIMATED MASTERPIECE!!!!