Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

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Eric Radomski Director
Bruce W. Timm Director

Batman is faced with a new challenge when another vigilante known as the Phantasm appears in Gotham to systematically murder gangsters in this animated feature. Things take a more complicated turn when the family of Bruce Wayne's ex-fiancé are implicated and the mob turns to the Joker for protection.
Trivia:

The chorale heard during the opening titles are actually chanting several names backwards, including the last names (at least) of production team members Alan Burnett, Eric Radomski and Bruce W. Timm.

2 More Trivia
Reference: Thunderball

The Joker's jetpack looks like the one James Bond uses in the opening scene of Thunderball.

2 More Movie References
Quote: Batman

Hmmmm... Sal's got company tonight. Don't wait up.

Alfred Pennyworth

Meaning, I trust, that once you're done with him you'll be seeing her?

Batman

You think you know everything about me don't you?

Alfred Pennyworth

I diapered your bottom. I bloody-well ought to *sir*.

15 More Quotes
Writers
Cast
Kevin Conroy Batman
Dana Delany Andrea Beaumont
Hart Bochner Arthur Reeves
Stacy Keach Phantasm
Abe Vigoda Salvatori 'Sal the Wheezer' Valestra
Dick Miller Charles Chuckie Sol
John P. Ryan Buzz Bronski
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Alfred Pennyworth
Bob Hastings James Gordon
Robert Costanzo Detective Harvey Bullock
See Full Credits

Plot

 
The film opens with a conference of crime bosses being held in the Gotham Shady Lady Casino. Batman breaks up the meeting and quickly dispatches the mobsters but boss Chuckie Sol is killed by a ghostly figure shorly after. Batman is blamed for the death by councilman Arthur Reeves and tells the media that Batman is a menace. Reeves shows up at a party thrown by Bruce Wayne and jokes with him about Andrea Beaumont about he he let her get away.

We see a flashback to Bruce's college days. Andrea and Bruce meet for the first time at a Graveyard while they are both visiting their parents. Bruce vows to his parents to avenge them. Bruce dresses up in a black outfit and manages to stop a armored car robbery. However he tells Alfred that he needs to find a way to frighten them from the start. Later on he and Andrea become romantically linked. Bruce realizing that he can’t go out every night to fight crime with someone waiting for him breaks his vow with his parents saying “I didn’t count on being happy”. He proposes to Andrea and she says yes.  The next day Andrea and her father leave Gotham and tells Bruce that she is to young to marry in a letter.  This greatly upsets Bruce and pushes him to become Batman since his chance at a normal life has left.

The killer kills Buzz Bronski. Batman investigates Andreas father and finds evidence that he worked with the cities crime groups. The killer goes after Salvatore Valestra who was the mob boss that Bronski and Sol worked for. Thinking that the killer was Batman he contacts the Joker in a attempt to contract him to kill Batman but joker ends up killing him while trying to kill Batman. Joker finds out that the killer is not Batman and blows up Valestras home. Batman is blamed again for the death of someone he didn’t kill and is chased by the police while he was pursuing the killer. Andrea Rescues Batman and explains to him that she was hiding with her father in Europe to escape the mob. Her father eventually repaid the mob what he owed but it was not enough and Valestra has him killed.

The Joker is revealed to be that last member of Valestras mob and is also the person that killed Andreas father.  In a fight between The Joker, the killer, and Batman the killer is revealed to be Andrea. Batman and The Joker fight and Andrea reappears to take her revenge on The Joker. The explosives that Joker had set in the facility they were all fighting in go off while Andrea and Joker disappear.

Batman manages to escape the exploding facility and is back in the batcave grieving. Alfred tells him that nobody could have saved her. Batman then spots an object high up in the cave and it is the locket containing a picture of Bruce and Andrea. Andrea is seen on the deck of a cruise ship alone. The last shot of the movie is Batman on a roof still grieving.
 

Reception

Mask of the Phantasm is considered a box office bomb however it reviewed well with critics. Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel both admitted regretting not seeing the movie while it was in theaters. Many critics praised the voice acting especially the work done by Mark Hamill. The story and dark tone was also extremely well received. The film was nominated for an Annie award but lost to The Lion King. 
 

Adaptions

There have been two novelizations released as of 1993. One written by Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, and Andrew Helfer and the other by Geary Gravel. DC comics also released a comic book adaption written by Kelley Pucket.
 

Soundtrack

The score for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was released on December 14th, 1993 by Warner Bros. Records.
  1. Main Title
  2. The Promise
  3. Ski Mask Vigilante
  4. First Love
  5. The Big Chase
  6. A Plea for Help
  7. The Birth of Batman
  8. Phantasm and Joker Fight
  9. Batman's Destiny
  10. I Never Even told You - by Tia Carrere
 
On March 31st, 2009 Lala Land Records released a limited edition soundtrack which contained 27 extra minutes of music.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm 5 images
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General Information Edit
Name Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
US Release Dec. 25, 1993
UK Release
AUS Release
Runtime 76
Language(s)
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English
Genre(s)
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Animation
Mystery
Action
Crime
Theme(s)
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comic book
superhero
gangster
Rating PG
Alias(es)
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  • In today's dollars
    Domestic $5,617,391
  • = total worldwide gross $5,617,391
  • - a reported budget of $6,000,000
  • = a -6.4% net profit of $-382,609
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