Now that The Batman has released in theaters at long last, there’s no better time to take a look back at the Caped Crusader’s cinematic history. But while most fans think of the Tim Burton films or the Dark Knight trilogy when they think of Batman’s greatest big-screen adventures, the live-action movies aren’t the only feature films to star Bruce Wayne.
Over the past few decades, Batman has appeared in dozens of animated movies, the vast majority of them being direct-to-video releases. However, there are two notable animated Batman movies that saw a theatrical release — 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and 2017’s The Lego Batman Movie. And while they may not get as much attention as their live-action counterparts, these animated features are just as good, and arguably even better.
Beneath The Mask
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a spin-off of the classic Batman: The Animated Series, which premiered the previous year. The film is directed by the series’ co-creators, Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, with a screenplay by Batman: TAS writers Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reaves. Longtime Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy reprises his role as Bruce Wayne, as does Mark Hamill as the Joker. The cast is rounded out by Dana Delany as love interest Andrea Beaumont (three years before she joined Superman: The Animated Series as Lois Lane) and Stacy Keach as the Phantasm.
The plot centers around the arrival of a mysterious new vigilante in Gotham City — the Phantasm, a Grim Reaper-esque figure who begins murdering some of Gotham’s most powerful gangsters. But as Bruce attempts to unravel the mystery behind this enigmatic foe, he’s distracted by the return of an old flame: Andrea Beaumont, a woman he once loved so much that he nearly married her instead of becoming Batman. The present-day plot is intercut with a series of flashbacks that depict Bruce’s early days as a vigilante (much like Batman: Year One) and his romance with Andrea. But the closer the two get, the more troubled Bruce becomes — he’s spent so long only caring about avenging his parents that he doesn’t know what to do when he finds a reason to live outside of his mission. As Bruce himself says in the film’s most powerful scene, “I didn’t count on being happy.”
Besides being a tragic love story, Mask of the Phantasm is a brilliant character study of Batman himself, examining Bruce’s psyche more closely than almost any other movie. The story explores the self-destructive nature of vengeance, using the flashbacks to showcase the psychological toll that Bruce’s crusade once took on him. And in the main plot, Batman’s own dark side is mirrored by the Phantasm, who Bruce desperately tries to stop from going down the same path that he once did. Not only is Mask of the Phantasm gorgeously animated with a fantastic cast, it also shows Batman at his very best, as both a brooding avenger and a compassionate hero.
Building a Family
But while Mask of the Phantasm is a tragedy, The Lego Batman Movie proves that the Dark Knight can be just as comfortable in a comedy. The film is a spin-off of 2014’s The Lego Movie, which first introduced this film’s cocky, self-centered version of Batman, voiced by Will Arnett of Arrested Development and BoJack Horseman fame. Lego Batman may like to play up his typical image as a grim and gritty crime-fighter, but he’s really just an immature show-off — if anything, he’s closer to the false Bruce Wayne persona of most iterations. But while Lego Batman may start out as arrogant and stubborn, he doesn’t stay that way.
While most Batman films feature the title character as a solo act, The Lego Batman Movie focuses on the father-son relationship between Batman and a newly adopted Dick Grayson, aka Robin (Michael Cera). Dick is eager to get to know his adoptive father, while Bruce tries to remain distant. However, it becomes clear with time that the only reason Bruce refuses to be vulnerable around his new family is because he’s terrified of reliving the pain he felt when he lost his parents. Ultimately, The Lego Batman Movie is a story about Batman accepting that no man is an island, and he’s both a better hero and a happier person when he lets the people he cares about into his life.
The Lego Batman Movie is a heartwarming story about the power of found family and the importance of Robin to the Batman mythos, but it’s also a hilarious comedy that has plenty of laughs for kids and adults alike — not to mention a ton of clever references to past Batman stories, from the movies to the comics. And of course, there’s the star-studded cast. Besides Arnett and Cera as the Dynamic Duo, there’s also Zach Galifianakis as the Joker, Rosario Dawson as Batgirl, Channing Tatum as Superman, and of course Ralph Fiennes, who delivers an impeccable performance as Alfred Pennyworth. There’s even a host of celebrity cameos as Batman’s various villains, from Conan O’Brien as Riddler to Jason Mantzoukas as Scarecrow to Billy Dee Williams reprising his role as Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, from Tim Burton’s Batman. Zoe Kravitz even appears as Catwoman, long before she was cast as the live-action Selina Kyle in The Batman. All in all, The Lego Batman is more than the sum of its parts, and it’s worth a watch from any Batman fan.