Batman : Mask Of The Phantasm film poster.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (also known as Batman: The Animated Movie) is a 1993 American animated superhero mystery film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, and is a spin-off of the Emmy Award-winning Batman : The Animated Series. Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm directed the film, which feature's the voices of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Hart Bochner, Abe Vigoda, Dana Delaney, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and Jeff Bennett. The film's storyline introduces Andrea Beaumont, an old love interest of Bruce Wayne's, who returns to Gotham City, restarting their romance. At the same time, a mysterious killer begins systematically eliminating Gotham's crime bosses, and due to the person's dark appearance, he is mistaken for Batman. Now on the run from the police, Batman must apprehend the killer, clear his name, and deal with the romance between himself and Andrea.
Development for the film started after the success of Batman: The Animated Series on the Fox Network. Warner Bros. assigned Alan Burnett to write the story, and Burnett collaborated with writers Paul Dini, Michael Reaves, and Martin Pasko. The original idea was to release the film as direct-to-video, but the studio decided for a theatrical release, giving the filmmakers a strenuous eight-month schedule. Mask of the Phantasm received overwhelmingly critical acclaim from critics, who tended to praise the film for its animation style, dialogue and acting, but was a box office bomb due to the decision to release the film in theaters on such short notice. The film has since found cult success through its various VHS and DVD releases.