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Will Romine writes from San Diego Comic Con:
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Warner Archive Collection is releasing the film on Blu-ray, remastered. Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm, Kevin Conroy, and Eric Randomski were on hand to wax nostalgic about, what some argue, is the best Batman film.
The project began as a direct-to-video venture straight off the heels of Batman: The Animated Series’s first season. At the time, Bat-mania was a worldwide contagion, thanks to the success of the Tim Burton films. The creative teams decided to leverage this fervor with a theatrical release of this direct to video project. This boon necessitated major changes. Ratio aspects are a funny thing. At the time, video was mostly released in television aspect ratio. Letterbox was something reserved for high art film and laserdisk. What works well on a TV screen won’t necessarily translate to a letterbox format and when you’ve already storyboarded a feature length animated production, adjustments must be made. Timm and co took a 4:3 ratio stencil and placed it over every storyboard panel, ensuring that the crucial diegetic elements of each scene remained intact.
The decision to move from a DTV to theatrical release proved both creatively restrictive and liberating. The film could venture into PG-13 territory, something impossible in early 90’s children’s programming. However, studio execs suggested edits that, if implemented, would have made the film unwatchable. This included eliminating the use of flashbacks and instead editing the film in a linear fashion. In addition to removing the narrative suspense through transitions between past and present, Batman wouldn’t have appeared until past the halfway point. Not a smart thing to do with your title character.
The film ultimately was not supported by the studio in a manner befitting a theatrical release. Theaters only showed it during the day and little was done to promote it. It found its audience upon home video release, including Siskel and Ebert, who gave it two thumbs up and expressed regret that they didn’t review it during its original theatrical run.
The panel gave way to a seven minute preview of the remastered film. The film was a masterpiece when I saw it in the theaters 25 years ago. With the restoration work, I feel like that same kid all over again. The lines were crisp, the cell complexion neater, and the audio clearer than ever. This film has really stood the test of time. The Blu-ray will release on July 25. A worthwhile addition to any home movie collection.
