The Joy of Positivity: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

The beloved 1993 Batman: The Animated Series film adaptation Mask of the Phantasm wastes no time establishing itself as a roaringly cinematic film and not just an exercise in brand extension. Shirley Walker’s score is thundering and operatic, roaring with emotion and soaring melodrama, while an opening credit sequence uses early computer animation to immerse us in a sleek, Art Deco Gotham full of sharp angles, shadows, and broad-shouldered gangsters and politicians in expensive suits.