Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is one of the most critically-acclaimed and widely loved Batman adaptations of all time. Made by the creative team behind Batman: The Animated Series, the movie explored Batman's first few years as Batman, with the film tying present events to events that occurred in Bruce Wayne's first few years as the Caped Crusader.
In addition to being produced by the creative team behind Batman: The Animated Series, the movie also features the iconic voice talent of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, giving the movie an even more legendary status than its script already inspires.
Citizen Kane Inspirations
Orson Welles' Citizen Kane is considered by many to be one of the greatest movies ever made, with the film going on to inspire a whole new generation of filmmakers, writers, and actors that would go on to direct, write, and star in their own legendary movies.
Like countless other movies, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm took inspiration from Citizen Kane, with the filmmakers using Welles' masterpiece as an inspiration for the flashback scenes in Phantasm.
Backward Score
Composed by Shirley Walker, the Batman score from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is one of the most memorable and iconic Batman scores of all time, with Walker's score deserving to be ranked alongside both Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman's legendary soundtracks.
The choral chanting that makes up the main theme of the film is actually composed of the names of the orchestrators sung backward.
Kenner's Spoiler Action Figure
Kenner is one of the most iconic action figure manufacturers of all time, with the company making it big after they managed to get the rights to the Star Wars merchandise line in the 1970s, making the company one of the biggest toy manufacturers in the United States.
Kenner won the rights to produce the action figures for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. However, they would ultimately spoil the twist of the movie by releasing an unmasked figure of the Phantasm.
Phantasm's Later Appearance
The Phantasm is one of the best original creations of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, with the assassin forming a lasting impression on the Batman fans that watched and grew up with this movie in the 1990s.
However, while the character wouldn’t appear in Batman: The Animated Series, the Phantasm would return in an episode of Justice League: Unlimited entitled "Epilogue."
Paul Dini's Hospitalisation
Paul Dini, along with Bruce Timm, was one of the driving forces of Batman: The Animated Series, with the writer even being one of the creators of the legendary and now iconic character of Harley Quinn.
Paul Dini, however, almost didn’t write the script for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm after he was badly injured and hospitalized after a mugging. Fortunately, Dini was able to make a full recovery and return to the project.
Nominated For An Annie Award
Batman: The Animated Series is one of the most critically acclaimed Batman adaptations of all time, with the series holding a prime time slot during its run time and even receiving several Emmy awards for several episodes, most notably Robin’s Reckoning Pt. 1 + 2.
In a similar vein, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was also very well-received among critics, with the movie being the only animated comic book movie to be nominated for an Annie award.
Year One And Year Two Inspirations
Batman: The Animated Series cast a wide net in finding inspiration for its series, taking inspiration from both the Golden and Silver Ages of Batman comics, while also using the modern interpretations of the character to help create their Batman universe.
Similarly, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm also took inspiration from the comics, taking particular inspiration from Batman: Year One and Year Two.
First DCAU Movie
Batman: The Animated Series helped to kickstart what would ultimately become the DC Animated Universe, with Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and the two Justice League series all being part of the DCAU.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm would be the first movie to be released in the DCAU, with Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and Batman: Sub Zero being others to be released in the DCAU.
Changing Plot
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a gritty, dark take on the Batman: The Animated Series universe, showing Bruce Wayne trying to balance a love life with his Batman identity, while also showing the character growing into the Caped Crusader he would eventually become.
However, this wasn’t the first idea for the plot of the movie. The Batman: The Animated Series episode "Trial" very nearly became the plot of the movie. Some fans believe that Trial was deserving of its own movie, or at least a two-part story.
Comic Book Easter Eggs
This list has already mentioned how the creators of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was inspired by Batman: Year One. However, there are far more comic book inspirations that deserve their own entry in this list.
During a particular scene, two dummy corporations by the name of “O'Neil Funding Corp" and "Adams Tool and Die” are shown on the Bat-Computer. These are references to Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams, the writer and artist most well known for Batman’s Silver Age run.