Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, 1993. Directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce W. Timm. Voices: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Dana Delaney, Hart Bochner, Abe Vigoda.
A shadowy figure is killing off the gangland figures in Gotham City and all the clues point to Batman. Has The Dark Knight gone around the bend? The next name on the hit list is The Joker, who has ideas of his own about how to take care of the situation. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne's first love returns to Gotham, rekindling old feelings and opening old wounds.
The Dark Knight's superb animated series makes the jump to the big screen in high style in this feature length adventure. Great action set pieces redeem the relatively limited animation, particularly the explosive climax at the ruin of The Gotham World's Fair. The characterizations are first rate. Kevin Conroy infuses Batman's voice with authority and Mark Hamill is absolutely wonderful as the voice of the Joker--who'd have thought that Luke Skywalker would eventually out-act Jack Nicholson in the same role without even appearing on film. An excellent alternative to the big budget sprawls that comprise Batman's live action forays.