Many have tried to bring the Batman to the big screen, and many have done well—but few have come close to doing it quite so perfectly as Mask of the Phantasm, which took the strengths of the already legendary Batman: The Animated Series and sharpened them to a fine, emotional point. And now, we’re about to get the chance to enjoy it in ultra HD.
Warner Bros. has confirmed that it well release a new remastering of Phantasm for 4K UHD Blu-ray in September, marking the first time the film will be made available in the format. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, Mask of the Phantasm sees Batman (the late, great Kevin Conroy) on the trail of a mysterious, murderous new vigilante in Gotham City: the titular Phantasm, carving a violent path through Gotham’s mob families.
It’s a stellar, emotional take on the Dark Knight, building on the excellent groundwork in Batman: The Animated Series to push the series deeper in ways it couldn’t as a TV show. We’ve had plenty of Batman movies since it, and some of them are pretty great, but nothing has quite yet managed to reach the highs Phantasm did.
And it should hopefully look better than it has in years. According to a press release provided by Warner Bros. Animation, the Phantasm remaster is sourced from the original cut camera negative of the 1993 film, scanned at 4K and digitally restored to remove blemishes while retaining the film grain and cel dirt that was part of the film’s artwork. Presented for the first time since it was in theaters in a 1.85 aspect ratio, and a set of remastered 2.0 and 5.1 audio tracks, it’s going to be the best way to experience a key moment in Batman’s cinematic history.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’s 4K release will be available digitally and on UHD Blu-ray starting September 12.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
