“Batman: The Animated Series” was a beautifully made cartoon with some of the best scripts in comic book entertainment, but it was really the vocal performances that made the series so brilliant. It’s impossible to deny the greatness of Mark Hamill’s Joker or Arleen Sorkin’s Harley Quinn, but Conroy’s Batman is a much more understated performance. It’s not uncommon for Batman to get overshadowed by his massive rogue’s gallery in his various incarnations, but Conroy’s Batman always holds his own. His vocal performance is layered, hinting at Bruce’s internal pain while also projecting his strength. Just hearing his voice makes me feel safe.
“Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm” was one of the first movies I ever remember seeing in a theater. My dad, who loved the Burton movies, was ecstatic to be able to take his kids to a Batman movie and share in the joy. I was only six or seven years old, but I’ll never forget our excited chatter on the way home. It was the beginning of our lifelong love of Batman. For many Millennials, the cartoon series and “Mask of the Phantasm,” the first theatrically released animated film from Warner Brothers, was our entry point into this sprawling franchise. For others, it came from Conroy’s other animated Batman performance as a much older Bruce Wayne in “Batman Beyond.”
