Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
Film poster
Directed by	Boyd Kirkland
Written by	Boyd Kirkland Randy Rogel
Based on	Batman by Bill Finger and Bob Kane
Produced by	Boyd Kirkland Randy Rogel
Starring	Kevin Conroy Michael Ansara Loren Lester Efrem Zimbalist Jr. George Dzundza Robert Costanzo Bob Hastings Mary Kay Bergman Marilu Henner Dean Jones Mari Devon Lianne Schirmer
Edited by	Al Breitenbach
Music by	Michael McCuistion
Production company	Warner Bros. Animation
Distributed by	Warner Home Video
Release date	March 17, 1998 (1998-03-17)
Running time	66 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero is a 1998 direct-to-video animated superhero film, the second film in the DC Animated Universe, the second based on Batman: The Animated Series and a standalone sequel to Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and taking place during the third and final season of Batman: The Animated Series and prior to the events of The New Batman Adventures. Kevin Conroy and Michael Ansara, reprise their respective roles from the series as the two title characters. Loren Lester also reprises his role as Robin and Mary Kay Bergman replaces Melissa Gilbert as the voice of Batgirl. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and animated overseas by Koko Enterprises and Dong Yang Animation in South Korea. The film won the Annie Award for Best Home Video Animation.

Plot

Since his last encounter against Batman, Mr. Freeze has made a home for himself in an Arctic cave with a newly adopted Inuit son, Koonak, and polar bear companions, Notchka and Shaka. His wife, Nora, remains in her cryogenic chamber while he seeks a cure for her illness. A submarine surfaces through the frozen floor of the cave, shattering Nora's containment vessel, causing her to rapidly deteriorate. With no time to lose, Freeze returns to Gotham City and enlists his old colleague, Dr. Gregory Belson, to help find a cure.

Belson determines that Nora's only chance at survival is an organ transplant, but due to her rare blood type there are no suitable donors. Freeze declares they will use a live donor, even if it means killing an innocent person, and bribes Belson into compliance with a promise of gold that will put an end to Belson's own financial problems. After learning that Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) turns out to be a perfect match, Freeze kidnaps her while she is on a date with Dick Grayson (Robin). Barbara is taken to an abandoned oil platform, where Freeze and Belson have her comply by falsely telling her they need her for a blood transfusion for Nora.

Back in Gotham, Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Dick investigate Barbara's kidnapping, which leads them on the trail of Belson. They find out from a phone conversation between Belson and his broker, Dean Arbagast, where Freeze has taken Barbara. They also work out Freeze's plan from a list of supplies used for an organ transplant Belson left behind. Barbara realizes Freeze and Belson have been lying to her and escapes with the help of Koonak. Batman and Robin arrive in the Batwing and they confront Freeze and Belson, who accidentally starts a fire. Freeze traps Batman and Robin and orders Belson to perform the operation, but Belson attempts to escape, only to be killed by falling wreckage.

Batman and Robin escape and find Freeze with a broken leg. He tells them to save Nora and Koonak, who Barbara helps safely get on board the Batwing. Despite his efforts, Batman is unable to save Freeze, who seemingly plummets to his death. Batman makes it back to the Batwing and flies it away just as the rig finally explodes. Sometime later, Freeze is revealed to have survived and living alone in the arctic with his polar bears. He sees on a television in a research station that while the world believes him dead, Nora has been revived after an organ transplant funded by Wayne Enterprises, moving him to tears of joy.

Voice cast

• Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne / Batman
• Michael Ansara as Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze
• Loren Lester as Dick Grayson / Robin
• Mary Kay Bergman as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl
• Robert Costanzo as Detective Harvey Bullock
• Mari Devon as Summer Gleeson
• George Dzundza as Dr. Gregory Belson
• Bob Hastings as Commissioner James Gordon
• Marilu Henner as Veronica Vreeland
• Dean Jones as Dean Arbagast
• Liane Schirmer as Lieutenant Renee Montoya
• James Smith as Detective Galpern
• Frank Welker as Hotchka and Shaka (uncredited)
• Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth
• Lauren Tom as Mariko

Production

The film was completed in 1997 as a tie-in to Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin (which also featured Mr. Freeze as the main villain and Batgirl as one of the protagonists). Its release date, however, was pushed back to 1998 after the poor reception of Schumacher's film. According to Bruce Timm, Boyd Kirkland and Randy Rogel wrote the film's story without informing him, so when he discovered that Nora Fries was to be brought to life in the film, he was forced to drop the idea of adapting Glen Murakami's story "White Christmas" in The New Batman Adventures episode "Holiday Knights", as it would have been required to have Nora dead, as in the original issue written by Murakami.

It was the final Batman direct-to-video film to use cel animation.

Reception

Critical response

SubZero was well received by critics. Based on 13 reviews collected on Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.66/10; it was the highest rated direct-to-video Batman film of all time until Batman: Under the Red Hood took over the title with a 100% approval rating.

TV Guide praised the film for being "more enjoyable — and far less campy — than Joel Schumacher's first two live-action Batman movies." In addition, the magazine stated that "Though clearly aimed at kids, there's also plenty to keep adult viewers entertained, not the least of which are the amusingly curvaceous drawings of several dishy dames and the exaggerated muscularity of Batman & Robin."

Release

SubZero was originally slated for a release on July 15, 1997, and to be cross-promoted with Planet Hollywood and Six Flags Theme Parks, but due to the poor reception of Batman & Robin it was delayed and did not see release until March 17, 1998. Trailers for the film, narrated by the late Tony Jay, were featured on Warner Home Video's VHS releases in 1997 and 1998, including Eraser (1996), Batman & Robin, Selena (1997), and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment titles such as Space Jam, Free Willy 3: The Rescue, Wild America (1997), The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, and A Rat's Tale (1997).

The film was included in the 2018 Blu-ray release of Batman The Complete Animated Series box set.

Sequel

After the success of this film, Warner Bros. greenlit the production of another film, entitled Batman: Arkham. Boyd Kirkland was attached to write and direct. The film would have Batman and Robin facing off against a collection of Arkham Asylum escapees, in addition to Batman finding himself falling in love with a new character, planned to be voiced by Angie Harmon. The main cast of Batman: The Animated Series was attached to reprise their roles. Steven E. Gordon also drew some art concept for the film. However, the film was finally canceled in favor of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (which also featured Harmon), while Batman: Arkham eventually became the name of a successful video game series by Rocksteady Studios.

The fourth and final DCAU film, Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, based on The New Batman Adventures, was released in 2003.

Further reading

• James Raven (May 1997). SubZero (Paperback). Novelization of the film. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-17696-5.

External links

• Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero at IMDb
• Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero at AllMovie
• Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero at Rotten Tomatoes
• Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero @ BYTB: Batman Yesterday, Today and Beyond