|
One of the reasons that Batman: The Animated Series will go down
as a classic of cartoon fare, apart from the great writing and voice
talent, is Shirley Walker and her embodiment of the style that Danny
Elfman originated for the Dark Knight in the two Tim Burton film
versions. But first, just to move off on a
slightly tangent at this point, I think it's interesting to note how
something that is inherently ridiculous as the concept of Batman is, has
become a full-fledged member of American mythology. The basic foundation
of a man vowing to avenge crime and dressing up in a suit that only
remotely resembles a man
-sized bat creature is not something that you would think would have
fired up the imagination. But it did just that. And now, with so much
history and sweat and tears poured into this character, he is just as
much a part of American mythology as Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed,
Superman, and Captain Kirk.
A year after the release of Burton's Batman Returns
sequel, it was decided to take the animated Batman franchise into a
theatrical release, for his first and only appearance (so far) on movie
screens in animated form. The result, Mask of the Phantasm, was a
completely different vein that what movie audiences had
experienced with the two previous live-action films, but it was no less
enjoyable, and some might even argue that some of its elements are
better than what was seen in the Burton duo. The animated film even
explores some of the Batman's origins, but rather than starting at the
very beginning, Mask of the Phantasm explores the events that take place
right before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. This is a nice refresher from
seeing Bruce Wayne's parents killed ad infinitum (Batman Begins
would take this type of approach for the most part as well).
With Tim Burton's 1989 film, Danny Elfman captured the perfect musical
rendition of the Dark Knight, a mixture of gothic orchestral textures
and heroic brass moments. Shirley Walker took this basic style and made
it all her own through the animated series, imbuing it with a more
30s-ish heroic bent (with more horn
action and a still brooding, but less gothic undertone). The result was
a further continuation and maturation of the style that Elfman had
begun. With a powerful orchestra sound that belied the low-budget
origins of a cartoon series, the music of the show took on a life that
is still remembered to this day, yet sadly no "official" album exists to
bring that music to the masses...yet.
Coming with the increased budget that a feature demands, the music was pumped
up as well, with the orchestra growing to a much bigger size and the
inclusion of a choir. This is where Walker really raises the bar that
she set so high during the series. Where the gothic quality that Elfman
explored in his music is lowered a bit in her compositions, the choir
adds it all back in force. The opening cue even includes a choral
chanting of her main Batman theme. What follows from there is a mixture
of what we have come to expect of Walker's rousing music from the series
along with an underlining element of Bernard Herrmann's Hitchcockian
works. It's a terrific mixture and works so well that the score moves
along at a pleasant pace, even during its "down times". My only
complaint is that the Joker's theme is heard very briefly. I don't
recall it being featured much more in the film, but this being the only
official Walker Batman score release, it would have been nice to have
more of that material.
For Batman fans, this is an album to definitely get your hands on. It
sets well amongst Elfman's Batman and Batman Returns
scores, and it's decidedly much better in scope than the following three
(especially since Batman Begins, while it is a good score,
doesn't fit into that same gothic mythology or 30s action
hero style). Even at only 30 minutes in length, this album is a
well-deserved purchase for anyone who has enjoyed the best of the
superhero genre scores. |
|
See Also
|
