When Paul Dini and Bruce Timm worked on Batman: The Animated Series, one of the amazing things they did was take Mr. Freeze, a third-rate supervillain, and transformed him into a serious, tragic character with a sympathetic backstory. His motivation comes from helping his wife, Nora Fries, who is in a suspended animated state due to an accident, and finding a cure for her. Batman & Mr. Freeze, a 1998 direct-to-video animated movie, shows the lengths Mr. Freeze will go to in saving his wife.


Heart of Ice?

Nora’s condition worsens when a submarine surfaces under Mr. Freeze’s artic, hideaway cave. Nora’s containment chamber is damaged and her disease has relapsed. An enraged Freeze needs to find a way to cure her on this disease and enlists the help of an old cohort, Gregory Belson, a greedy, self-righteous cryogenic doctor. And when presented with a nugget of gold, with promises of more, Freeze appeals to Belson’s greedy nature.

Belson notes that Nora has only two weeks to live unless a successful organ transplant takes place. However, because of her rare blood type, there aren’t many suitable donors. Freeze decides to use a live one and chooses Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl) as the perfect match.

He manages to kidnap her to an abandoned oilrig he’s using for his hideout. But of course this doesn’t escape the notice of Batman and Robin. Even if they do manage get past Mr. Freeze and rescue Barbara, is there any chance of Nora Fries’ survival in the end?


Mr. Freeze Times Two

SubZero is the second movie in the Batman Animated universe. It’s funny how this movie release was delayed to avoid any comparison to the live-action Batman & Robin that also featured Mr. Freeze, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I guess the executives were worried that the animated feature would garner more critical acclaim. They would be correct in that assumption.

The story is actually quite layered even for its simplicity. Mr. Freeze isn’t really a villain but someone who will go to extremes in helping a loved one. Actor Michael Ansara conveys the tragic loneliness and desperation Freeze has for his wife’s condition.

Kevin Conroy (Batman), Loren Lester (Robin), Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (Alfred Pennyworth) and Bob Hastings (Commissioner Gordon) all return in their respective roles. Mary Kay Bergman joins the cast as Barbara Gordon.

The animation is fluid and follows the original “Dark Deco” style of the series, but also injected with small amounts of computer animation, not so much that it becomes an eyesore.

Is this movie really worth the 70 minutes of airtime? There are times I thought the pacing was extremely slow. I thought the story could have been accomplished in a 30-minute format. But to its credit, there were more character moments especially between the budding relationship between Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon.

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero may not have been the best animated Batman movie but it was definitely a lot better than Batman & Robin.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12