DCAU Rewatch: Batman TAS 14: Heart ofIce
Think of it, Batman. To never again walk on a summer's day with the hot wind in your face and a warm hand to hold
After his attempt to cryogenically freeze his wife is thwarted by corporate sabotage, the scientist Victor Fries embarks on a mission of cold vengeance as the deadly Mr. Freeze.
Credits
Written by Paul Dini
Directed by Bruce W. Timm
Supervising Composer Shirley Walker
Music Composed by Todd Hayen
Animation Services by Spectrum Animation Studio
This is the first major contribution to the series from Paul Dini (outside of contributing to the original writers’ bible), who would go on to have a major hand in shaping the rest of Batman and the DCAU. It is also the first full collaboration between him and Bruce Timm, who directed this episode. These two have gone on to become synonymous with both this series and the DCAU in general. That is obviously reductive, but given that this episode is arguably the defining episode of the series, it is not surprising. Dini’s script is incredible, granting Freeze haunting soliloquies, beautifully performed by Michael Ansara.
Spectrum provides truly stunning animation in this one, and this studio might be the best to work on BTAS. TMS is incredible, obviously, but they take some liberties with the style that sometimes clashes with the Timm designs’ focus on streamlined simplicity. Spectrum manages to combine fluid and expressive animation with that flat, minimal aesthetic. Even the most cartoony characters in this episode, there’s a goon who only has black dots for eyes, move and emote like real people without ever feeling too cartoony or out of place. I think the secret is in the dynamic high-contrast shadows. It adds mood and depth to the environments and individuals. The Batmobile action in this is also incredibly well-directed and dynamic, with the car spinning across the frame without ever getting wonky or curving strangely.
The influence of the classic Fleischer Superman shorts on the look of the series is particularly evident here with the way Spectrum animates the episode. The fluidity of motion, the contrast of light and dark, and the art deco look of the technology and machinery all evoke that midcentury aesthetic. As a kid, I always thought there was something scary about those Superman shorts, like there was some kind of real danger. They were not brightly colored and full of quick cuts. They were dark and moody, with villains who were imposing and you felt the weight of the physical confrontation. When Superman struggles against the energy beam or the train, we watch his body contort to stop it or his arms flex and squash. That same approach is taken in this series and works especially well here. The machinery whirring in the Batcave looks like it comes from a different time.
Heart of Ice remains the gold standard not just in this series but in television animation. There are so many quiet moments that help to build Batman’s character that, if handled by a less accomplished group of animators, would be visually dull. Things like Batman analyzing the effects of the freeze gun on the thug he is thawing out, or sneaking around the office building in disguise and thumbing through filing cabinets, look stunning through subtle animation, shadow-heavy cinematography, and dynamic camera staging. The episode takes time to show us various elements of Batman’s character to fully flesh him out. We see him actively investigating a mystery and showcasing his scientific skill, his vulnerability and humor with Alfred, and even his compassion toward his enemies.
Most importantly, the episode is smartly written. The runner of the chicken soup that is first used as a light gag serves multiple purposes. First, Batman having a cold that he has to power through shows his vulnerability. The cold also gives an excuse for Alfred to give Batman the soup that will ultimately be the tool used to beat Freeze, which has the added benefit of showing Alfred’s care for Bruce’s well-being. An exhausted and nearly defeated Batman pulling out a thermos of hot soup as a last-ditch effort to smash open Freeze’s helmet not only pays off a one-liner from Alfred but illustrates Batman’s ingenuity.
The structure of the episode and quality of animation alone elevate Heart of Ice beyond any of the previous episodes except perhaps Two-Face, but what really makes this episode transcendent is the villain–Mr. Freeze.
Freeze is the first character the series radically reinvented. Dini took a joke of a gimmick character and transformed him into a fully realized and tragic figure. The man once known as Victor Fries was a scientist who was desperately searching for a way to save the life of his wife, Nora. His experiments with cryogenic freezing saved kept her alive but in suspended animation. When the man bankrolling his research, Ferris Boyle, came to shut things down, his callous behavior resulted in the apparent death of Nora and Victor himself falling victim to a batch of chemicals that left him unable to survive in anything but sub-zero temperatures. With his wife gone and his life ruined, Fries’s heart became as cold as the high-tech suit that kept his body frozen.
Freeze comes off less villainous than the corporate Ferris Boyle who took Fries’s wife from him and nearly killed Victor. Freeze is motivated by anger over what he has lost. Boyle is motivated by sheer greed. Human life means nothing to him. But it is precious to Mr. Freeze, despite his claims of being emotionally numb. This man who claims to be a cold husk of a man, who walks in a cybernetic suit of armor that makes him appear more machine than human, is more sympathetic and emotionally relatable than the callously cruel Ferris Boyle. Michael Ansara’s compelling voicework as he monologues with poetic tragedy walks a thin line between deep emotion and deadened numbness.
Batman ultimately defeats Freeze and saves Boyle, but doesn’t let the crooked Boyle off the hook for ruining the lives of Victor and Nora Fries. Batman ends the immediate threat to Gotham City, but also exacts a measure of justice for the villain. He can relate to Freeze’s all-consuming drive for vengeance. Bruce recognizes in Mr. Freeze the same kind of rage and grief that motivates him. But Freeze has succumbed to that pain and allowed himself to go numb to all emotion, save for rage. That temptation to freeze off his heart is a temptation that is always there for Batman, as well. One that perhaps he would also fall victim to were it not for Alfred or Robin to keep him connected to his humanity.
Stray Thoughts:
Ferris Boyle, the sleazy guy who Mr. Freeze is out to kill in this episode was Mark Hamill’s first performance on this show. His work here helped inspire them to eventually call him in to read for Joker when they decided to recast Tim Curry.
There is a never-before and never-again seen escalator to an out-of-the-way alcove of the Batcave. It was very distracting to me.
Spectrum’s frost effect on the Freeze helmet is an awesome touch that would be too expensive to ever do again but it makes a strong impression on this first appearance
Everything about Mr. Freeze is the highest possible quality. His dialogue, the monotone but simmering-below-the-surface acting from Michael Ansara, and critically, that killer chunky retro-sci-fi design from Hellboy’s Mike Mignola.
There are 2 shots here where the colors on Batman’s chest insignia are reversed. Bruce Timm admitted he noticed it during editing but kept it as an homage to the old Filmation cartoons where those kinds of errors were common.
Spectrum Animation went bankrupt shortly after this episode was finished. The DVD commentary track praised their work and the small flourishes they would add to the animation. I guess they did too good a job!