Synopsis

In a futuristic Gotham City, Terry McGinnis, the young Batman, faces the shocking return of the Joker, who was believed to have died decades earlier. As the villain targets Bruce Wayne and prepares a citywide assault, Terry investigates the mystery behind his resurrection. The search leads to a painful chapter from Bruce's past and the final confrontation between the original Batman and his greatest enemy.

Factoids & Trivia

• Released directly to video in 2000, the film was the first feature-length production based on the Batman Beyond television series.

• The story serves as a continuation of both Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, while also resolving unanswered questions about the period between those shows and Batman Beyond.

• Animation production was outsourced to Japan's TMS Entertainment. The film was also the first Batman direct-to-video feature to use digital ink and paint.

• Warner Bros. delayed the original release and substantially recut the film, reducing violence and altering the Joker's death scene. The uncut PG-13 version was later released on DVD on April 23, 2002.

• The film's unusually dark material made it controversial for a project connected to a children's animated series, but the uncut version became especially well regarded among fans of the DC Animated Universe.

• A second Batman Beyond feature was planned but never produced. Several of its ideas were later reworked for the Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue," which explored Terry McGinnis' origins.

• The film is notable for treating the relationship between Bruce Wayne and the Joker as a story about trauma, aging, and the personal cost of Batman's long career rather than simply another superhero rematch.