To have any appreciation for "Batman Beyond Return of the Joker" you need to be up to speed on "Batman Beyond" the series (at least the pilot). If you don't know about it you might want to check out my Season 1 review for some in-depth info or my review for "The Movie."

Basically it's Batman in the future. Wayne is an old man, and the young Terry has taken up the fight under the mentoring of the older hero. The series has dealt with futuristic incarnations of many of the classic Batman villains: Mr. Freeze, Bane, and others. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects is the influence of the Joker in the form of a gang called the Jokerz but without an actual Joker character.

The series has left in mystery what may have happened with the clown prince of crime and has hinted that Batman may have taken off the mask due to old age, but something else broke his spirit. There's also bad blood with him and Commissioner Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl. Terry has been briefed on Batman's enemies, but the crime fighter’s past and this one nemesis are shrouded.

"Return of the Joker" is "Batman Beyond's" crown. It's the revelation of the mystery hinted at for so long. It brings in Batman's most notorious villain, and weaves a tale of a final clash between giants that destroyed all involved. Other Batman tales have suggested that Batman and Joker would be the end of one another, and this story takes a look at how that could happen making it a challenging and epic tale befitting all of Batman lore.

The earlier Batman series and this one are bridged in this movie. Terry's life is the present; "Batman the Animated Series" (the show from the 90's) with its style and cast is the past. This helps the flashbacks to feel familiar while wrapping up the original series for its fans. The best part about this meld is while there is a similarity in style, there is a feeling of watching two different shows. Watching the flashbacks feels like watching the other series due in large part to it being so well established already. This, in turn, helps the stories of past and present feel rounded.

The present story doesn't quite have the emotional punch that the flashback story has, but it's not bad and is an excellent vehicle for the tale of the past. It's also a creative, if far-fetched, way to work in Batman's original nemesis into this new continuity as well as take a look at some older players like Tim Drake and what their lives are like so many years later.

Kevin Conroy returns as the voice of Bruce and Will Friedle as Terry. There aren't very many characters from the "Batman Beyond" series, though. The movie introduces a lot of new faces and focuses on bringing in some from the earlier series: Tara Strong as Batgirl, Matthew Valencia as Robin, Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, and Mark Hamill as Joker. There are several notable guest appearances as well including Dean Stockwell, Melissa Joan Hart, Michael Rosenbaum, Henry Rollins, Rachael Leigh Cook, and others.

One of the most interesting things about this story is how disturbing the Batman-Joker showdown is. There's death, mutilation, and conspiracy the likes of which you are unlikely to find in a cartoon oriented for kids. I guess that's why there is a censored version. I'm sure the writers could have gone more extreme if they had really wanted to, but they didn't hold back in creating a sequence of events that was powerful enough to alter Batman's life.

As I've said the present story doesn't carry the same power that the flashback story has, but the latter is strong enough to support the entire movie. The acting is good, and the soundtrack is solid enough that I keep tracks from it in my iTunes playlist. As far as animated Batman movies go I would rank this high among the best ones I've seen.