"The Phantom Stranger" is an American English-language animated short film from 2020, so not even half a year old, and this one runs for a quarter of an hour and was directed by Emmy winner Bruce Timm. There are three writers credited here, but as you can see from the fact that two are not alive anymore, there is just one that contributed directly to this one story-wise. The other two came up with the character(s) decades ago. This is the story of a young woman who is annoyed by her boring parents and joins a group of hippies in their little bus to a special place where a guru by the name of Seth is waiting for them to arrive. As we find out quickly, this guru is not just a harmless lunatic, but an ancient creature kept away by the chain around his neck. And he has to feast on souls that give him new vitality. So these hippies do not make it out alive. But the female protagonist does, partially with the help of the title character, who did not really feel as the the central character here with how he does not have as much screen time as some of the other characters. But luckily he has great screen presence and how he shops up the first time in the year is already pretty memorable. The second time when he helps the girl against the bad guy (even if she attacks the wrong fella initially and I kinda saw that coming) is even more memorable because it also includes a pretty spectacular fight sequence between the two really strong men. Or "men". We do not exactly know who or what the "Phantom Stranger" is, just that he is not one of the villains. Still interesting to hear from Seth that TPS also has his fair share of guilt with him and I don't feel like this was a lie. In any case, the way how TPS disappears twice while the girl is still talking to him was pretty cool. As for the girl, she was alright too, even if her story about finding her way felt a bit pretentious. Especially at the very end. And if she is really capable of knocking down the title character and tricking the villain (after seeing the corpses even) is highly debatable. She is certainly much stronger than she looks like. Overall, it was a pretty decent watch though and I would like to see a follow-up on this short film, maybe even in the form of a series. I'd appreciate finding out more about the Phantom Stranger, maybe about the guilt that I mentioned earlier. The voice actors also did a fine job here. The biggest name is probably Peter Serafinowicz with all the successful films he has been in, also pretty recently, but Grey Griffin is one who should not be neglected either with how prolific she has been over the years. No hesitation for me in giving this short film a thumbs-up. I even thought on one or two occasions that it could be a great film and deserve two stars more. But for now, let's go with 6 out of 10. Definitely recommended and it is not a problem at all if you have never heard of the title character here because neither have I and I still enjoyed it a lot. I'm sure many have not heard the name, but it just adds further to his aura of mystery. Go watch.
8 Reviews
A nice tribute to a legendary character
dasa10815 August 2021
This is a movie that uses the same animation from the 1990s when it comes to DC. That is welcome. The short is well put together: the characters are shown in such a way that one manages to understand the stupidity of all of them and suspect that one of them will have its great moment of redemption. The protagonist of the story appears in a mysterious way and acting as a voice of conscience offers one opportunity after another to do things right. The villain will not make things easy and the final duel has twists and turns and a welcome outcome. There is a moral background with which I would not necessarily fully agree. However as short it works and that is what is expected.
Unbelievably bad
lennieh22 October 2020
Where to start?
Terrible 1960's style parody animation, Scooby Doo parody characters, bad graphic design and titles...The story, such as it is, has been done better a dozen times before, the music is terrible and the "psychedelic" effects look like they were done by a five year old, throwing oil on a puddle and a supposed master sorcerer mispronouncing Ouroboros is unforgivable and then...
OH boy... and then Peter Serophinorwitz doing the worst Mike Berry impersonation imaginable for the voice of the Phantom Stranger to the point where the cringe factor makes you want to chew your own ears off!
Serophinorwitz is awful at the best of times but here, he really abuses the privilege.
All in all not what you would expect from Bruce Timm unless he is deliberately trying to wreck his own career.
Not good
ashfordofficial21 February 2022
Eerie and morbid. Lots of philosophical undertones. The animation style reminded me of OG Ben 10.
DC needs to bring more underdog characters like this in the DCEU fold. These characters will make the DCEU brand thrive for years to come.
DC needs to bring more underdog characters like this in the DCEU fold. These characters will make the DCEU brand thrive for years to come.
Creepy Yet Amazing
blytheandferb-9117226 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
For this DC Showcase short film, here's one that can be best described as alluring. Why? Strap in and find out. This short film focuses on five teenagers: Marcy, Harry, Ted, Dee Dee, and Violet. They're going to a party hosted by a guy named Seth. Marcy gets a visit from The Phantom Stranger telling her to not fall for Seth's behavior. As it turns out, Seth is actually an immortal being who sucks out the souls of his victims.
There's this underlying theme on how you should take control of your own choices, or you'll otherwise face the consequences. I have a few things to talk about:
The vibe: Yeah, this is an interesting way to start things off. The vibe of this short is very retro, akin to the 1960s. The clothing and minibus van would not feel out of place in Scooby Doo. There's a psychedelic vibe from Seth's party, right down to the hard rock music and heavy rainbow colors. There's more to the vibe then the aesthetics. There's talk about trying to escape the status quo and trying to overcome society to find your own destiny. It all works because it takes time to let you get sucked in.
Marcy and her friends: The thing that really pulls this together is the dynamic that Marcy has with her friends. They're all going to Seth's party in California, specifically as a means of escaping their parents. However, Marcy is quite hesitant. She questions the idea of going to a party from a complete stranger who doesn't even know her. They do seem friendly, but they are lightly pressuring her to go to the party even when she's somewhat uncomfortable with this. They drink and smoke like most teenagers of the time, but she is more mindful of her behavior even if she is somewhat emotionally vulnerable. She's certainly not dumb though since she at least has enough awareness of her environment to be able to fend for herself . To add to this, she doesn't know about her purpose in life, while her friends just want their purpose to be nonstop partying.
Phantom Stranger: Despite the title, the Phantom Stranger is more of a supporting character. Nonetheless, he's certainly a character full of intrigue. Seth claims he's not entirely innocent, and there is some evidence to that. He does genuinely look out for Marcy, but knows her friends aren't pure of heart, and lets them die. However, he still gives off the vibe of a mysterious, wise sage with the gentle yet authoritative tone of his voice.
Seth: Seth is definitely an interesting character. He initially comes across as a genuinely nice guy who just wants others to have fun. He's instead along the lines of a sociopath. He marks his victims with red wine, and kisses them so he can kill them with little resistance. It's all do he can maintain his immortality, which he can do with the Arabus Pendant. He also gives off the vibe of a sexual predator, giving him a whole new level of scary.
So, how does everything come together in the end? Well, when Marcy sees her friends' dead bodies, it initially seems like she wants to be with Seth to avoid the trauma. She even knocks out Phantom Stranger. However, it's so she can rip off Seth's pendant, and he dies. The Phantom Stranger then congratulates her, and she decides to go back home to discover herself.
This short film is just great.
There's this underlying theme on how you should take control of your own choices, or you'll otherwise face the consequences. I have a few things to talk about:
The vibe: Yeah, this is an interesting way to start things off. The vibe of this short is very retro, akin to the 1960s. The clothing and minibus van would not feel out of place in Scooby Doo. There's a psychedelic vibe from Seth's party, right down to the hard rock music and heavy rainbow colors. There's more to the vibe then the aesthetics. There's talk about trying to escape the status quo and trying to overcome society to find your own destiny. It all works because it takes time to let you get sucked in.
Marcy and her friends: The thing that really pulls this together is the dynamic that Marcy has with her friends. They're all going to Seth's party in California, specifically as a means of escaping their parents. However, Marcy is quite hesitant. She questions the idea of going to a party from a complete stranger who doesn't even know her. They do seem friendly, but they are lightly pressuring her to go to the party even when she's somewhat uncomfortable with this. They drink and smoke like most teenagers of the time, but she is more mindful of her behavior even if she is somewhat emotionally vulnerable. She's certainly not dumb though since she at least has enough awareness of her environment to be able to fend for herself . To add to this, she doesn't know about her purpose in life, while her friends just want their purpose to be nonstop partying.
Phantom Stranger: Despite the title, the Phantom Stranger is more of a supporting character. Nonetheless, he's certainly a character full of intrigue. Seth claims he's not entirely innocent, and there is some evidence to that. He does genuinely look out for Marcy, but knows her friends aren't pure of heart, and lets them die. However, he still gives off the vibe of a mysterious, wise sage with the gentle yet authoritative tone of his voice.
Seth: Seth is definitely an interesting character. He initially comes across as a genuinely nice guy who just wants others to have fun. He's instead along the lines of a sociopath. He marks his victims with red wine, and kisses them so he can kill them with little resistance. It's all do he can maintain his immortality, which he can do with the Arabus Pendant. He also gives off the vibe of a sexual predator, giving him a whole new level of scary.
So, how does everything come together in the end? Well, when Marcy sees her friends' dead bodies, it initially seems like she wants to be with Seth to avoid the trauma. She even knocks out Phantom Stranger. However, it's so she can rip off Seth's pendant, and he dies. The Phantom Stranger then congratulates her, and she decides to go back home to discover herself.
This short film is just great.
could've been better
aastikhimta8 April 2021
best shorts ever from DC
GoldenBeard14 March 2021
Nice horror yarn
Milk_Tray_Guy18 September 2021
I enjoyed this. Definite shades of Scooby-Doo at the beginning. Only minus for me was Peter Serafinowicz's voice acting. I know Phantom Stranger is a powerful being entitled to make proclamations when he wants, but he sounded too 'hammy' compared to the rest of the cast, like he was in a stage production. Still an 8/10 though.
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