As a lifelong fan of Superman and someone who grew up watching animated adaptations of the Man of Steel, I can’t help but be enamored with the Fleischer Studios’ version of the character. Having recently revisited these classic shorts, I’m struck by how they continue to capture the essence of what makes Superman such a compelling figure – his unwavering moral compass, his superhuman abilities, and his sense of wonder and adventure.
Over the weekend, Superman returns to our screens once more as the second season of “My Adventures With Superman” comes to a close. This series puts a romantic comedy spin on the Last Son of Krypton while staying true to Superman’s essential qualities. The show manages to capture Superman’s essence despite its anime-inspired visuals. The animators have paid homage to Superman’s rich animation history, but their most striking tributes are to the classic “Superman” film shorts that date back to 1941.
The short cartoon series created by Max and Dave Fleisher in the 1940s marked Superman’s initial on-screen adventures, be it big or small screens. These productions are responsible for bringing “faster than a speeding bullet” to mind when we think of Superman, as well as introducing his first flight scenes (not just impressive jumps). Produced only a few years after the character’s debut in Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Action Comics #1, these cartoons significantly impacted Superman’s visual representation and shaped the foundational portrayals of other iconic characters like Batman: The Animated Series. Bruce Timm, a producer for that show who later created his own Superman series, described the Fleischer shorts as the benchmark for animated Superman: “That’s the standard you’ll never reach.”
Currently, the early animated shorts are legendary despite facing challenges such as a troubled production process, public domain chaos, and numerous re-releases, including a recent restoration spearheaded by the Fleischer family. These shorts were created at two different studios – the first nine produced by Fleischer Studios, which was later acquired by Paramount and led to the ousting of its founders. Paramount then established “Famous Studios,” with Seymour Kielt, a veteran animator from Fleischer, taking charge after the “Terror on Midway” short. The subsequent eight shorts produced under Famous Studios are more pun-laden and heavier in dialogue compared to the earlier, action-packed and dialog-light Fleisher shorts.
The Fleischer Studios’ Superman shorts introduced a delightful pattern that instantly resonated with viewers. Each short begins with the recognizable contrast between Clark Kent, a meek fellow, and Superman, the extraordinary being from Krypton. In these early renditions, we don’t encounter Ma and Pa Kent or many of the other familiar characters. Instead, Lois Lane breaks the news about an impending danger through a headline. Clark Kent then declares it his duty to save the day and swiftly disappears to transform into Superman. He typically thwarts the threat before it fully materializes, accompanied by a wink towards the camera. It’s intriguing to note that Lois Lane is portrayed as anything but helpless; in one episode, she grabs a tommy gun and fights off criminals herself. Rewatching these shorts consecutively highlights the enjoyable consistency of this structure, offering ample opportunities for creatively showcasing Superman’s extraordinary abilities. During the 1940s, audiences would have experienced these shorts in theaters, contributing significantly to Superman’s growing popularity.
I strongly agree with the assessment that the Fleischers excelled at a technical level, especially when it came to their work on Superman. Compared to their earlier creations like Koko the Clown, Popeye, and Betty Boop, the animation in this series displayed a noticeable shift towards realism. This advancement was made possible through groundbreaking techniques such as rotoscoping.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=7KgtASJPSrk
Although these classic 1940s “Superman” episodes offer numerous pleasures, there are two significant concerns when watching them today. First, they contain offensive racial stereotypes and propaganda that were common in cartoons during that time. In the episode “Electric Earthquake,” the villain is a Native American who questions the legitimacy of Manhattan’s existence, leading to his portrayal as a crank and eventual kidnapping of Lois Lane. Famous Studios’ installments go even further with blatant wartime propaganda in “Japoteurs” and “Eleventh Hour.” Regrettably, Superman’s encounters with the Nazis are accompanied by anti-Black undertones. Given that Superman represents an immigrant narrative himself, these prejudiced attitudes seem out of place. Additionally, the dry dialogue in Famous Studios’ episodes can make it challenging to appreciate the simple joys of the first half, where Superman battles a volcano or a fleet of robots produced by Fleischer Studios.
The second caveat is that while the series as a whole is in the public domain, you’ll want to be choosy about which version you watch. The shorts are available for free on the Internet Archive, YouTube, and elsewhere, but their video and audio fidelity are a mixed bag. One Blu-ray to avoid at all costs was released by Gaiam, a controversial media company that overlaid shameless watermarks on top of the shorts. A recently restored edition from Warner Bros. exists on Max and on Blu-ray, produced from a scan of the films’ original Technicolor negatives, which WB controls. As of this writing, this is the sharpest version available, but fans are mixed on the WB restoration. One review declares that the scans were aggressively scrubbed, “robbing Max Fleischer’s Superman of its original texture.”
Another restoration project, spearheaded by Jane Fleischer Reid (Max Fleischer’s granddaughter), and Mauricio Alvarado, preceded the WB’s announced restoration. Their initial intention was to search for prints without feeling the need to interfere, but the negative feedback on the previous restoration fueled their determination. As Alvarado puts it, “We thought if they did it well, then we wouldn’t have to do anything. But once we heard the criticism, we decided to reconsider – to preserve the unique grain and distinctive touches that make these films so charming.”
The Fleischer team unveiled their 4K restoration of “The Mechanical Monsters” at the Museum of Modern Art this year. At present, there’s no news about a home release for the freshly restored shorts; your best bet is to catch them at one of Fleischer’s screenings. This project isn’t only about Superman, as Fleischer Reid shares, his grandfather created close to 700 cartoons in total. They have managed to restore around 80 of these so far, but there’s a long way to go, with another 80 to 100 expected to be completed within the next year or two. Regarding the Superman shorts specifically, Alvarado mentions they are almost complete, but they don’t intend to restore the Famous ones. The main reason is the questionable content, while the secondary reason is because these don’t belong under Fleischer’s jurisdiction.
In the second half, the Superman shorts seem like relics from the past. However, the first nine shorts set a groundbreaking standard for animation. They are filled with pulp and silliness, yet they also exhibit straightforwardness, realism, and idealism. Regardless of how one perceives them, their impact is evident in every subsequent portrayal of the character, from “My Adventures” and James Gunn’s upcoming film to anime like “My Hero Academia,” which borrowed the line “faster than a speeding bullet.” Even without the wealth of history that has accumulated since, Fleischer’s “Superman” animation remains remarkable. It reminds us of how perfectly Superman fits within the animated medium – the place where he first broke free from the constraints of reality.
Read More
- CKB PREDICTION. CKB cryptocurrency
- EUR INR PREDICTION
- ICP PREDICTION. ICP cryptocurrency
- PBX PREDICTION. PBX cryptocurrency
- TANK PREDICTION. TANK cryptocurrency
- IMX PREDICTION. IMX cryptocurrency
- W PREDICTION. W cryptocurrency
- BSW PREDICTION. BSW cryptocurrency
- PENDLE PREDICTION. PENDLE cryptocurrency
- GEAR PREDICTION. GEAR cryptocurrency
2024-07-22 19:44