|
|
| (14 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown) |
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| − | [[Image:Fleishersuperman.jpg|thumb|250px|right|This image of Superman appeared at the beginning of each of the cartoons.]]
| + | {{media}} |
| − | The '''Superman''' '''[[animated cartoons]]''', commonly known as the "'''Fleischer Superman cartoons'''" were a series of seventeen [[animation|animated]] [[Technicolor]] [[short film]]s, released by [[Paramount Pictures]] between [[1941]] and [[1943]], based upon the [[comic book]] character '''[[Superman]].''' | + | The Superman animated cartoons, commonly known as the "Fleischer Superman cartoons" were a series of seventeen animated Technicolor short films, released by Paramount Pictures between 1941 and 1943, based upon the comic book character Superman. |
| | | | |
| − | ==History== | + | ===Media Infomation=== |
| − | [[Image:Supermanshorttitle.PNG|thumb|250px|right|A title card from ''[[Superman (animated short)|Superman]]'', typical of the series]]
| + | <!--TV Show, Film, Game, etc --> |
| − | The first nine cartoons were produced by [[Fleischer Studios]] (the name by which the cartoons are commonly known). In [[1942]], Fleischer Studios was dissolved and reorganized as [[Famous Studios]], which produced the final eight shorts. These cartoons are seen as some of the finest, and certainly the most lavishly budgeted, animated cartoons produced during [[The Golden Age of American animation]]. In 1994, the series was voted #33 of the [[50 Greatest Cartoons]] of all time by members of the animation field.
| + | Cartoon series |
| | | | |
| − | By mid-[[1941]], brothers [[Max Fleischer|Max]] and [[Dave Fleischer]] had recently finished their first [[animated feature]] film, ''[[Gulliver's Travels (1939 film)|Gulliver's Travels]]'', and were deep into production on their second, ''[[Mister Bug Goes to Town]].'' They were reluctant to commit themselves to another major project at the time when they were approached by their distributor and part-owner, [[Paramount Pictures]]. Paramount was interested in cashing in on the phenomenal popularity of the new ''[[Superman]]'' comic books by producing a series of theatrical cartoons based upon the character. The Fleischers hoped to discourage Paramount from committing to the series, so they informed the studio that the cost of producing such a series of cartoons would be about $100,000 per short -- an amazingly high figure, about six times the typical budget of a six-minute Fleischer ''[[Popeye the Sailor]]'' cartoon during the [[1940s]]. <ref name="Maltin">Maltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1987). ''Of Mice and Magic.'' New York: Plume. Pg. 120 - 122</ref> To their surprise, Paramount agreed to a budget of $50,000 <ref name="Barrier">Barrier, Michael (1999). ''Hollywood Cartoons''. New York: Oxford University Press. Pg. 304.</ref> - half the requested sum, but still three times the cost of the average Fleischer short - , and the Fleischers were committed to the project.
| + | ====Made by==== |
| | + | Fleischer Studios/Famous Studios |
| | + | ====Country of Origin==== |
| | + | US |
| | + | ====Dates==== |
| | + | US: 1941-1943 |
| | | | |
| − | The first cartoon in the series, simply titled ''[[Superman (animated short)|Superman]]'', was released on [[September 26]], [[1941]], and was nominated for the [[1942]] [[Academy Award for Animated Short Film|Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons]]. It lost to ''Lend a Paw'', a [[Pluto (dog)|Pluto]] cartoon from [[Walt Disney Productions]] and [[RKO Pictures]].
| + | == Characters == |
| | | | |
| − | The Fleischers produced nine cartoons in the ''Superman'' series before Paramount took over the Fleischer Studios facility in [[Miami]] and ousted Max and Dave Fleischer. The sleek look of the series continued, but there was a noticeable change in the storylines of the later shorts of the series. The first nine cartoons had more of a [[science fiction]] aspect to them, as they involved the Man of Steel fighting robots, giant dinosaurs, meteors from outer space, and other perils. The later eight cartoons in the series dealt more with [[World War II]] [[propaganda]] stories, such as in ''Eleventh Hour'', which finds Superman going to [[China]] (then occupied by [[Japan]]) to commit acts of espionage in order to reduce the morale of the enemy.
| + | *[[Superman]] |
| | | | |
| − | [[Rotoscoping]], the process of tracing animation drawings from live-action footage, was used extensively to lend realism to the human characters and Superman. <ref name="Maltin" /> Many of Superman's actions, however, could not be rotoscoped (flying, lifting very large objects, and so on). In these cases, the Fleischer lead animators, many of whom were not trained in figure drawing, animated roughly and depended upon their assistants, many of whom were inexperienced with animation but were trained in figure drawing, to keep Superman "on model" during his action sequences. <ref name="Maltin" />
| + | == Episodes etc. == |
| | | | |
| − | [[Image:Superman-fleischer.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Superman saves the ''[[Daily Planet]]'' building in ''[[Superman (animated short)|Superman]]'', the first of the [[Technicolor]] cartoons produced by [[Fleischer Studios]].]]
| + | === 1941 === |
| − | The first seven cartoons originated the classic opening line which was later adopted by the ''Superman'' radio series: "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!" However, for the final two of the first nine Fleischer-produced cartoons and first of the eight Famous Studios-produced cartoons, the opening was changed to "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to soar higher than any plane!". With the changeover to Famous Studios and the loss of the Fleischers, the opening line of the cartoon series was changed to "Faster than a streak of lightning! More powerful than the pounding surf! Mightier than a roaring hurricane!" This series also continued (from the [[Superman (radio)|radio series]]) the use of the now-classic exclamation: "Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Superman!"
| |
| | | | |
| − | Famous Studios ended the series after a total of seventeen shorts had been produced, replacing it with a series of shorts based upon [[Marge (cartoonist)|Marge]]'s ''[[Little Lulu]]''. The high cost of the series kept it from continuing in the face of budgetary restrictions that were imposed after removing the Fleischers from the studio. The first cartoon had a budget of $50,000 (equivalent to $1,316,000 today), and the other sixteen each had a budget of $30,000 (equivalent to $789,600 for each of the 8 other Fleischer cartoons and $731,111.10 for each of the 8 Famous Studios cartoons), bringing the total cost of the series to $530,000 (equivalent to $13,481,688.80 today). <ref name="Barrier" /> In addition, Paramount citing waning interest in the ''Superman'' shorts among theater exhibitors. <ref name="NewFamous">Maltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1987). Pg. 312</ref>
| + | * 1 - Superman |
| | + | * 2 - The Mechanical Monsters |
| | | | |
| − | All seventeen cartoons were sold to Motion Pictures for Television (producers of the TV series ''[[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|The Adventures of Superman]]'') in 1955, and all eventually fell into the [[public domain]] (their copyrights having not been renewed by either Paramount, [[National Telefilm Associates|NTA]]/[[Republic Pictures|Republic]], [[EMKA, Ltd.]]/[[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]], or even Motion Pictures for Television and DC Comics), and have been widely distributed on [[VHS]], [[laserdisc]], and [[DVD]]. Nonetheless, [[Warner Bros.]], via parent [[Time Warner]]'s ownership of DC Comics, now owns the original film elements to the cartoons.
| + | === 1942 === |
| | | | |
| − | The voice of Superman for the entire series was provided by [[Bud Collyer]], who also performed the lead character's voice during the [[Superman (radio)|''Superman'' radio series]]. [[Joan Alexander]] was the voice of [[Lois Lane]], a role she also portrayed on radio alongside Collyer. Music for the series was composed by [[Sammy Timberg]], the Fleischers' long-time musical collaborator. | + | * 3 - Billion Dollar Limited |
| | + | * 4 - The Arctic Giant |
| | + | * 5 - The Bulleteers |
| | + | * 6 - The Magnetic Telescope |
| | + | * 7 - Electric Earthquake |
| | + | * 8 - Volcano |
| | + | * 9 - Terror on the Midway |
| | + | *10 - Japoteurs |
| | + | *11 - Showdown |
| | + | *12 - Eleventh Hour |
| | + | *13 - Destruction, Inc. |
| | | | |
| − | A 1944 Famous Studios ''[[Popeye the Sailor]]'' cartoon entitled ''She-Sick Sailors'' parodied the Superman cartoons, two years after production on the cartoons had ceased. In this cartoon, Popeye's enemy [[Bluto]] dresses up as Superman to fool [[Olive Oyl]], and he challenges Popeye to feats of super-strength that "only Superman" can do. The musical score for ''She-Sick Sailors'' includes echoes of Sammy Timberg's Fleischer/Famous ''Superman'' score.
| + | === 1943 === |
| | | | |
| − | In a rare move for a competing studio, [[Leon Schlesinger Productions]], producers of ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' and ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'', featured Timberg's Superman theme in ''Snafuperman'', a 1944 [[Private Snafu]] cartoon Schlesinger produced for the [[U.S. Army]].
| + | *14 - The Mummy Strikes |
| | + | *15 - Jungle Drums |
| | + | *16 - The Underground World |
| | + | *17 - Secret Agent |
| | | | |
| − | ==Influence== | + | == Usage == |
| − | Decades later, the series strongly influenced the creation of the acclaimed [[animated television series]] ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'', the [[1990s]] ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'', and the feature length film ''[[Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow]].'' Award-winning comic book artist [[Alex Ross]] has also listed the shorts among the inspiration for his take on Superman's look. Japanese animation director [[Hayao Miyazaki]] was influenced by the robots from "The Mechanical Monsters" short and used designs based on them in his feature film, ''[[Castle in the Sky]]'' and the last episode of the second ''[[Lupin III]]'' TV series. Other famous animators, such as [[Osamu Tezuka]] (''[[Astro Boy]]''), also say they were heavily influenced by these films.<ref>[http://fiaf.chadwyck.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/fulltext/indexFullText.do?id=004/0222882&area=index&resultNum=10&queryId=../session/1179349366_4163&QueryIndex=quick&activeMultiResults=back&jid=006/0000306 International Federation of Film Archives]</ref> The 2006 film ''[[Superman Returns]]'' also pays homage to these ''Superman'' cartoons.
| |
| | | | |
| − | ==Availability== | + | === First Used in a Poop by === |
| − | The Paramount ''Superman'' cartoons are widely available on [[VHS]] and [[DVD]], usually in budget-line releases of varying quality due to their [[public domain]] status. Among the best reviewed of these was a 1991 VHS set produced by [[Bosko Video]], titled ''The Complete Superman Collection: Golden Anniversary Edition - The Paramount Cartoon Classics of Max & Dave Fleischer'' released as two VHS volumes which featured high-quality transfers from 35mm prints. The Bosko Video set was issued on DVD by [[Image Entertainment]] as ''The Complete Superman Collection: Diamond Anniversary Edition'' in 2000. The Bosko Video release was not associated with [[DC Comics]] or their parent company [[Warner Brothers]] in any official way.
| |
| | | | |
| − | Another DVD was ''Superman: The Ultimate Max Fleischer Cartoon Collection'' from [[VCI Entertainment]] released on May 30, 2006, a month prior to the release of the film ''[[Superman Returns]]''. DVD features included: all 17 animated shorts digitally restored in Dolby Digital 2.0 audio, bonus cartoon: Snafuperman (1944 Warner Bros. wartime parody of the Fleischer cartoons, featuring [[Private Snafu]] and produced for the [[U.S. Army]]), "Behind the Cape" synopses and fun facts with each cartoon, a DVD fold-out booklet with notes on the series, bios of the voice actors, producer Max Fleischer, and Superman, a bonus trailer for the 1948 ''[[Superman (serial)|Superman]]'' serial with [[Kirk Alyn]], and a recorded audio phone interview with [[Joan Alexander]] (voice of Lois Lane). This release, like the Bosko Video release, was not associated with [[DC Comics]] or their parent company [[Warner Brothers]].
| + | * [[ConnerHawke]] |
| | | | |
| − | The first "official" home video releases of the series were by [[Warner Home Video]] in 1987 and 1988, in a series of [[VHS]] and [[LaserDisc]] packages called ''TV's Best Adventures Of Superman''. Four volumes were released, where each volume contained 2 selected episodes of the classic 1950s TV series ''[[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|Adventures of Superman]]'' (one black & white episode and one color episode), plus a selected Max Fleischer ''Superman'' short (marking the first "official" release of such as Warner holds the original film elements).
| + | ===Sources=== |
| | | | |
| − | A more "official" release from restored and remastered superior vault elements was released on DVD on [[November 28]], [[2006]] as part of [[Warner Home Video]]'s Superman re-releases. The nine Fleischer Studios cartoons were released as part of the four-disc ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman: The Movie]]'' set, and the eight Famous Studios cartoons were included on the two-disc ''[[Superman II]]'' set. The entire collected Fleischer / Famous cartoons were included in the box sets ''[[The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection]]'' and ''[[The Ultimate Superman Collection]]'', where both sets also included a 13 minute short documentary on the history of these cartoons, entitled ''First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series''. This documentary features interviews with surviving members, relatives and biographers of the animation and production team, also contemporary animators such as [[Bruce Timm]] (''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]''), [[Paul Dini]] and [[Dan Riba]] (''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'') who detail the influence these cartoons have had on their own works.
| + | These cartoons are in the Public Domain meaning you can use them with fear of copyright problems. |
| | | | |
| − | ==Filmography==
| + | [http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=%28collection%3Aclassic_cartoons%20OR%20mediatype%3Aclassic_cartoons%29%20AND%20-mediatype%3Acollection&sort=-%2Freviews%2Finfo%2Favg_rating%3B-%2Freviews%2Finfo%2Fnum_reviews Archive.org] |
| − | As all of these cartoons are now in the [[public domain]],<ref>http://chart.copyrightdata.com/c03B.html</ref> free downloadable links from the [[Internet Archive]] have been provided where available.
| |
| − | ===Fleischer Studios===
| |
| − | {{col-begin}}
| |
| − | {{col-3}}
| |
| − | ====1941====
| |
| − | * ''[[Superman (animated short)|Superman]]'' (a.k.a. ''The Mad Scientist'') (September 26) <ref>http://www.archive.org/details/superman_1941</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[The Mechanical Monsters]]'' (November 28) <ref>http://www.archive.org/details/superman_the_mechanical_monsters</ref>
| |
| − | {{col-3}}
| |
| | | | |
| − | ====1942====
| + | [[Category:Sources - Produced in 1941]] |
| − | * ''[[Billion Dollar Limited]]'' (January 9) <ref>http://www.archive.org/details/billion_dollar_limited</ref>
| + | [[Category:Sources - Produced in 1942]] |
| − | * ''[[The Arctic Giant]]'' (February 27) <ref>http://www.archive.org/details/arctic_giant</ref>
| + | [[Category:Sources - Produced in 1943]] |
| − | * ''[[The Bulleteers]]'' (March 27) <ref>http://www.archive.org/details/bulleteers</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[The Magnetic Telescope]]'' (April 24) <ref>http://www.archive.org/details/magnetic_telescope</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[Electric Earthquake]]'' (May 15) <ref>http://www.archive.org/details/superman_electric_earthquake</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[Volcano (animated short)|Volcano]]'' (July 10)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/superman_volcano</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[Terror on the Midway]]'' (August 28)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/superman_terror_on_the_midway</ref>
| |
| − | {{col-3}}
| |
| − | [[Image:Superman-mechanical-monster.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A robot terrorizes the city in ''[[The Mechanical Monsters]]''.]] | |
| − | {{col-end}}
| |
| − | | |
| − | ===Famous Studios===
| |
| − | {{col-begin}}
| |
| − | {{col-3}}
| |
| − | ====1942====
| |
| − | * ''[[Japoteurs]]'' (no studio is credited on the original opening titles, September 18)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/japoteurs</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[Showdown (animated short)|Showdown]]'' (October 16)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/showdown</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[Eleventh Hour (animated short)|Eleventh Hour]]'' (November 20)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/superman_eleventh_hour</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[Destruction, Inc.]]'' (December 25)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/destruction_inc</ref>
| |
| − | {{col-3}}
| |
| − | ====1943====
| |
| − | * ''[[The Mummy Strikes]]'' (February 19)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/mummy_strikes</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[Jungle Drums (animated short)|Jungle Drums]]'' (March 26)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/jungle_drums</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[The Underground World]]'' (June 18)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/superman_underground_world</ref>
| |
| − | * ''[[Secret Agent (animated short)|Secret Agent]]'' (July 30)<ref>http://www.archive.org/details/secret_agent</ref>
| |
| − | {{col-3}}
| |
| − | [[Image:Japoteurs1.JPG|thumb|right|250px|The ''[[Japoteurs (animated short)|Japoteurs]]'' title card]]
| |
| − | {{col-end}}
| |
| − | | |
| − | == External links ==
| |
| − | *[http://www.supermanhomepage.com/movies/movies.php?topic=m-fleis2 The Super Guide to the Fleischer Superman Cartoons]
| |
| − | *[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034247/ Superman (1941) at IMDB]
| |
| − | *[http://www.timbergalley.com Timberg Alley - website of Sammy Timberg, the composer for the Superman cartoons]
| |
| − | *[http://www.flixens.com/the_real_heroes_of_superman_part_3 "The Real Heroes of Superman" essay on Max Fleischer from Flixens.com]
| |
| − | | |
| − | === Movie downloads ===
| |
| − | *[http://www.toonamiarsenal.com/features/superman/ Toonami Digital Arsenal ]
| |
| − | *[http://supermanthrutheages.com/fos/thescreen/cartoons/ The Original Superman Cartoons]
| |
| − | *[http://www.hopeandtube.com/vod/superman/ VOD - Superman Cartoons] 7 cartoons in Ogg Theora.
| |
| − | *[http://www.vintagetooncast.com/search/label/superman Vintage ToonCast]: all 17 cartoons in flash, iPod, and Quicktime formats.
| |
