Warner Bros. Discovery has meticulously remastered Max Fleischer’s treasured set of 17 animated Superman shorts from the original 35mm source elements.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s advanced remastering process began with a 4K, 16-bit scan of Fleischer’s original 35mm successive exposure negative. Staying true to the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37-to-1, the highest quality raw image was scanned and then entered into the recombine process – utilising special proprietary software to merge the successive exposure Technicolor negatives into a single RGB colour image. The end result is pristine animated shorts that have been restored to the animators’ originally intended production quality.
Well known radio actors Clayton ‘Bud’ Collyer and Joan Alexander reprised their famed The Adventures of Superman radio show roles for the Fleischer/Famous Studios animated shorts as Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively. Jackson Beck provided the voice of Perry White and the show’s primary narrator. Additional voices, many of whom had participated in the Superman radio program, were provided by Jack Mercer, Grant Richards, Julian Noa, Lee Royce, Max Smith, Sam Parker and Carl Meyer.
Superman made his comic book debut in 1938, appearing in Action Comics number one (dated June 1938, but officially published on 18 April 1938). The Man of Steel’s popularity grew with his subsequent radio program. Fleischer gave the world’s first super hero his initial animated spotlight, producing 17 theatrical animated shorts from September 1941 to July 1943 that further elevated the character’s profile and added many significant aspects to his canon – including coining many of patented catchphrases and attributes.
Superman 1941-1943 will be available on 16 May 2023 to purchase Digitally in HD from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more, and on Blu-ray at major retailers both online and in-store.
Episodes and Premiere Dates:
- Superman (Mad Scientist) – 9/26/1941
- The Mechanical Monsters – 11/28/1941
- Billion Dollar Limited – 1/9/1942
- Arctic Giant – 2/27/1942
- The Bulleteers – 3/27/1942
- The Magnetic Telescope – 4/24/1942
- Electric Earthquake – 5/15/1942
- Volcano – 7/10/1942
- Terror on the Midway – 8/28/1942
- The Japoteurs – 9/18/1942
- Showdown – 10/16/1942
- The Eleventh Hour – 11/20/1942
- Destruction, Inc. – 12/25/1942
- The Mummy Strikes – 2/19/1943
- Jungle Drums – 3/26/1943
- Underground World – 6/18/1943
- Secret Agent – 7/30/1943
The special additions include three featurettes:
Superman: Speeding Toward Tomorrow – Superman’s exploits in the Fleischer series modernised the monomyth of the Greek godlike hero and expanded and romanticised the prevalent themes of sci-fi and fantasy. It was this combination of heartfelt storytelling, relatable heroes and amazing visuals that endeared the Fleischer series to fans as one of the greatest superhero stories of all time. This featurette explores the visual storytelling as the lavish animation, with special attention paid to all the atomic age technology, pushes science fiction closer to becoming a powerful social and pop culture force.
First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series- The Origins and Influence of This Groundbreaking Cartoon Series – A gathering of contemporary animators, comic book and animation historians, and legendary Fleischer artists examine these beloved shorts, focusing on the animation and the breakthrough techniques that created it, as well as studying the title character’s place in history.
The Man, the Myth, Superman: Exploring the Tradition of Superman Heroes on the Page and Screen – A fascinating study of Superman-esque characters throughout history – in ancient myth, literature and film – that bring forth imaginative, superhuman qualities, captivating audiences and enduring the test of time.
The entire content will be available in English language with English and French subtitles.
