Warner Bros. Discovery has painstakingly restored Max Fleischer's beloved collection of 17 animated Superman shorts from the original 35mm source material. These animated shorts, known as Max Fleischer's Superman 1941-1943, will be available for purchase digitally in HD and on Blu-ray beginning May 16th, 2023. The Digital HD version of the Superman shorts will retail for $14.99 US/Canada and the Blu-ray will be available for $33.99 US/Canada. They will be offered in English with Subtitles in both English and French. The running time is 145 minutes.
Warner Bros. Discovery utilized an advanced remastering process that began with a 4K, 16-bit scan of Fleischer's original 35mm successive exposure negative. The highest quality raw image was then scanned while maintaining the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37-to-1. Utilizing special proprietary software, the successive exposure Technicolor negatives were merged into a single RGB color image, resulting in pristine animated shorts that have been restored to the animators' originally intended production quality.
Clayton "Bud" Collyer and Joan Alexander, well-known radio actors, reprised their roles as Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively, from The Adventures of Superman radio show for the Fleischer/Famous Studios animated shorts. Jackson Beck provided the voice of Perry White and the show's primary narrator, while additional voices were provided by Jack Mercer, Grant Richards, Julian Noa, Lee Royce, Max Smith, Sam Parker, and Carl Meyer, many of whom had participated in the Superman radio program.
Superman made his comic book debut in 1938 in Action Comics #1. The comic was dated June 1938 but was officially published on April 18, 1938. Superman's popularity skyrocketed with his subsequent radio program. Max Fleischer gave the world's first superhero his initial animated debut by producing 17 theatrical animated shorts from September 1941 to July 1943. These shorts further enhanced the character's profile and added many significant aspects to his canon, including coining many of Superman's trademark catchphrases and attributes.
Max Fleischer's Superman 1941-1943 will be available for purchase digitally in HD on Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu, and other platforms, as well as on Blu-ray at major retailers both online and in-store starting May 16, 2023.
Episodes & 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
Special Features Include:
Superman: Speeding Toward Tomorrow – Superman’s exploits in the Fleischer series modernized the monomyth of the Greek godlike hero and expanded and romanticized the prevalent themes of sci-fi and fantasy. It was this combination of heartfelt storytelling, relatable heroes and amazing visuals that has 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 & 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, super-human qualities, captivating audiences and enduring the test of time.
A Brief History Of Superman
Superman was created for DC Comics by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster. The character of Superman first appeared in Action Comics, No. 1, on April 18, 1938. Siegel and Shuster are widely credited with creating the superhero comic book genre, and their creation of Superman had a significant impact on American popular culture.
Superman was born on the planet Krypton and sent to Earth as a baby and was adopted by the Kents, a farm family from Smallville, Kansas. He was raised as Clark Kent, a mild-mannered journalist for the Daily Planet, but he is also known as the "Man of Steel" due to his incredible superhuman abilities, which include strength, speed, agility, durability, flight, and the power of heat vision and x-ray vision.
Superman quickly became an icon and symbol of strength, courage, and justice for generations. While Superman's origin story and various powers have evolved somewhat over the years, but he has remained a popular and iconic superhero in pop culture, appearing in comic books, movies, TV shows, and more.
Superman has been depicted by various actors in film and television, including Christopher Reeve in 1978's blockbuster Superman, Tom Welling in the Smalleville television series, and most recently by Henry Cavill in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League films. He has also faced many famous villains, including Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and Doomsday.