Warner Bros. Discovery has painstakingly remastered Max Fleischer’s treasured set of 17 Superman animated shorts from the original 35mm source material. Superman by Max Fleischer 1941-1943 will be available for purchase digitally on HD and Blu-ray on May 16, 2023.
Superman made his comic book debut in 1938, appearing in Action comics #1 (dated June 1938, but officially released on April 18, 1938), and Man of Steel’s popularity grew with its subsequent radio broadcast. Max Fleischer gave the world’s first superhero his first animated spotlight, producing 17 theatrical animated shorts from September 1941 to July 1943 which further raised the character’s profile and added many important aspects to his canon, including coining many of Superman’s trademark slogans and attributes.
The advanced remastering process from Warner Bros. Discovery began with a 4K, 16-bit scan of Fleischer’s original 35mm successive exposure negative. True to the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37 to 1, the highest quality raw image was then digitized and then entered into the recombination process – using special proprietary software to fuse the exposure Technicolor negatives sequences into a single RGB color image. The end result is a flawless animated short that has been restored to the production quality originally intended by the animators.
Well-known radio actors Clayton “Bud” Collyer and Joan Alexander have taken their famous The Adventures of Superman radio show roles for 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 main narrator. Additional voices, many of whom had appeared on the Superman radio show, were provided by Jack Mercer, Grant Richards, Julian Noa, Lee Royce, Max Smith, Sam Parker and Carl Meyer.
Superman by Max Fleischer 1941-1943 will be available May 16, 2023 to buy digitally in HD on Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more, and on Blu-ray at major online and in-store retailers.
EPISODES (AND PREMIERE DATE):
- Superman (mad scientist) – 09/26/1941
- Mechanical monsters – 11/28/1941
- One Billion Dollars Limited – 01/09/1942
- Arctic Giant – 02/27/1942
- The Bulleteers – 03/27/1942
- The Magnetic Telescope – 04/24/1942
- Electric earthquake – 05/15/1942
- Volcano – 07/10/1942
- Halfway Terror – 08/28/1942
- The Japoteurs – 09/18/1942
- Confrontation – 10/16/1942
- The Eleventh Hour – 11/20/1942
- Destruction, Inc. – 12/25/1942
- The Mummy Strikes – 02/19/1943
- Jungle Drums – 3/26/1943
- Underworld – 06/18/1943
- Secret agent – 07/30/1943
SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
- New feature – Superman: On the way to tomorrow – Superman’s exploits in the Fleischer series modernized the monomyth of the Greek divine hero and expanded and romanticized the predominant themes of science fiction and fantasy. It’s this combination of heartfelt storytelling, relatable heroes, and stunning visuals that endeared the Fleischer series to fans as one of the greatest superhero stories of all time. This featurette explores visual storytelling as lavish animation, with a focus on all atomic-age technology, brings science fiction closer to becoming a powerful force in social and pop culture.
- Characteristic – First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series – The origins and influence of this groundbreaking cartoon series – A gathering of contemporary animators, comics and animation historians, and legendary Fleischer artists examine these beloved shorts, focusing on animation and the groundbreaking techniques that created it. , as well as studying the place of the main character in the story.
- Characteristic – The Man, The Myth, Superman: Exploring Superman’s Hero Lore on the Page and Screen – A fascinating study of Superman characters throughout history – in myths, literature and ancient films – who bring forth imaginative and superhuman qualities, captivating audiences and standing the test of time.
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