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Max Fleischer’s Superman is a 2DVD collection that
comprises all 17 of the Superman theatrical shorts that
Max Fleischer produced in 1941-1942. ***
Superman is the quintessential super hero. Whatever
way you look at it, this is the original super hero that
has been often imitated but never duplicated. The Man of
Steel has been doing his thing since the 1930s, in comic
books, cartoons, television series, movies, video games,
and various other means. The character is as timeless as
time itself. ***
Long before George Reeves brought the character to
life in a black and white television series or Christopher
Reeve donned the cape on the big screen, Max Fleischer created
17 Superman shorts that were shown theatrically before feature
films of the day, in 1941-1942. Fleischer had already made
a name for himself with cartoons such as Betty Boop and
the animated adaptation of Gulliver’s Travels. Was he the
ideal choice to bring Superman to life? ***
Indeed he was. These shorts were revolutionary when
they were released for their superb animation quality and
gritty storylines, and it’s no surprise, nearly 70 years
later, they still hold together well. Fleischer’s Superman
isn’t one who is impervious to pain or can turn back time
by flying around the world rapidly. Yes, he’s still tougher
and has more abilities than your average man does, but the
Superman of Fleischer’s shorts is a more interesting character
because of his flaws and weaknesses. Sure, these shorts
show their age in a few places, but they’ve held tog ether
than just about anything else animated in this era. ***
If you’re a fan of Superman and you didn’t already
get these shorts as supplements in the Ultimate Superman
Movie Collection (featuring the four Reeve films and Superman
Returns), this collection is a must-own. ***
One minor note I want to make – The packaging includes
a disclaimer about how this collection is “for the adult
collector, and not recommended for children.” There IS violence
in these shorts (as there is in anything Superman related),
but it’s no worse than any thing your kids see in afterschool
cartoons based on comic books. There are some Nazi/Axis
references in the presentation, due to what the world was
going through when these shorts were made, but most of this
stuff will go over the heads of children, anyway. If I had
kids, I would have no problem showing these shorts to them.
You shouldn’t either. ---
Image and Sound:
I wasn’t expecting much from the presentation here,
considering these are very old pieces of animation. How
wrong I was! Warner Bros. and the Fleischer Estate have
kept the or iginal negatives in very good shape, and the
shorts look practically pristine. There are no major signs
of dirt or print damage, and the Technicolor presentation
still impresses. Even the audio quality holds up well, though
don’t expect this to rock your speakers like a modern theatrical
movie would. All in all, a very good presentation. ---
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