DVD : The Complete Superman Cartoons - Diamond Anniversary Edition

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- Definitive!
Of all the collections of Superman Fleischer cartoons available, THIS IS THE ONE TO GET! Audio and picture quality of these classic cartoons that is leaps and bounds ahead of the others.

Rating:

- Truth and Justice- the best sort of WW2 propaganda
I can't praise this collection by Bosko Video enough. The picture quality is amazing- before I bought this DVD I actually thought that these cartoons were inherently murky, dark, and fuzzy. It amazed me to find that the original prints were sharp, detailed, and bright. Plus, the DVD menu makes it quick and easy to skip around and find exactly the title that you want. This is a quality production and not some slapped together compilation of public domain material. Plus you get ALL the cartoons from both Fleischer and Famous studios.

I remember back before the mid 60's when there was NO animated super-hero material available. Then a relative told me that she remembered Superman cartoons from WW2. I thought that she must have been kidding me. I simply couldn't believe that if such films existed that they would not be on television. Yet that was the case- no one saw these cartoons for over 30 years. I wish they had been available because they would have been my hands down favorites. Super-hero animation of this high of quality didn't appear again until the '90's. The quality of the artwork is amazing. The colors, shading, and shadows are magnificent. And the overall art deco/ film noir look is pure class.

There is something more about these cartoons. I personally believe that they were some of the best propaganda to come out of the WW2 era (the first two were actually made BEFORE Pearl Harbor.) I mean, a lot of youngsters must have seen these films before going off to war. The Axis was spewing all sorts of propaganda about "supermen." They were claiming that superior beings had a natural right to enslave and rule the world. Well, here was a superior being whose only reason to BE was to help those who needed his help. He defended the weak and helpless. He fought for truth and justice. That must have been a powerful example for young men who were about to go off and do the very same thing.....

Rating:

- Spectacular collection of all 17 classic Superman cartoons
THE COMPLETE SUPERMAN COLLECTION contains all 17 of the Superman cartoons produced from 1941 to 1943 by Paramount Pictures. After years of bad public domain video copies of these same cartoons, the visual quality of the prints seen on this DVD is breathtaking. (All were transferred flawlessly from original 35mm Technicolor prints.) It should be pointed out that the first nine of the Superman cartoons were produced by cartoon pioneer Max Fleischer (creator of Betty Boop) and directed by his brother, Dave Fleischer. The remaining eight cartoons were produced after the Fleischers left Paramount and were made by house directors at the revamped Paramount/Famous Studio cartoon unit. There is no discernible loss in quality. In fact, the remaining eight all break free from the formula established by the Fleischers and offer some of the real surprises on this disc. All the cartoons boast incredibly beautiful and imaginative imagery.

A few notes on some of the individual cartoons:

"Billion Dollar Limited" (1942)
Almost nonstop movement and action as a robbery gang tries to derail a train carrying a billion dollars in gold to the mint. Lois Lane even picks up a Tommy gun at one point to fire at the attackers.
"The Arctic Giant" (1942)
Features a giant dinosaur on the rampage in Manhattan (not Metropolis!). Visible landmarks include the Museum of Natural History and Yankee Stadium. Looks forward to both THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS and GODZILLA.
"Electric Earthquake" (1942)
Interestingly, the mad scientist villain is an American Indian who demands the return of Manhattan to his people. When his demand is dismissed, he sets off earthquakes on Manhattan by using giant electrical connectors plugged into the island's bedrock underwater.
"Eleventh Hour" (1942)
An astounding wartime cartoon as both Clark Kent and Lois Lane are held prisoner in Yokohama by the Japanese. Clark breaks out every night, as Superman, to sabotage Japanese battleships. Lois Lane is even taken before a firing squad at one point.
"Secret Agent" (1943)
A straight-ahead crime thriller with car chases in the streets of Metropolis and shootouts with police as a beautiful blonde undercover agent tries to get to Washington with a list of spies and saboteurs. The last of the Superman cartoons and one of the best.

If only other American animation producers had taken the lead established by these cartoons and begun doing serious, comic book-based action and science fiction-themed cartoons. As it stands, it took about 30 years for Japan's animators to take up the cause and give us exemplary action and sci-fi animation on a par with the Superman cartoons.

Rating:

- Truly impressive, and a steal at this price
I considered myself a lukewarm Superman fan.. I'd read some of the comics, and I really liked the first movie. I picked up this DVD mostly because it was very inexpensive, and seemed like something worth having in the back of a DVD collection somewhere. Man, I did not do this DVD justice at all. It deserves a central place in any collection. The cartoons are truly amazing. They're all clever, well-voiced and crafted, and developed in a very cool art deco style that seems these days restricted to faux Italian cafe posters in your downtown Starbucks. The most pleasant aspect of all was how surprisingly modern the cartoons feel. Created mostly in the early 1940s, they do have a certain jingoism to them, particularly the post-Pearl Harbor ones, but otherwise I was amazed to see how robust Lois Lane's characterization was. Not only is she cast as an independent career woman, her grit and style actually outpace that of the later movies. Perhaps that's just my own 1940s-1950s bias speaking, but nonetheless it's interesting to see how her repeated 'damsel in distress' status necessary to bring out Superman is really much more nuanced and flattering.
The DVD itself also shows the films with little fanfare aside from an opening scrawl and a subtitle at the start of each indicating its original release date. The cartoons are so good and of such high production values that one can almost believe it when the distributor gushes about their pleasure at providing them to the public. You won't find a better bargain than this collection.

Rating:

- Oh No! Kryptonite!!
I first saw these classics on horrible video versions, purchased as "impulse buys" at my local mega-store check-out. I bought them for my 4 year old nephew to watch. I ended up watching them with him and was struck by the cool stories and awesome animation. Now they're all here on DVD! I love every episode! This is essential for any superman fan, animation buff, or comic book addict! Highly recommended...

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