Superman
1941 · 10m · USA
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Genres: action, animation, sci-fi
Tones: dark, tense, theatrical
A mad scientist threatens to destroy Metropolis with a powerful death ray, and reporter Lois Lane is captured when she investigates. Superman must stop the deadly ray from leveling the city while rescuing Lois from the scientist's lair.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Fleischer noir rotoscoping at $100k a pop is the actual reason superhero cinema looks like anything — but mad scientist plus death ray is still mad scientist plus death ray. Visually unbeatable for 1941.
Fleischer's rotoscoped, noir-inflected Metropolis essentially codified the visual grammar of superhero cinema for eighty years. The first short still operates at a level later imitators only approximate.
$100K per short in 1941 — that's Citizen Kane money for animation — and the rotoscoped cape work plus noir-style key lighting set the visual grammar every superhero adaptation still cribs from. Bud Collyer's vocal pivot between Clark and Superman is technique you can hear.
Reviews
Viewed with a historical perspective, this particular piece of animation helped create a clear image of just who Superman is to an entire generation of fans.
The Max and Dave Fleischer animation is still impressive even now with the way the thing can build excitement, especially when The Man of Steel tries to punch that disintegrating ray back to its source.
Festivals
- Academy Awards 1942, Nominated