Superman - The Animated Series, Volume One (DC Comics Classic Collection)
by Bruce W. Timm
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DVD details
Actor: Clancy Brown, Dana Delany, Tim DalyDirector: Bruce W. Timm
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 396 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-01-25
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Superman - The Animated Series, Volume One (DC Comics Classic Collection)
DVD Review: Warners' Animated SUPERMAN On DVD: Overdue, Most Welcome!
Summary: 5 Stars
Like the proverbial bolt from the blue, the first season of the
highly-acclaimed SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES has finally been
gathered onto a 2-disc, 3-sided DVD set; one long awaited by
animation fans, comic page enthusiasts, and lovers of good
solid drama. Its extra featurettes and occasional commentary
adds an extra treat to what is easily one of the most
eagerly-anticipated DVD releases from Warner Home Video.
Amidst a sterling array of cartoon series which distinguished
the 1990s (from THE SIMPSONS to GARGOYLES and more),
the animated SUPERMAN is a standout classic. Fresh from
the success of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, the ingenious
energies of Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett and
associates were focused upon rendering the saga of the
legendary Man of Tomorrow as the serious action-adventure
presentation that SUPERMAN was conceived to be over a
half-century ago.
Rendering SUPERMAN as a serious tale for tube and screen has
been no small order over the years. Consider the various
efforts to trivialize the character, and one can only wonder
how the character can continue to hold full interest and
inspire vehicles as well-struck as the current series
SMALLVILLE, or imaginative movie-makers such as Bryan
Singer, who is currently preparing a long-awaited
blockbuster promising to be as thrilling and evocative as
his pair of X-MEN epics.
From a mid-1960 Gilbert & Sullivan-esque Broadway musical
borne from the camp-ridden hokum of that era's so-called
BATMAN series, and the half-hearted efforts of the SUPERMAN
films of the 1970s and 1980s (hamstringing the superb work
of actor Christopher Reeve), to the even-cheesier camp of
the 1990s LOIS & CLARK series, the presentation of SUPERMAN
on screen has too often been the image of an ineffectual clod
in tights, a lantern-jawed strong man mouthing moral
platitudes which would have embarrassed even Dudley Do
Right.
For all the superlative efforts of Kirk Alyn, George Reeves,
Mr. Reeve (despite lackluster producers), and the Fleischer
brothers in capturing the power and fortitude of the Man
of Steel, the overwhelming image most have of SUPERMAN on
screen is the wooden bilge of SUPER-FRIENDS, its voice
actors mumbling dead lines masking as derring-do, its
studios ripping off American myth & folklore with stolid
four-color blow chow odiously passed-off as "nostalgia",
"pure entertainment" or, perhaps most contemptuously,
"popular culture".
Thankfully, Mssrs. Dini, Timm, Burnett, Glen Murakami and
crew would have none of this nonsense. The animated SUPERMAN
is a class act from the get-go, its rendition of the legendary
origin a heart-stopper in itself. From its brief-but-telling
look at the planet Krypton (featuring the most chilling
portayal of nemesis Brainiac to date), to the injection of
a young Clark Kent fleetingly wondering if he might be some
sort of freak, "The Last Son Of Krypton" delivers the point
of the series' compelling drama for all to see.
In fact, the theme of participation vs. alienation is a
running topic of this saga. Nowhere is this presented more
effectively than in the consistent intolerance of the saga's
arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (superbly voiced by Clancy Brown).
His ominously-smooth tones dripping with snide racism, this
Luthor is the perfect foil to Kal-El's humble tolerance, and
sets the stage for the discomforting paranoia which will
frequently confront SUPERMAN in later episodes (from "The
Prometheon" in this collection to -most exceptionally- the
series' finale in the third season , the gripping "Legacy").
As the series' creators created a classic film noir setting
for the animated BATMAN, so do they conceive a Metropolis
whose sun & spires are worthy of the Fritz Lang epic of
the same name. Just like that film's METROPOLIS, the famed
home of SUPERMAN bears its hidden flaws and arrogant
by-products, awaiting the chance to manipulate or usurp
what is best for all.
A superb team of composers delivers an ever-evolving
score which portrays the grandeur and gravity of the
drama as magnificently as the best work of big screen
composers such as John Williams and Danny Elfman. Led
by the amazing Shirley Walker (whose SUPERMAN theme is
among the finest works ever conceived for symphony
orchestra), this team ably continues the grand tradition
of Warner cartoon composer Carl Stalling in their ability
to meld modern thrust and timeless taste into a musical
juggernaut which can sweep you into the heart of the story,
or touch your sensibilities with the delicacy of a feather.
One would hope that Warner and Rhino will finally collect
this work onto a CD collection, especially considering
that the animated SUPERMAN is fast approaching its 10th
anniversary.
Not enough can be said about the voice-acting, easily
among the finest to grace any cartoon. Highest compliments,
once more, to Executive Producer Jean MacCurdy and Voice
Dircetor Andrea Romano for their uncanny ability to
assemble the finest artists around to bring such gripping,
versatile expression to bear in such a consistently
wonderful manner.
I'll leave it to you stalwart readers to discover the vast
array of dramatic talent contained here, but special
mention must go to the lead work of Timothy Daly and Dana
Delany. Daly, best known for his work on WINGS and a brief-
but-well-rendered FUGITIVE series, is exceptional as both
SUPERMAN and Clark Kent; delivering a strong, flexible
heroism and warm, perceptive humanity. None of Dean
Cain's sappy diffidence here.
Likewise, the star of CHINA BEACH and TOMBSTONE brings
home a Lois Lane who's rat-a-tat pro, hapless target,
and vulnerable friend all rolled up in one. Sharp, saucy,
and full of heart, Delany puts Teri Hatcher's bubble-
headed depiction of the intrepid reporter to shame.
Aptly reflecting the finer changes of the DC comic series
since the late 1980s, the classic Fleischer cartoons of
the 1940s, and the thematic wallop of Sequential giant
Jack Kirby, the animated SUPERMAN is a stirring narrative
of awe-inspiring delight. This collection is but the first
of three projected packages, taking the storyline from wit
and peril to pathos and the ability to prevail, from the
deadly whimsy of The Toyman to the mainipulative menace
of Darkseid.
Here is a SUPERMAN to eagerly watch, gain ethical wisdom
from, and heartily enjoy. If, like this reviewer, you've
been waiting almost 10 years for Warner Home Video to get
on the case, the wait is finally over.
If you never saw this series, and your only image of
SUPERMAN is cheesy corn more fitting for UNDERDOG, then
consider yourselves encouraged to begin your re-evaluation
of a major fictional icon here.
Heed the lightning. Catch the wonder.
More Superman - The Animated Series, Volume One (DC Comics Classic Collection) reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Description of Superman - The Animated Series, Volume One (DC Comics Classic Collection)
18 animated episodes of the popular TV series, Superman.Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 01/25/05
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve
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