Episode 135: Supermanimation | 85 Years of Superman Animation (ft. Adam Hlavac)

Animation Fascination

"Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!"

From the groundbreaking Fleischer Studios shorts of 1941 to today’s modern takes, Superman has had an incredible journey in animation. In this episode of Animation Fascination⁠, we explore 85 years of the Man of Steel on screen, examining iconic moments, legendary voice actors, and the evolution of Superman’s animated legacy. It's up, up, and away as hosts ⁠Marc Vibbert⁠ ⁠& Stanford Clark are joined by special guest Adam Hlavac (of Heroes Reforged and Glorious Nightmares).

Join us as we celebrate the hero who inspired generations and dive deep into the shows and films that defined him—from Superman: The Animated Series and Super Friends to My Adventures With Superman and beyond.

(Recorded: Tuesday, August 12th, 2025)

Main Topic

Superman in Animation

• Animation Milestones

• First animated flight — Fleischer

• Phone booth transformation — animation origin

• Iconic “Faster than a speeding bullet…” intro

• Rotoscoping influence on superhero action

• 1940s–1960s

• Fleischer Superman Cartoons (1941–43)

• 17 shorts (Fleischer + Famous Studios)

• Introduced flight & phone booth change

• Rotoscoping for realism

• Bud Collyer (voice), Joan Alexander (Lois)

• The New Adventures of Superman (1966–69) – Filmation, Silver Age tone

• Batman/Superman Hour (1968) – Compilation format

• 1970s–1980s

• Super Friends (1973–86) – Hanna-Barbera, team-focused

• Superman (1988) – Ruby-Spears, 50th anniversary, Lex as businessman

• 1990s–2000s

• Superman: TAS (1996–2000) – DCAU, Bruce Timm style, Tim Daly (Supes), Clancy Brown (Lex)

• The New Batman/Superman Adventures (1997) – Compilation

• Justice League (2001) / Justice League: Unlimited (2004) – Continues TAS Continuity

• Krypto the Superdog (2005–06) – Kid-centric, Superman cameo in pilot

• Legion of Super-Heroes (2006–08) – Young Clark in the future

• Animated Films

• Brainiac Attacks (2006)

• Superman: Doomsday (2007)

• Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)

• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)

• Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)

• Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)

• All-Star Superman (2011)

• Superman vs. The Elite (2012)

• Justice League: Doom (2012)

• Superman: Unbound (2013)

• Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)

• Justice League: War (2014)

• Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)

• Death of Superman / Reign of the Supermen (2018–19)

• Red Son (2020)

• Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)

• Man of Tomorrow (2020) – starts Tomorrowverse

• Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022)

• Justice League: Warworld (2023)

• Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths trilogy (2024)

• Recent

• My Adventures with Superman (2023–Present ) – Anime-inspired, fresh take, multiverse nods

• Notable Superman Voice Actors

• Bud Collyer – Fleischer, Filmation

• Tim Daly – Superman: TAS

• George Newbern – Justice League

• Darren Criss – Tomorrowverse

• Jerry O’Connell – DCAMU

• Channing Tatum – The LEGO Movie 1(2014) & 2 (2019), The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

• Nicolas Cage – Teen Titans Go! (2018)

• John Krasinski – League of Super-Pets (2022)

🎧 Whether you’re a lifelong Superman fan or a DC Comics aficionado—this is one episode you won’t want to miss.

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Check out our other podcasts:

• Stanford - ⁠⁠⁠Movies: Past and Present⁠⁠⁠
• Marc - ⁠⁠⁠The Holdo Maneuver (A Short-form Star Wars Podcast)⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠The Richmond Way: A "Ted Lasso" Rewatch Podcast⁠⁠