Superman: The Complete Animated Series

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Rating: Not Rated

Starring:
Tim Daly as Superman / Clark Kent
Dana Delany as Lois Lane
David Kaufman as Jimmy Olsen
Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor
Lauren Tom as Angela Chen
Victor Brandt as Professor Hamilton
Corey Burton as Brainiac
Joseph Bologna as Dan Turpin
George Dzundza as Perry White
Brad Garrett as Bibbo
Lisa Edelstein as Mercy Graves
Mike Farrell as Jonathan Kent
Shelley Fabares as Martha Kent
Joanna Cassidy as Maggie Sawyer
Frank Welker as Camorite
Michael Ironside as Darkseid

Special Features:
Commentary by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Dan Riba, Glen Murakami, Curt Geda, Jason Hillhouse, James Tucker, and Butch Lukic on many episodes

Selectable Pop-Up Trivia Tracks

Superman: Learning to Fly – Explores the Creation of the Series

Building the Mythology: Superman’s Supporting Cast- Showcases the Supporting Players in the Superman Saga

Menaces of Metropolis: Behind the Villains of Superman – The Origin and Evolution of Superman’s Adventures

Superman: Behind the Cape – David Kaufman (The Voice of Jimmy Olsen) Takes You Behind the Scenes with the Show’s Creative Team

Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman – Excerpt From the New Documentary Produced by Bryan Singer and Kevin Burns

Bonus Disc Featuring the All-New Documentary The Despot Darkseid: A Villain Worthy of Superman

Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital Surround Stereo Sound
Spanish and French Languages
Spanish and French Subtitles
Running Time: 1182 Minutes

The Details:
The following is the official description of the film:

“The creative team behind the Emmy Award-winning ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ chronicles the adventures of Superman, the legendary superhero, as he battles the forces of villainy and continues his quest for ‘truth, justice and the American way.'”

“Superman: The Complete Animated Series” is not rated.

Mini-Review:
“Superman: The Animated Series” is arguably the best Superman cartoon ever made. (Well, maybe with the exception of the Fleischer cartoons). It perfectly captured the spirit of the comics while making stories that were appealing to both kids and adults. And the animation had action scenes that, if put on the big screen in live action, would have cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make. It was awesome.

This set collects all the previous Superman DVD sets that were released from 2004 to 2006. It’s all the same discs, episodes, and bonus features repackaged again. The only new thing is a seventh disc that contains the bonus feature entitled “The Despot Darkseid: A Villain Worthy of Superman.” In this, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and the other creators discuss the comic origins of Darkseid and his minions and their translation to comics. There is a lot of talk about Jack Kirby and his creative process. They also acknowledge that they modeled the policeman Dan Turpin after Kirby himself. When the character is killed by Darkseid, they discuss Superman’s reaction to it and the fact that they put as many Kirby created characters as possible at the funeral scene for Turpin. It’s a very interesting featurette.

If you already own the Superman DVD sets, is it worth picking them up again here for the new bonus feature? I’d say no. Wait for it on Blu-ray. But if you have kids that destroyed the previous discs or you have never added them to your collection, this is a great opportunity to get them at a good price. It also comes in a plastic case rather than the awful cardboard cases the earlier editions came in. It’s a nice change.