Animation Review: Max Fleischer's Superman 1941-1943 Blu-ray

I've been a huge fan of Max Fleischer's Superman cartoons since I received a VHS tape for Christmas filled with 10 different shorts taken from less-than-pristine copies. I find myself rebuying them whenever a great new format comes out.

When I first heard about Warner Bros. creating new scans from the original film stock, I was so excited. I couldn't wait to see them remastered in all their glory, and I wasn't disappointed.

The Good

Picture. All of the shorts are here. They couldn't look better. The picture is so clean, crisp, and bright. The colors are amazing. Several people have complained about the DNR (digital noise reduction). Some of the raw footage appears in the new documentary that is included. I personally found the grain annoying and am glad they removed it. The grain was never meant to be part of the picture and is a result of technology and process.

Audio. These have never sounded better. Even in the best copy I've ever heard had weird audio glitches that made it hard to make out some of the dialogue. All of those problems have been fixed.

Content. This is some of the best animation to have ever been produced. It's so sad the Fleischer Studio didn't last past the first half of these shorts. One can only imagine what they would have created in the next decade with the talent, creativity, and innovation the studio was famous for.

The Bad

Missing Audio. Two of the shorts each have a couple of seconds of audio missing. It doesn't ruin the shorts, but it is sad these are 100% complete where such care was taken to present such an amazing picture and sound.

Warnings. A few of the shorts have unnecessary warnings which is obnoxious.

The Meh

Documentaries. There are three documentaries included, but none of them are very good. It's professionals in the field and want-to-be experts talking about their impressions. No one involved in the production of these was interviewed. None of the restoration process was shown. That's what would be interesting.

Overall

Overall, this is a beautiful Blu-ray edition. I never imagined these cartoons could look so amazing. I'll be watching these over and over again.

Blu-ray Review: Fleischer Rarities: Treasures from the Fleischer Studios by Thunderbean

I love animation from the early days of film. There was no precedent, so the animators and filmmakers had to be trailblazers and experiment. Some of those experiments paid off brilliantly, and others are lessons in what NOT to do.

Fleischer Rarities: Treasures from the Fleischer Studios by Thunderbean is a 2018 blu-ray compilation of animation work by Dave and Max Fleischer for various clients. It is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Restoration. When you consider how old these films are and that they were never meant to be viewed more than for their initial purpose, it's really incredible that they exist and that they were able to be restored to such a high-quality presentation. Thunderbean did an excellent job making these look just as good they they could.

Bonus Material. The bonus material was my favorite part of this set. The main group of people who would be interested in a collection like this are those who love film, animation, and their rich history, so seeing all these posters, trade ads, production photos, pencil layouts, and other behind the scene treasures is truly wonderful.

To the Moon. This was a short in two-color technicolor and using models for the backgrounds producing a 3-D effect behind the hand drawn animation. It is a really unique look, and I enjoy it on the rare occasions I can find a film that used it.

The Bad

Blu-ray only. This is blu-ray only which limits how one can watch it. I'm sure it was a cost issue, but I do like more flexibility with my movies.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I would love to see a print edition with all of the extras: layouts, posters, promos, ads, photos, etc.

Overall

Fleischer Rarities: Treasures from the Fleischer Studios by Thunderbean is a fun assortment of animation from the early days of film. Some of the films are great, others just interesting artifacts from another era. All are beautifully restored. But the real treasure is all of the bonus material from posters to trade ads to pencil layouts to production stills and much, much more. If you are interested in film history or animation history, this is an incredible collection. I give this blu-ray 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.