Max Fleischer's Superman: 1941-1942 DVD Review

Max Fleischer's Superman: 1941-1942 (2009)
Own it today on DVD!
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Synopsis: The Superman animated cartoons, commonly known as the "Fleischer Superman Cartoons" were a series of seventeen animated Technicolor short films, which were based upon the comic book character Superman. These groundbreaking theatrical shorts are the very first animated DC Comics Superman cartoons and the first cartoon entitled ?Superman? to be nominated for an Academy Award® (Short Film - Animated). Each cartoon is brimming with action and special effects, beautifully drawn and colored, braced with fabulous background paintings and brought to life with realistic movement. These animated shorts are seen as some of the finest, and certainly the most lavishly budgeted, cartoons produced during the Golden Age of animation.

Review: What do you say about the Fleischer Studios Superman cartoon? It has been a major influence on every animator since, most notably it highly influenced the cult favorite Batman: The Animated Series in both tone and design. A total of 17 cartoons were produced between 1941-1943 and released in theaters. The animation was ahead of its time, largely in part thanks to the huge budget at the time ($50,000 per short) and the technique of Rotoscoping.

This 2-disc collection has the complete collection of shorts. If you haven't seen these, you're in for a real treat. They honestly don't feel like something that could emerge from the early 1940s. They're still visionary and entertaining. The WWII progaghanda interlaced in the shorts help to date them, and also provide a great historical relic. This set is absolutely essential for any comic book fan, historian and animation collector! This set includes the new "The Man, The Myth, Superman" featurette, which has a great look at the concept of the superman.

Star Wars: Clone Wars "A Galaxy Divided" DVD Review

Star Wars: Clone Wars "A Galaxy Divided" DVD Review
Own it on DVD Tuesday, March 24, 2009
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Product Description:
The "Clone Wars" goes back to the original Star Wars film when Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker that he was once a Jedi knight the same as your father and that they fought together in the Clone Wars. Since that moment fans have been obsessed with what the clone wars were. This new TV series takes place immediately after the events of Star Wars-Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The series follows Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker and introduces us to some new characters such as Ahsoka Tano a girl Jedi knight as well as characters we already know.

Review: This show, it goes without saying, has upped the bar for Cartoon Network programming. Preceeded by a ground-breaking series of online animated shorts and, of course, the feature film, Clone Wars is epic. This release collects the first four episodes of the series.

I know what you're thinking...a single disc release?! What the?! This format is a tired way for studios to make a quick buck, right? Perhaps. Its also a way to gradually release a complete series. The issue that they have, and I can kinda see it, is that most parents (the vast majority of the purchasing audience, regardless of what us fanboys & girls would like to believe) is very much less likely to drop $30-$40 for a complete season set.

They are, however, likely to drop $10-$15 on this. Now..you may be saying "well, I'll wait for a complete season set". We aren't necessarily gonna get one. Look at X-Men Evolution. That was a GREAT show..and the first two seasons you can still only get by collecting all of the single disc releases.