"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
Animation Milestones
First animated flight — Fleischer
Phone booth transformation — animation origin
Iconic “Faster than a speeding bullet…” intro
Rotoscoping influence on superhero action
Superman in Animation
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
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com