DETAIL: DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures DVD
© Warner Home Video
Mania Grade: B
DVD: DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures
Rating: G
Starring (Voices): Ted Knight, Bud Collyer
Written By: Various
Directed By: Hal Sutherland
Distributor: Warner Home Video
Original Year of Release: TV (1967), DVD (2008)
Extras: Lou Scheimer Documentary
Buy it now!
DVD: DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures
Rating: G
Starring (Voices): Ted Knight, Bud Collyer
Written By: Various
Directed By: Hal Sutherland
Distributor: Warner Home Video
Original Year of Release: TV (1967), DVD (2008)
Extras: Lou Scheimer Documentary
Buy it now!
DVD Review of DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures
By: Tim JansonReview Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2008
During one of the episodes on this two DVD set, some aliens are using a machine to bore into the surface of the Earth. The Atom, in an incredibly timed line exclaims, “Stop this boring action!” I’m tempted to say I could not agree more but that would be trite. This latest release from the Warner Bros. vaults features 18 episodes featuring The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Atom, Teen Titans, and the Justice League of America. Produced by Filmation, these short (6 – 7 minutes) cartoons were shown as part of the Superman/Aquaman hour that ran on CBS from 1967 – 1968. I’ve never quite figured out why Aquaman got to co-star in the show as opposed to one of these other more popular heroes. Each of these heroes/teams star in three episodes each.
At the time, Filmation was one of the last American animation companies still doing work in-house, rather than farming it out to companies in Europe or Asia where it could be produced cheaper. But lets not congratulate Filmation too much. In order to compete, their production had to cut a lot of corners. They utilized rotoscoping, the practice of tracing over live footage, quite heavily. This was cheaper than traditional cell animation and gave the show a more fluid look. They also used stock footage…over and over and over…You’d see the heroes run by the same building or swim by the same plant numerous times in the series.
The episodes were plotted very lightly. With only seven minutes to work with there wasn’t a whole lot of time to devote to character or plot development. Basically you get a threat…and the hero beating the threat and saving the day. Still there is a certain nostalgic charm to watching the series. Kids of the day certainly had to be thrilled to see these heroes on their TV’s, most of them for the very first time. And it had to be extremely cool to see the Justice League in action as a team. Where’s Batman you ask? Well, at the time, the Batman Live action TV show was still running on rival ABC but the caped crusader would join Superman in the Batman/Superman Hour in 1968 – 1969.
Ted Knight, well-known as the narrator of the Superfriends is along for the ride again, both as narrator and the voice of numerous villains. His voice provides a comforting familiarity, which crossed generations from this show and then well into the 1970’s with the Superfriends.
It’s interesting to compare this show to Marvel’s Super Hero cartoons of the mid-1960’s. The Marvel cartoons, produced by Grantray-Lawrence were nothing more than panels from actual comics that were given a very limited animation. Still, there was something to be said for seeing the art of Jack Kirby on your TV.
The real attraction of this set is the 38 minute documentary on Filmation’s founder Lou Scheimer. Scheimer, still going strong at age 79, provides an incredibly interesting interview about Filmation’s history and the production of these cartoons. Longtime director Hal Sutherland, as well as many of the animators who worked for the company, also share their recollections.
By any standards, these are not great cartoons in terms of their production but they do provide a very valuable link to some of the earliest, made-for-TV, superhero cartoons.
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