The Man of Steel must fight of a few dozen pretenders in a lovingly created – and incredibly slick – Superman fan animation.
Disney animator Robb Pratt – whose previous work includes Tarzan, Hercules and Pocahontas – has put together a short animated film called Superman Classic, inspired by the 1940s Superman movies reels, and especially the distinctive music.
The short, which is just a minute long, is a fusion of different influences. The story, in which a fleet of giant robots attacks the city of Metropolis, feels like a pulp story from the 30s or 40s, while the animation looks like Disney movies from the early 60s, such as 101 Dalmations or The Sword in the Stone. Pratt said that his design for Superman combined elements from the different actors who had played the part, and the design of Metropolis was based on the work of architect Hugh Ferriss.
Pratt and his team created digital storyboards for the film, and then combined digital and traditional animation techniques for the final product. The animators first sketched the characters on paper, then scanned the sketches into the computer where they were colored and then overlaid over the digital backgrounds. Pratt was able to get John Newton – who played Superboy in the 1980’s TV series – to provide the voice for the Man of Steel, and Newton’s wife, Jennifer, to voice Lois Lane.
Unsurprisingly for something created by a professional animator, Superman Classic is an incredibly high quality production. With any luck, Warner – which owns DC Comics, which in turn owns Superman – will decided that this needs a web series just as much as Mortal Kombat: Rebirth does.
Source: Heat Vision Blog
