'Superman Classic' short film by Disney animator, Robb Pratt

It's not every day you get to see what a DC animated short might look like if it were owned by Disney instead of Warner Bros, but here it is! Veteran Disney animator, Robb Pratt, has directed and animated a fantastic Superman fan film called 'Superman Classic'. It only runs for about a minute, but it perfectly references that Fleischer era of Superman (with maybe a nod to Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow). It's a helluva minute, with detailed hand-drawn animation bringing Clark and Lois to life in a way that Warner Bros animation doesn't do. The exchange between Lois and Clark outside the Daily Planet is exquisite, and that's before giant robots arrive on the scene.




Pratt worked on animated features like Tarzan, Hercules, Pocahontas and Fantasia 2000. Clark Kent/Superman is voiced by John Newton, who starred as a young Clark Kent in the late 1980′s television series The Adventures of Superboy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with the quality of work that Warner Bros animation puts into their DC output, particularly as I've been raving about the DC Showcase and Young Justice series. However, there's always been a huge schism between that Disney style and the WB style. Those little character beats (like the Chris Reeves-esque glasses push, or stopping for the kid) don't get the same sort of detail in a WB series. This is all about time and budget, but it doesn't change the fact that its still very interesting to see done by somebody from the other house.

Period comic-book movies are the way to go in my eyes. They should have done it for the Fantastic Four, and I'm glad they're doing it for Captain America. It's a little tricky though, both of those comics have story lines that take place in the modern world (as comics gradually update their extremely slow moving time-lines). A comic like Watchmen should only really be set in the appropriate time-period (alternate history '85), but comics like the Fantastic Four (and Superman) work best when they're recalling not just an aesthetic from an earlier time, but a paradigm as well. Simpler heroes, for simpler times I guess.

For now, I'm going to re-watch this amazing film.