Volcano

As part of sitting through the old 1940s "Superman" animated stories, I came upon the 1942 "Volcano".

I have watched it before, during my childhood in the 1980s, so it wasn't exactly anything new and undiscovered for me. However, I will say that it was nice to get to sit down and watch it again. I watched it for the first time about some 40 years after it was initially released, and then watched it against some 40 years after my first time watching it. I am sort of seeing a pattern here.

The storyline in "Volcano" was pretty straight forward. However, I found the story that Bill Turner and Carl Meyer wrote for this particular short animated feature to be a bit too simplistic. Sure, it is limited what you can manage to accomplish in just 8 minutes, but some of the other stories from the same era were more well-rounded.

Sure, "Volcano" was watchable and enjoyable, and definitely felt like something in the spirit of "Superman". The narrative was just a bit too generic and predictable.

All in all watchable for what it was. My rating of "Volcano" from directors Dave Fleischer and Willard Bowsky lands on a six out of ten stars.

Volcano (1942)

** (out of 4)

Eighth film in the Paramount series is by far the weakest so far. Lois and Clark are sent to report on an active volcano when the thing starts to go off trapping Lois inside, Superman must once again come to the rescue but all the results are rather lame. There's really not too much going on in this short, which is why it's the weakest of the series so far for me. The movie even has some fairly poor animation including one scene where we see Lois walking through the lava and yet nothing every happens to her because of it. The short also runs about a minute shorter than the previous films and all the action seems missing. There's one good sequence where Superman must save something from crashing into the lava but that's about it.

I love the Fleischer Superman cartoons. The animation is smooth and fluid with vivid colors. The distinct art-deco style, vintage science fiction imagery, and use of noirish shadows gave them a look unlike any other cartoons. The music and voice work is superb. They're fun, accessible, enduring animation classics.

Mt. Monokoa, which has been dormant for about 300 years, is getting ready to erupt. In order to save the town at its base, some scientists plan to blow away the rim of the volcano facing away from the town. The hopes being the lava would flow towards the sea and spare the town. Lois and Clark are sent to cover the story, but Lois has stolen Clark's press pass so that she can have the story to herself. While Lois is being given a tour of the volcano, it erupts (of course). In the town below, Clark changes into Superman and tries to save Lois and finish the job the scientists started with altering the lava flow away from the town.

This is the eighth in the series and, while it's still entertaining, some noticeable flaws stand out more than usual. For starters, the action isn't quite as good as you might expect given that a freaking volcano is erupting. Then there's some rather sloppy animation in the later parts of the cartoon. They also try to replicate the spectacular sequence from The Magnetic Telescope where Superman picks up two ends of wire and conducts electricity through his body. It does not have the same impressive impact as the earlier cartoon, however. It's not one of the series' best but still enjoyable.

"Volcano" is a very weak installment of the short-lived Superman series from the Fleischer Brothers. I say weak because they made Lois very despicable and I really found myself rooting for her to die! This is because Lois and Clark are sent to cover the same story--a volcano is about to erupt (WHY WOULD YOU NEED TO GO NEXT TO THE MOUNTAIN TO COVER THIS?!). However, Lois wants the story for herself and deliberately sabotages Clark so he will be left out in the cold. So, when the volcano explodes, she is about to die and Clark jumps to save her. She learns NOTHING from the situation other than selfishness and stupidity pays! I really wish they'd made Lois less a jerk and victim and more a tough-as-nails and resourceful lady like they did in "Secret Agent" (1943). Overall, a rather weak installment, as fomenting hatred for your female lead is NOT a positive thing!

A SUPERMAN Cartoon

After slumbering for 300 years, the volcanic isle of Monokoa erupts in molten fury. The world watches anxiously as scientists race to protect the lovely town at the mountain's foot from imminent destruction. When intrepid reporter Lois Lane finds herself in danger of being immolated, it's time for Superman to get involved. But can even the Man of Steel fight the awakened fury of the VOLCANO?

This was another in the series of excellent cartoons Max Fleischer produced for Paramount Studio. They feature great animation and taut, fast-moving plots. Meant to be shown in movie theaters, they are miles ahead of their Saturday Morning counterparts. Bud Collyer is the voice of Superman; Joan Alexander does the honors for Lois Lane.