The Arctic Giant

It was nice to revisit the 1942 animated short "Superman" story titled "The Arctic Giant" here in 2023. I have watched it before, back in my childhood somewhere in the early to mid 1980s.

The storyline, whilst running at only 9 minutes, was actually good. I am amazed how writers Bill Turner and Tedd Pierce could managed to concoct such a wholesome story in just 9 minutes to tell the tale. It worked and it definitely felt like a "Superman" story.

Now, it is said that it was a Tyrannosaurus that was unearthed and thawed, but truth be told it looked more like an ofspring from Godzilla than it did look like a Tyrannosaurus.

The art and animation style in "The Arctic Giant" was good.

If you enjoy "Superman" cartoons, then director Dave Fleischer's 1942 short animated movie "The Arctic Giant" is definitely well-worth sitting down to watch.

My rating of "The Arctic Giant" lands on a six out of ten stars.

THE ARCTIC GIANT has Superman tangling with a gargantuan dinosaur in downtown Metropolis.

Fans of the GODZILLA or BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS films will love seeing their predecessor stomp through the cityscape. Superman certainly has his hands full!

A true wham-bam, monster-on-the-loose brawl for all kids and kids at heart...

A frozen tyrannosaurus is found frozen in the ice in the Arctic. It's brought back for display in Metropolis--it's kept frozen solid. But, one day, the machinery malfunctions, the ice starts to melt and the dinosaur comes to life! And guess what? Lois Lane just happens to be covering the story when it revives. Superman must save Metropolis (and Lois) from this.

One of the lesser Superman cartoons. It takes too long for the story to start up and the dinosaur looked REAL silly! The animation was still great but I found myself smirking whenever we got a good look at the dinosaur's face. Just OK.

Arctic Giant, The (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Fourth film in the original Paramount series borrows from THE LOST WORLD and KING KONG to create a mildly entertaining short. A Tyrannosaurus is found in the Arctic, brought back the New York City where it accidentally thaws out and goes on a rampage. Lois gets caught in the middle of the action but thankfully Superman is there to save the day. I somewhat enjoyed this short just because of how campy various items are. It goes without saying but plot points isn't a high mark for this series, at least not yet, but I found myself laughing and having a good time here. The dinosaur somehow thaws out in the matter of seconds and no reason is given for him still being alive but that just adds to the entertainment. I thought Superman destroyed him too easily but it was fun seeing the large monster tear through a dam and bridge.

A SUPERMAN Cartoon

A tremendous tyrannosaurus rex, discovered in Siberian snows, is put on display in Metropolis encased in a huge block of ice. A freak accident causes a thaw and the monster reawakens - with intrepid reporter Lois Lane nearby. Escaping, the dinosaur cuts a huge swath of destruction across town. With its unbelievable prehistoric strength, is even SUPERMAN any match for THE ARCTIC GIANT?

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.