Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (TV 1996)

The last survivor of the dead planet Krypton uses his amazing powers to defend people of his adopted world Earth.

Directors:

Curt Geda, Scott Jeralds,

Writers:

Alan Burnett, Paul Dini,

Stars:

Tim Daly, Dana Delany, Clancy Brown

Cast

Credited cast:
Tim Daly	...	Superman / Clark Kent (voice)
Dana Delany	...	Lois Lane (voice)
Clancy Brown	...	Lex Luthor (voice)
Malcolm McDowell	...	John Corben (voice)
Christopher McDonald	...	Jor-El (voice)
Finola Hughes	...	Lara (voice)
Mike Farrell	...	Jonathan Kent (voice)
Shelley Fabares	...	Martha Kent (voice)
Tony Jay	...	Sul-Van (voice)
Corey Burton	...	Brainiac / Councilman / Cop (voice)
George Dzundza	...	Perry White (voice)
David Kaufman	...	Jimmy Olsen (voice)
Lauren Tom	...	Angela Chen (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jesse Batten	...	Baby Kal-El (voice)
Brad Garrett	...	Bibbo (voice)

Storyline

Shunned by Krypton's leaders for his theories of planetary destruction, scientist Jor-El rockets his infant son Kal-El to safety on Earth. There Kal is raised as Clark Kent and develops unusual abilities, moves to a shining Metropolis and meets a fiesty female reporter with a knack for trouble.

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Plot Keywords:

based on comic | dc comics | superhero | perry white | character name in title

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Superman - L'ultimo figlio di Krypton

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Warner Bros. Animation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

A throwaway line of dialog actually establishes that in this continuity, Bruce Wayne became the Batman before Kent went public as Superman; while Kent ponders adopting a costumed alter ego, Martha Kent actually refers to "that nut in Gotham". In most other continuities, Kent's emergence as Superman predates Bruce Wayne's emergence as the Batman since Action Comics#1 came out before Detective Comics#27 (the respective first appearances of Superman and the Batman). The Earth-1 Kent began his champion career as Superboy well before the Earth-1 Wayne became the Batman. However, two stories indicate that the Earth-2 Batman was active as early as 1937 (Detective Comics#65 and World's Finest Comics#60); since the first Batman story in Detective Comics#27 was not an origin story, this may indicate that the Earth-2 Batman began as an adventurer before the Earth-2 Kent became Superman.

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Quotes

[Barging into Perry White's office]
Lois Lane: Chief! I spent a week on the docks with rats and frizzed hair exposing the biggest gun-smuggling ring to hit this town in ten years and what makes the front page? Some sprouty, new age, granola-crunching fluff piece on angels! What's next? Interviews with Bigfoot?

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #32.14 (2004)

User Reviews

Great re-styling of an action icon

This feature length video release is actually a re-cutting of the three part pilot for the new superman series produced by Warner Bros. using mostly Japanese animation talent. The pilot re-tells the familiar origin story of the Last Son of Krypton, while introducing two classic DC villains (Brainiac and Lex Luthor) and giving us a feisty new Lois Lane.

The look very 50s comic bookish and kind of sci-fi retro. Metropolis looks like what TV and the movies were predicting for the year 2000: an urban landscape of huge buildings, elevated highways, high speed commuter trains, all very ultra-modern and glossy, and yet clean, efficient and familiar. The color palette is very bright and full of primary colors, giving the cartoon a Sunday supplement feel. My biggest complaint relates to a slightly clumsy look to the character animation, and even this is really minor. It's a big step up from Superfriends.

The show has a good look, great stories and lots of superhero action, and Clark Kent himself (as voiced by Tim Daly) is wryly amusing and stubbornly heroic in the face of occasionally tough choices. I watched this pilot and signed on for the run of the show. Recommended.