“They threw everything into the animation”: Superman: The Animated Series Almost Went to a Japanese Studio Who Pissed Everyone by Making One Episode Lightyears Better

Superman: The Animated Series remains one of the quintessential versions of the Man of Steel for an entire generation. However, as is the case with most animated series, some, if not all of the work is often outsourced to other countries to meet budget constraints and tight deadlines, as was the case with the first entry into the DCAU.

The episode after the pilot for Superman: The Animated Series, titled ‘Fun and Games‘, came at the heels of the three-part episode that laid the scene for the character and series. This episode was handled by a Japanese studio and features the Toyman.

The episode made by the Japanese pissed everyone off

Robert N. Skir, who was a writer on both X-Men: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series, was also a part of the Superman: The Animated Series. The writer, speaking with Superhero Stuff You Should Know, talked about how the episode he wrote pissed everyone off because the Japanese made it. He said:

What was wonderful about it was it went to a Japanese studio who really wanted the gig of doing the series. So, they there everything into the animation. They got A-Team and you could see all the effects and everything. This episode, the people who worked on the pilot, the three-parter, were looking at our episode, and they got pissed because the animation in our episode, was like so much better.

The Toyman episode wowed fans and critics alike, given the unique take the show took with Toyman, giving him a ventriloquist dummy type of look that added to his characterization and worked extremely well for the animated medium.

Superman: The Animated Series remains one of the best-adapted versions of the character

Superman: The Animated Series, with the DCAU at large, remains one of the best versions of the DC mythos ever adapted to screen. With talents like Bruce Timm and Robert N Skir behind the wheels, the DCAU, with its Batman and Superman series, set the stage for some of DC’s greatest offerings, which created original characters like Harley Quinn and Batman Beyond that have become comic book staples in today’s day and age.

Superman: The Animated Series has found a great spiritual successor with My Adventures With Superman, which has managed to capture the bright energy that Superman brings to the table, and has figured out a way to balance it with modern sensitivities that can cater to a modern audience, while also being palatable for fans of the old DCAU.