Retro Review – Fleischer Superman – “The Arctic Giant”

Fleischer Superman

Superman Homepage reviewer Micah Pickering reviews the Fleischer Superman animated shorts for those nostalgic for the 1940s.

Check out his review of the cartoon titled “The Arctic Giant”.

Superman chases a T-Rex through Metropolis in a cartoon with the most bizarre endings in this entire series. This episode asks the question: Did Fleischer Studios come up with the idea for “Jurassic Park” years before Michael Chrichton? Let’s find out!

Now onto the review!

3Rating – 3 (out of 5): The episode opens with narration by Jackson Beck. His narration gives the exposition of this episode more gravitas as we build to the inevitable calamity. Explorers have discovered a frozen Tyrannosaurus Rex in the Arctic. The prehistoric beast is perfectly preserved and scientists reveal to Perry White that they believe if the ice melts the creature may come back to life.

The T-Rex is being held in a special museum in Metropolis with a special refrigeration system to keep the creature on ice. Perry sends Lois Lane to get the story. I enjoyed Lois and Clark’s brief back and forth in the office before she sets out to the museum. Clark asks Lois about the story, and Lois tells Clark that he’d probably faint if he took the assignment.

This is the first time in this series Lois has said that Clark was cowardly. It fits with early versions of the character. Clark plays along with the charade to keep his secret identity intact.

A worker at the museum is giving Lois a tour of the refrigeration system when he foolishly lets an oil can fall into the system’s generator. This causes a system wide failure, and the T-Rex is soon freed from the ice. As the beast begins its rampage, word gets back to the Daily Planet that Lois is in Danger. Clark quickly springs into action.

The action in this episode can be described with a simple formula:
Step 1: The T-Rex destroys something
Step 2: Superman saves people from the wreckage
Step 3: The T-Rex leaves while Superman is saving people
Step 4: Superman continues to chase the T-Rex

Superman chases the T-Rex while also finding time to rescue Lois, plug a dam, and stop a bridge from collapsing. Superman uses one of the bridge’s suspension cables to lasso the T-Rex’s legs. While the creature is down Lois tries to take a picture of its head. That would prove to be a rookie mistake as she is soon thrown into the dinosaur’s gaping maw. Superman then pries open the T-Rex’s mouth, and rescues Lois twice in one cartoon.

Now for the really bizarre ending. After Superman subdues the T-Rex, the cartoon cuts to a headline that claims that the city planned on keeping the T-Rex at their local zoo. I am fixated on that ending. Did the Mayor of Metropolis just say: “I know that the T-Rex destroyed half the city, but I think it’d be a real dandy idea to boost tourism!”

DC Comics recently reimagined their heroes as dinosaurs in the “Jurassic League” limited series, but this cartoon has me wanting more Superman vs. Dinosaur content. Maybe a “Jurassic Park” crossover in the future could be something to scratch that itch? After all, Superman has literally crossed over with franchises like “Terminator,” “Aliens,” “Predator,” “He-Man,” and “The Thundercats”.

Somebody needs to give me the phone number to Warner Bros. so I can tell them I need to see Henry Cavill punch a T-Rex on the big screen. Maybe Lois and Jimmy can run from Velociraptors in the Daily Planet office. Well, until I get that number I’ll just have to settle for this cartoon.