Superman: Volcano (1942)
“Faster than a tidal wave of molten rock.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
A geological survey ends in catastrophe when the towering volcano Mount Monokoa awakens, raining fire and lava toward a populated city as Lois Lane reports from danger. Clark Kent becomes Superman to hold back the eruption, redirect the lava flow, and rescue Lois. One of the celebrated Fleischer/Famous Superman shorts, "Volcano" pairs fluid, rotoscope-influenced animation with dramatic Technicolor lighting and a sweeping orchestral score. It's a showcase of how cinematic and adult the wartime Superman cartoons looked compared to their contemporaries.
Cast
About the Director
Dave Fleischer — The Superman series was produced by Fleischer Studios (and successor Famous Studios) for Paramount, with Dave Fleischer credited as director. Famous for their then-staggering budgets and lavish animation, the shorts used dramatic shadow, deep color, and rotoscoping to give Superman a weight and realism unmatched in 1940s animation. The series directly influenced the visual language of later superhero cartoons and the character's flying poses.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
The Fleischer/Famous Superman shorts entered the US public domain because National Comics (now DC) failed to renew their copyrights when the first 28-year term expired in the late 1960s; "Volcano" (1942) lapsed when its renewal was missed. The cartoon itself is PD, though the Superman character remains separately trademarked. No copyright protects this film.
Behind the Scenes
"Volcano" was released July 10, 1942, by Paramount Pictures, one of seventeen Technicolor Superman shorts and among the last produced by Fleischer Studios before Paramount reorganized it into Famous Studios. The series adapted the DC Comics hero, with Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander reprising their roles from the popular Superman radio program. The cartoons were among the most expensive shorts of their era.
Did You Know?
- Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander voiced Superman and Lois Lane here after originating the roles on the 1940s "Adventures of Superman" radio show.
- The Fleischer Superman shorts are credited with introducing the now-standard image of Superman flying rather than leaping.
- The series' high budgets and rotoscoped realism made it one of the most expensive theatrical cartoon lines of the 1940s.
- Although the cartoons are public domain, Warner Bros./DC still owns the original 35mm master elements and the Superman trademark.
Reception & Legacy
The Fleischer Superman cartoons are widely regarded as landmarks of animation and were hugely influential on the entire superhero genre; "Volcano" is praised for its dramatic disaster set-pieces. The series earned an Academy Award nomination for its first short and remains a benchmark for cinematic action animation.
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