Superman: The Animated Series facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Superman: The Animated Series
Image showing Superman during the end credits of the series
Genre	Superhero Action Adventure Drama
Developed by	Alan Burnett Bruce Timm
Voices of	Tim Daly Dana Delany David Kaufman Clancy Brown Corey Burton Michael Ironside
Theme music composer	Shirley Walker
Composer(s)	Kristopher Carter Michael McCuistion Lolita Ritmanis Shirley Walker Harvey Cohen
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	54 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	25 minutes
Production company(s)	Warner Bros. Animation
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	Kids' WB
Original release	September 6, 1996 (1996-09-06) – February 12, 2000 (2000-02-12)
Chronology
Preceded by	Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
Related shows	DC animated universe television series

Superman: The Animated Series is an American superhero animated TV show. It features the famous DC Comics character Superman. Warner Bros. Animation made the series. It first aired on Kids' WB from September 6, 1996, to February 12, 2000.

This show was the second series in the DC Animated Universe. The first was Batman: The Animated Series. People loved Superman: The Animated Series for its great animation, strong stories, and amazing voice acting. It stayed true to the Superman comics while also making the character feel new and modern.

About the Show: Superman's Adventures

The animated series came out ten years after the Superman comic books got a fresh start, or "reboot," in 1986. The show honored both the classic Superman and the newer version. For example, Superman's home planet, Krypton, looked like the older, perfect version from earlier comics.

Superman's powers in the show were more like the modern comics. He sometimes had to work hard to do amazing things. His secret identity, Clark Kent, was also shown as a quiet but confident person. This was similar to how Batman's secret identity, Bruce Wayne, was shown in Batman: The Animated Series.

Later in the show's run, it joined with The New Batman Adventures. Together, they became The New Batman/Superman Adventures. After that, Superman and Batman got their own new show called Justice League. This show also featured other popular DC Comics heroes like Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Hawkgirl. A sequel series, Justice League Unlimited, followed.

Comic Book Adventures

Just like most shows in the DC animated universe, Superman: The Animated Series had its own comic book series. These comics took place in the same universe as the TV show. The comic series ran from 1996 to 2001 and had 68 issues. Many talented writers and artists worked on these comics.

Episodes: Seasons and Stories

Voice Cast: Who Played Who?

List of DC animated universe characters

Supporting Characters

Home Videos and DVDs

Superman: The Animated Series was released on DVD starting in 2005. The complete series, with all 54 episodes, came out on a 7-disc set in 2009. These sets included special features like behind-the-scenes looks.

A movie called Superman: Brainiac Attacks was released in 2006. It used the same character designs and voice actors as the TV show. However, it is not considered part of the main story of the DC Animated Universe.

Music of the Series

Shirley Walker was in charge of the music for Superman: The Animated Series. She wrote the main theme song and created special music for different characters. She also scored, or wrote the music for, six episodes herself. Other composers like Kristopher Carter, Harvey R. Cohen, Michael McCuistion, and Lolita Ritmanis also worked on the show's music. Almost every episode had its own new music.

In 2014, a special 4-disc collection of music from the series was released. It included music from 20 full episodes, like the "World's Finest" and "Apokolips... Now!" stories.

Video Games Based on the Show

The first video game based on the series was Superman 64, released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64. However, many people consider it one of the worst Superman games ever made.

A second game, Superman: Shadow of Apokolips, came out in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. This game was made by a different company and was seen as a decent, but not amazing, superhero game.

Awards and Nominations

Superman: The Animated Series received several awards and nominations for its quality.

Annie Awards

• 1997– Nominated for Best Individual Achievement: Music in a TV Production- Shirley Walker for Superman main title theme.

Daytime Emmy Awards

• 1997– Nominated for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program.
• 1998 – Won Outstanding Special Class Animated Program (shared with The New Batman Adventures).
• 1999 – Won Outstanding Sound Mixing - Special Class (shared with The New Batman Adventures).
• 2000– Nominated for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition- Lolita Ritmanis for "Fish Story."
• 2000– Nominated for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition- Michael McCuistion for "In Brightest Day..."
• 2000– Nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing – Special Class (shared with The New Batman Adventures).

Images for kids

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  The original mourners attending Dan Turpin's funeral.

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  The mourners attending Dan Turpin's funeral in the edited version.

See also

In Spanish: Superman: la serie animada para niños

• Superman: The Animated Series at The World's Finest