Editing Superman: The Animated Series (section)

==Development and production==
In the time between the initial end of ''Batman'', [[Steven Spielberg]] approached [[Bruce Timm]] about his admiration for his previous show while being curious about an adventure cartoon. Spielberg asked Timm and his crew to come up with concepts for him to look at (one of these ideas eventually sprung into ''[[Freakazoid!]]'', which involved a crazed superhero, although Timm had aimed for a straightforward hero show rather than overt comedy). At any rate, [[Warner Bros]] was anticipating a feature film of ''Superman'' and thus wanted to make a television series to go alongside it, which led [[Jean MacCurdy]] to approach Timm about the idea of doing a series on Superman, which he agreed to.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://twomorrows.com/comicology/articles/01timm.html |title=Comicology #1 - Bruce Timm Interview - TwoMorrows Publishing |website=twomorrows.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060214013717/http://twomorrows.com/comicology/articles/01timm.html |archive-date=14 February 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/superman-the-animated-series-fixed-clark-kent/|title=How Superman: The Animated Series Avoided the 'Cornball' Man of Steel|date=January 6, 2019}}</ref> Initially, Timm struggled with finding the visual style, to the point where he thought of trying to aim for a retro feel similar to the [[Fleischer Studios]] [[Superman (1940s animated film series)|''Superman'' cartoons]]. An original character design sheet showed the characters in a stylized 1940s/1950s style (not unlike that of the live-action ''[[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|Adventures of Superman]]'' TV series); however, Timm decided that he could not compete against the "perfection" of the past, although he would utilize influence from classic deco, which he described as "bright, futuristic, optimistic, ocean liner art deco...much more in line with Superman's character."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbr.com/bruce-timm-superman-the-animated-series-interview/|title = Bruce Timm Reflects on 25 Years of Superman: The Animated Series| newspaper=CBR |date = October 27, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saturdaymorningsforever.com/2016/03/superman-animated-series.html|title = Superman: The Animated Series}}</ref> As with the first season of ''Batman'', the opening theme sequence of ''Superman'' lacked an on-screen title. Also like ''Batman'', the opening theme for ''Superman'' lacked any lyrics, instead of being an instrumental piece played over various scenes from the series. The character design for the title character was inspired not by one of the comics but instead ''[[The Mighty Hercules]]'' (1963) with the design of the title character.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/superman-the-animated-series-fixed-clark-kent/2/|title = How Superman: The Animated Series Avoided the 'Cornball' Man of Steel|date = January 6, 2019}}</ref> DC asked Timm to give Superman a [[Mullet (haircut)|mullet]], but he refused.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/superman-animated-series-remaster-bruce-timm-interview/|title=Bruce Timm Interview: Superman The Animated Series Remaster|first=Stephen M.|last=Colbert|date=October 26, 2021|website=ScreenRant}}</ref>

[[CNK International|Koko Enterprise Co., LTD.]], [[TMS Entertainment|Kyokuchi Tokyo Movie]], [[Dong Yang Animation|Dong Yang Animation Co., LTD]] and [[Group TAC]] contributed some of the animation for this series. Like the previous shows, the animation on the series was done in [[Traditional animation|traditional cels]].

Season two was originally scheduled to run 26 episodes, but it was extended to 28 episodes to accommodate a two-part story introducing [[Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)|Supergirl]].<ref name="WizCaged">{{cite news | last = Allstetter | first= Rob | date = August 1997 | title = Superman Gets Caged | work = [[Wizard (magazine)|Wizard]] | issue = 72 | page = 118}}</ref>

While the series adapts many villains from Superman's [[rogues gallery]] in the comics, the primary [[antagonist]]s that he faces throughout the show and the DCAU continuity as a whole are [[Lex Luthor]], [[Brainiac (character)|Brainiac]] and [[Darkseid]]. Luthor's design was based on actor [[Telly Savalas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collider.com/superman-the-complete-animated-series-dvd-review/|title=SUPERMAN: The Complete Animated Series DVD Review|first=Nico|last=Nico|date=January 19, 2010|website=Collider}}</ref>

In the series, the writers decided to alter Brainiac's origin by making him a Kryptonian [[artificial intelligence]] instead of an alien to give him a more personal rivalry with Superman. While the producers of the show found Brainiac's character and abilities interesting in the comics, they disliked his original design so they drastically altered his appearance; his green skin was replaced with an icy-blue coloration, and the rest of his outfit became a mix of purple and grey rather than pink and black. [[Corey Burton]]'s vocal performance as Brainiac was done in a cold, [[affect display|low-affect]] style similar to [[HAL 9000]] in the ''[[Space Odyssey]]'' films and the 'Control Voice' heard during the opening narration of ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jl.toonzone.net/brainiac/brainiac.htm |title=Brainiac |publisher=Jl.toonzone.net |access-date=2014-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810040458/http://jl.toonzone.net/brainiac/brainiac.htm |archive-date=2014-08-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Before being cast as Brainiac, Burton also read for the parts of Superman and Lex Luthor.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbr.com/bruce-timm-superman-the-animated-series-interview/ | title=Bruce Timm Reflects on 25 Years of Superman: The Animated Series | date=October 27, 2021 }}</ref> Clancy Brown also read for Superman before being cast as Luthor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/11/10/superman-the-animated-series-turns-twenty-five|title=Superman: The Animated Series Turns Twenty-Five|website=DC}}</ref>

To pay tribute to [[Jack Kirby's Fourth World]] creations, the show introduced the [[New God]] Darkseid as Superman's archenemy. In contrast to the character's less faithful adaptations in ''[[Super Friends]]'', ''Superman: The Animated Series'' portrays Darkseid as the evil dictator originally envisioned by Kirby in the comics. [[Michael Ironside]]'s vocal performance was initially lowered for Darkseid's first two appearances in the series, though this modulation was later dropped in favor of Ironside's natural voice.