Starting in 1941, a series of Superman cartoons produced by a team of brothers named Dave and Max Fleischer began showing in theaters. These cartoons have become legendary for their great style and imagination. For the first time, audiences were able to witness the amazing exploits of the Man Of Steel that were completely unhindered by budget restraints or the limited special effects technology of the day. The Fleischers vision of Superman was that of a hero who literally soared into action against all sorts of weird menaces. And often, he had to save the life of the plucky reporter Lois Lane just as much as much as he saved the good people of Metropolis.

One of the Fleischer Superman cartoons, The Mechanical Monsters, dealt with an army of robots that invaded Metropolis. Once on the ground, the robots launch a massive crime spree, stealing money, diamonds, and whatever valuable items of their choosing. Teams of police officers firing machine guns at the electrontic invaders prove ineffective, as these riotous robots pour the loot into a chute that opened on their backs. Lois Lane dives into the chute of one such robot, and winds up being taken back to their hidden lair, where she meets the evil mastermind who created the robots. For her troubles, Lois is trussed up over a vat of molten metal by the evil fiend. But just when things are starting to get hot under the collar for Ms. Lane, Superman arrives at the lair. However, before he can save Lois, Superman must first fight his way through the army of robots, who--in addition to their massive numbers--are also all armed with flame throwers.

From the wings sprouting from the arms of the robots, to the scenes of police officers firing at them with machine guns, it is safe to say that the robot attack on New York City at the start of Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow was inspired by the Fleischer's The Mechanical Monsters, which is a cartoon that is still as impressive to watch today as it was when it first came out over sixty years ago. Ironically, the Fleischers were initially reluctant to take on Superman when offered the job. Yet once they learned they would have a budget of about $90,000 per episode--at least four times the cost of a normal cartoon in those days--they jumped at the chance. Each episode was ten minutes long, and are still enjoyable to this day. Now in the public domain, the cartoons are available in a variety of DVD sets and are highly recommended (parents might want to be aware of some racial slurs against the Japanese and Germans in certain episodes; these cartoons were made during the Second World War and are a product of their times). For those interested, I have provided a link where you can purchase the Superman Cartoons below.