Feeding Time

Feeding Time

September 21, 1996 TV Episode Superman: The Animated Series

Studio
Warner Bros. Television Animation

Synopsis

After toxic chemicals transform unremarkable janitor Rudy Jones into the energy -draining Parasite, he imprisons Superman, intent on keeping the Man of Steel as his own personal power source.

Characters

Superman/Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Rudy Jones/Parasite

Credits

Directing

Director
Dan Riba

Producing

Producer
Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini
Executive Producer
Jean MacCurdy

Writing

Writer
Robert Goodman

Voices

Voice
Tim Daly (Superman/Clark Kent), Dana Delany (Lois Lane), Catherine Cavadini (Barbara)

Crew

Series Casting
Leslie Lamers
Voice Director
Andrea Romano
Property Designer
Dave Cunningham
Timing Director
Jeffrey Gatrall
Background Artist
Trish Burgio
Composer (Additional Music)
Sharon Farber
Orchestrators
Sharon Farber, David G. Russell
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Robert Hargreaves
Supervising Sound Editor
Robert Hargreaves
Orchestral Scoring Recordist
John Rodd
Assistant Production Coordinator
Michael H. Miller
Assistant to Writers
Xandy Sussan

Production notes

In his first year on Warner Bros., Superman stood alone in his own show. It had been almost ten years since Supe's last animated incarnation. For show's second season (and on) Superman was combined with The New Batman Adventures (Batman jumping networks from Fox to Kids WB) in a show entitled "The New Batman/Superman Adventures."

Just in case you have never watched TV, read a book, seen a movie, or looked at the comics, here is a brief history of Superman:

Shortly before the planet Krypton exploded, Superman (then known by his birth name, Kal-El) was put into an escape rocket by his parents and sent off into space. After crash-landing on Earth, he was discovered by John and Martha Kent, who raised him as their son, Clark Kent. As young Kal-El/Clark grew, he discovered his various talents, such as incredibly powerful strength and the ability to fly. Relocating to Metropolis, Clark began to live a dual life, working as a reporter for the Daily Planet, but turning into Superman whenever trouble surfaced.

The character of Superman first left the comics pages in the 1930's, starring in several animated theatrical shorts. He then moved on to enjoy a successful radio show during the 40's, a popular live-action TV version starring George Reeves in the 1950's, and even a 1966 Broadway musical before returning to the small screen in 1966, this time in animated form.

Almost ten years after the live-action TV show was cancelled, Superman starred in The New Adventures of Superman. The series utilized the same basic cast as the 1940's radio version, and consisted not only of stories about Superman's world-saving exploits, but also of segments that showed him as a boy in rural Smallville. These segments featured super dog Krypto and Clark's first girlfriend, Lana Lang. Bud Collyer, who had provided Superman's voice for both the Fleischer cartoons and the radio broadcast, reprised his role in this version, too.

The strong point of this version was its faithfulness to the comic book. The show featured villains from the printed stories, like Mr. Mxyzptlk and Brainiac.

After one season, the title was changed to The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, and Aquaman, the son of Atlantis, starred in segments of his own. In its last season, Batman was added to the show and given top billing, resulting in The Batman/Superman Hour.

Sadly, Superman was as vulnerable to bad ratings as he was to Kryptonite. Hanna-Barbera's Space Ghost finally proved to be too much competition for the Man of Steel, who left the cartoon airwaves in 1969.

Superman retained his membership in the Justice League, which kept him employed on Saturday morning's Super Friends well into the 80's. CBS gave him another solo shot in 1988, but this version went the way of Krypton, destroyed after one season.

The most recent incarnation of the man with the "S" on his chest came in 1997, with The New Superman Adventures. Animated in the angular, darker style of Batman: The Animated Series, this Superman caught on with 90's kids, becoming a mainstay of Fox Kids' afternoon lineup.