Customer Reviews

Lou Scheimer: Creating The Filmation Generation

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Anyone who grew up watching cartoons of Aquaman, Batman, Superman, the Justice League of America, with the booming voice of Ted Knight will remember how vivid these colors were and what a strong impression they made on so many children. An entire generation of kids were riveted by these superheroes and their fantastic adventures.

The name Lou Scheimer is legendary among animators and the television community. But, is probably not as well recognized or appreciated by the general public. Let me state that Lou Scheimer should be placed in the same pantheon of creative geniuses as Walt Disney and Hanna and Barbara. What he and his team of artists created was nothing short of American pop culture history.

The story of Filmation is the story of a trailblazer. They somehow wrangled the rights to do a Batman animated series in 1967 for CBS. At the same time, ABC was producing the live action Batman TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward.

Some of these classic cartoons have been released on DVD. The original Aquaman cartoons, for example, are available and so is a new collection coming out of guest stars from the 1967 Superman-Aquaman Hour. If you haven't seen these cartoons, you ought to take a look. Because what they did at Filmation was capture the essence, the humanity, the energy and the elusive mystery of these heroes.

For some strange reason, these characters had a soul. Watching them became addictive. These cartoons were not to be missed. They were not derivative of the comic books. They were not preachy though they each ended in an important lesson. They were simply little movies that tugged at the heart and soul.

As an avid and long-time collector of Filmation animation, I want to thank the author and Mr. Scheimer for telling their story. I heard recently that Mr. Scheimer's health might be waning. I'd like to wish him a speedy recovery. You've inspired a lot of young creative minds to follow their dreams. I hope you know how much your body of work is appreciated.