Filmation may never be a houshold name, but any boy growing up in the last few decades knows Filmation. Every great hero was animated by Filmation; He-Man, Captain Kirk and of course Superman and Batman. The New Adventures of Superman and The New Adventures of Batman may no longer be new, but they’re still great adventures coming to DVD from Warner Home Entertainment.

The 6-minute vignettes that comprise The New Adventures of Superman depict Superman and Lois Lane in animated form for the first time since they were immortalized in the iconic Superman live-action short films of the 1940s. The series also marked the animation debut of Jimmy Olsen and classic Superman villains like Lex Luthor and Brainiac.

The two disc set contains 36 six minute shorts and also includes the documentary Superman in 66 – In 1966 the comics industry was booming. This was also a hallmark year for Superman and an amazing year for the country. It was also the year The New Adventures of Superman debuted on CBS. This piece will explore how the 60’s era influenced the character of Superman and led to his Filmation debut on this groundbreaking show.

WHV will also be bringing you The New Adventures of Batman, the CBS animated series produced by Filmation. The show featured the voices of Adam West and Burt Ward, who starred in the live-action show Batman. Voicing the animated versions of Batman and Robin was the first time the two had reprised their famous roles since the live-action show was cancelled in 1968. In The New Adventures of Batman, Batman, Robin and Batgirl battle various villains in Gotham City and gain fandom for their heroic actions. One fan of the Dynamic Duo is Batmite, a dimensional imp who insists on helping Batman & Robin, regardless of their wishes.

This two disc set also comes with a documentary titled Dark Versus Light – Filmation and the Batman – 1977 marked Batman’s return to television in Filmation’s New Adventures of Batman. With interviews ranging from the President & Publisher of DC Comics to the President of Warner Bros. Animation, the legacy of Filmation, will be examined from animation style to how this core DC character was depicted in the series. Among the themes explored will be the unique split between the lighter, comedic version of Batman made popular by Filmation and the darker, brooding character seen in Detective Comics at the time. A Bat-Commentary is also on some of the episodes.

On June 26th, both sets will arrive for $26.99 each. Whew. With all the Batman and Superman releases over the last two years. This should be just about it.