Japoteurs (1942)
Japanese saboteurs smuggle themselves aboard a new prototype bomber and hijack it mid-flight, and after Lois Lane is threatened over the open bomb hatch, Superman must catch the sabotaged plane and land it safely in the street.
Japoteurs was the first Superman cartoon made after Famous Studios took over the series from Fleischer, and its title — a portmanteau of “Japanese” and “saboteur” — signals the wartime caricature typical of American home-front propaganda animation of the period.
Background
Japoteurs was the first Superman cartoon released after Famous Studios took over production of the series from Fleischer Studios, a transition that came during the Second World War as Fleischer’s parent company restructured. Its title, a combination of “Japanese” and “saboteur,” signals the kind of wartime caricature of Japanese people that was common in American home-front propaganda animation of the period, something modern viewers should be aware of before watching.
What to watch for
The plot follows Japanese saboteurs hijacking a prototype bomber mid-flight and threatening Lois Lane, forcing Superman to catch the sabotaged plane and land it safely. Watch it as a document of wartime American propaganda as much as a work of animation craftsmanship; the harsh caricatures reflect widespread attitudes of the period that are now understood as deeply racist, even as the short retains the same visual polish that distinguished the series’ other, less overtly propagandistic entries.
