As DC Comics' flagship superhero, Superman has experienced many different animated adaptations in his over 80 years of existence, with the latest incarnation taking flight in the new DC original animated movie Superman: Man of Tomorrow. And in addition to his origin being retold, this version of the Man of Steel has also undergone a distinct change in art style compared to previous animated outings.
The characters of Man of Tomorrow are visibly accentuated by bolder, heavier line worker, that makes them pop a bit more from the backgrounds, and the overall light and color palette for Metropolis is noticeably brighter and more vibrant than in the recently concluded DC Animated Movie Universe.
According to director Chris Palmer, this change in style was inspired by the animated series that came before the film, as well as the comic books themselves.
"I think it definitely evokes the original Superman animated series. It's kind of in the building blocks of Metropolis itself that this could be 25, 3o years in the future where while there's a lot of things you know, there's little points of departure like, 'Oh, I hope the world could be like that!'" Palmer tells CBR. "For the line art, it was to try something new, just definitely give a big stamp on it that this is a different world from the previous films. It was trying different things, like line weights. People have said it evokes more of a comic book kind of feel, and I don't think they're wrong."
Prior to directing Man of Tomorrow, Palmer has had an extensive career as an animator and director, including helming several seasons of the acclaimed Netflix original animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender. It was this experience which helped inform some of the more ambitious set pieces in Man of Tomorrow, as Clark Kent settles into his superhero destiny.
"I'm definitely no stranger to action. [Laughs] There's definitely some big-scale stuff in Act III of Man of Tomorrow. Voltron definitely had these characters that giant lions and giant spaceships, scale was always a huge part of that show," Palmer observed. "And there's definitely parts of that that weave into this film, where you put the camera, how do you show how big of a threat something is."
Directed by Chris Palmer, Superman: Man of Tomorrow stars Darren Criss as Clark Kent/Superman, Zachary Quinto as Lex Luthor, Alexandra Daddario as Lois Lane, Ryan Hurst as Lobo, Brett Dalton as Rudy Jones/Parasite, Ike Aamadi as Martian Manhunter, Neil Flynn as Jonathan Kent and Bellamy Young as Martha Kent. The film is available now on digital HD and on Blu-ray and 4K UHD on Sept. 8.