Watch as 1940s Max Fleischer Animated Film is Restored

Watch as old reels of Max Fleischer’s 1940s animated film are restored. The entire process is fascinating, and the result is incredible.

Max Fleischer is a huge deal in animation. As the first man to make Superman fly, he is a celebrity amongst film, animation, and DC Comics historians. In fact, his 1941 animated short was so popular that it has been preserved over time. Unfortunately, age has taken its toll, but the good news is the color and animation can be restored!

Everything that goes into restoring old film is fascinating. And as you can see, it really must be a nerve-racking process, but when done well, the result is incredible. In the video below, learn how to restore old Betty Boop, Superman, Popeye, and other Fleischer Studios animated film reels.

In a century of animated cinema, the importance of animator Max Fleischer cannot be overstated. Fleischer created Betty Boop, produced the original Popeye and Superman cartoons, and also invented the Rotoscope. Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored is on a mission to restore the films of Max Fleischer from original prints and negatives. We visited the team and restoration expert Steve Stanchfield at Blackhawk Films, a film scanning facility in Southern California to learn about the restoration process and watch a classic Koko the Clown short brought back to life.