What Is the Style of Metropolis In Superman: The Animated Series?

[Raider969]

What is the style of Metropolis in Superman: The Animated Series?

For example, the style of Gotham City in Batman: The Animated Series is retro/Art deco, with everything looking like the 1940's with the buildings, cars and fashions.

To me, Metropolis looks retro-futuristic, with the buildings and cars looking retro-futuristic and the fashions looking like the 1950's or 1960's.

 

[Rick Jones]

As a kid, BTAS' 40s and 50s art deco style stood out so much to me but Superman used to feel pretty 90s current to me outside of flashbacks on Krypton or Smallville, with Krypton definitely evoking that 50s atomic World of tomorrow feel and then Smallville feeling look like the 60s or 70s or 80s era mid-western farm town. I expected Metropolis and the 4edt of the show to have a lot more of the visual flair of the Fleischer shorts like BTAS did, so that might be part of why I viewed it that way but I was always a biased viewer. It feels retro when I see it now but I never thought of it as such 20 years ago.

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[wonderfly]

It was "90's idealism placed on top of a 50's sensibilities, with projected 21st century technology mixed in".

Something like that.

Does it feel retro now? Yes. But almost more of a 90's retro than a 50's retro, whereas Batman the Animated Series still feels timeless. Well, in most episodes, at least.

I dunno, it's hard to describe.

 

[Raider969]

Ok, thanks for the answers. Now that I know this, is there a difference between the futuristic style of Metropolis in Superman: The Animated Series and the futuristic style of Gotham City in Batman Beyond? I know Gotham City in Batman Beyond is cyberpunk, has flying cars, and takes place in the future, but other than that, what is the difference? Also was the fashion of Metropolis also 90's then?

 

[wonderfly]

Ok, thanks for the answers. Now that I know this, is there a difference between the futuristic style of Metropolis in Superman: The Animated Series and the futuristic style of Gotham City in Batman Beyond? I know Gotham City in Batman Beyond is cyberpunk, has flying cars, and takes place in the future, but other than that, what is the difference?

Batman Beyond's world is kinda like "Gotham City tried to become Metropolis but ended up mutating into the world of Batman Beyond".

Metropolis was on it's way to becoming the world of "The Jetsons". "Batman Beyond" is the world of "Cyberpunk 2077".

Also was the fashion of Metropolis also 90's then?

Yes and no. The staff at the Daily Planet looked like they stepped out of the 50's, but others characters look very...90's. Like "Livewire" before she becomes a super villain, or Kyle Rayner in the Green Lantern episode (or maybe I just find that Kyle Rayner as a character shouts out " it's the 90's!!!").

 

[Raider969]

Batman Beyond's world is kinda like "Gotham City tried to become Metropolis but ended up mutating into the world of Batman Beyond".

Metropolis was on it's way to becoming the world of "The Jetsons". "Batman Beyond" is the world of "Cyberpunk 2077".



Yes and no. The staff at the Daily Planet looked like they stepped out of the 50's, but others characters look very...90's. Like "Livewire" before she becomes a super villain, or Kyle Rayner in the Green Lantern episode (or maybe I just find that Kyle Rayner as a character shouts out " it's the 90's!!!").

Ok, I understand now. Thanks again. On the Superman: The Animated Series Learning to Fly documentary, Dan Riba said that the style of Metropolis is placed in a "pseudo future-past" and that Bruce Timm said that they stuck to an art deco base for the structure of Metropolis, an optimistic version of art deco. What exactly do they mean though?

 

[Rick Jones]

Batman Beyond's world is kinda like "Gotham City tried to become Metropolis but ended up mutating into the world of Batman Beyond".

Metropolis was on it's way to becoming the world of "The Jetsons". "Batman Beyond" is the world of "Cyberpunk 2077".



Yes and no. The staff at the Daily Planet looked like they stepped out of the 50's, but others characters look very...90's. Like "Livewire" before she becomes a super villain, or Kyle Rayner in the Green Lantern episode (or maybe I just find that Kyle Rayner as a character shouts out " it's the 90's!!!").

I also think characters like John Henry Irons with his single earring or Jimmy and his unbuttoned shirt and mullet just feel so 90s to me.

What I love about the style of Batman Beyond is that a lot of it isn't too far off from what we see in Superman or The New Batman Adventures but it's just the little things like shirts with ties and no collars, etc, that make it feel that much more streamlined.

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[wonderfly]

Ok, I understand now. Thanks again. On the Superman: The Animated Series Learning to Fly documentary, Dan Riba said that the style of Metropolis is placed in a "pseudo future-past" and that Bruce Timm said that they stuck to an art deco base for the structure of Metropolis, an optimistic version of art deco. What exactly do they mean though?

"Pseudo future-past" is just a better way to say what I said above. An idealized version of a 90's city, based on 50's art style, with technology mixed in that might be theoretically possible in 20 to 40 years.

 

[Raider969]

"Pseudo future-past" is just a better way to say what I said above. An idealized version of a 90's city, based on 50's art style, with technology mixed in that might be theoretically possible in 20 to 40 years.

Ok, I got it. Thanks for the answer.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I call the style for the city retro modern.

 

[Raider969]

Smallville feeling look like the 60s or 70s or 80s era mid-western farm town.

Sorry for this late reply. To me, Smallville was regular 90's looking to me during the present day episodes like "Unity." It
was 60's, 70's or 80's in the flashbacks to me.

Yes and no. The staff at the Daily Planet looked like they stepped out of the 50's, but others characters look very...90's. Like "Livewire" before she becomes a super villain, or Kyle Rayner in the Green Lantern episode (or maybe I just find that Kyle Rayner as a character shouts out " it's the 90's!!!").

I noticed that some people outside of the Daily Planet also looked like they came out of the 50's to me. For example, the people at Lex Corp or Star Labs or the people who wear Fedora hats and double breasted suits unless they work for the Daily Planet too as well.