The Mummy Strikes (1943) *

In 1942, Max Fleischer lost control of his animation studio, when Paramount forclosed on him and set up its own animation unit by hiring former Fleischer's animators. The new studio continued to produce cartoons starring Popeye and Superman (two Fleischer's most popular stars, both properties of outside companies, National Periodical Publications and King Features Syndicate, respectively), but their quality diminished significantly. In "The Mummy Strikes", visual inventiveness of Fleischer's Superman films is replaced by lengthy, explanatory narrations and cartoon cliches.