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Japoteurs (1942) is the tenth of seventeen animation Technicolor based upon the DC Comics character of Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. (1999). 9780816038312, Checkmark Books. ISBN 9780816038312 The first Superman cartoon produced by Famous Studios (the successor to Fleischer Studios), Japoteurs covers Superman's adventures stopping Japanese spies from hijacking a bomber plane and bringing it to Tokyo. This cartoon does not bear the Famous Studios name because that company had not yet been fully organized after Max Fleischer was removed by Paramount Pictures from the studio which bore his name. The cartoon was originally released to theaters by Paramount Pictures on September 18, 1942. Japoteurs (1942) Japoteurs was the first Famous Studios cartoon filmed in color.
The word "Japoteur" is a portmanteau of the word "Japanese people" and the word "saboteur".
As the plane takes off, we see that there are other stowaways aboard. Hidden inside what look like bombs are the Japanese men. The spies tie and gag the pilots and hijack the plane. Meanwhile, Lois emerges from her hiding place and moves over to the cockpit. As she's about to open the door, she notices that the Japanese spies have hijacked the plane. She sneaks into the room and calls for help on the radio, but the spies seize her. In response to her calls for help, fighter planes are sent to stop the hijackers. In response, the hijackers deploy a bomb, which stops the fighters from taking off. Clark Kent goes into an elevator and changes into Superman as it goes up to the roof.
Superman enters the plane to stop the hijackers, but one of them has Lois tied up and is ready to drop her out of the plane through the bomb hatch. Superman jumps out of the plane and comes back in through the bomb hatch to save Lois as she's being dropped. He unties her and starts fighting the hijackers. One of them breaks the plane's controls, and the plane starts falling towards the city. Superman takes Lois out of the plane and places her on the ground, then flies back up and catches the plane, bringing it to a safe landing right in the middle of the street.
The plane catching scene at the end is strikingly similar to a scene in Superman Returns (2006), in which Superman (Brandon Routh) stops an airplane from crashing into a baseball stadium (that resembles former Yankee Stadium) by pressing his weight into the nose and carefully lowering it onto the field.
The Arrowverse version of Supergirls pilot also brings homage to this scene when Kara lands the plane containing her sister on the river, after one of its engines catches fire.
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