The Underground World

RELEASED 18 Jun 19430h 8m★ 6.3 TMDB

Superman has to save Lois Lane from a cult of hawk-people in an homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs's "At the Earth's Core".

WATCH NOTE

1943 Famous Studios animated theatrical short, released June 18, 1943; sixteenth in the historical Superman shorts sequence, following Jungle Drums and preceding Secret Agent. No earlier DC adaptation is required. Animated Elseworlds collects separate continuities. Covers the original short only, excluding later collection supplements and television packaging. Superman and Lois Lane appearances and official DC identities are verified. Studio collection credits identify Bud Collyer as Superman / Clark Kent and Joan Alexander as Lois Lane; exact-title Rotten Tomatoes credits also assign Clark Kent to Lee Royce. Perry White appears, but his performer attribution conflicts and his official DC profile remains inaccessible. Complete supporting and silent appearance coverage remains unresolved. Rotten Tomatoes lists 8 minutes; published presentation timings include 8:13 and 7:54, leaving the exact original runtime unresolved.

Watch these first

4 titles to watch before The Underground World — 0h 33m in total.

ShowdownOptional background0h 8m★ 6.4
A separate adaptation of Superman and Lois Lane; useful for comparison, but unrelated to The Underground World’s story continuity.
Eleventh HourOptional background0h 8m★ 5.9
A separate adaptation of Superman and Lois Lane; useful for comparison, but unrelated to The Underground World’s story continuity.
Destruction Inc.Optional background0h 9m★ 6.5
A separate adaptation of Superman and Lois Lane; useful for comparison, but unrelated to The Underground World’s story continuity.
The Mummy StrikesOptional background0h 8m★ 6.3
A separate adaptation of Superman and Lois Lane; useful for comparison, but unrelated to The Underground World’s story continuity.

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Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

The Underground World is title 59 of 92 in our Animated Elseworlds viewing sequence. Standalone animated films and separate continuities. Titles here do not form one timeline. This is a collection of separate adaptations, rather than a single continuous story.

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