In 1940, Leopold Stokowski conferred with Mickey Mouse during “Fantasia”. Conductor James Levine got that same honor in “Fantasia 2000”. In 1945, Gene Kelly danced with Jerry the Mouse in “Anchors Aweigh”. 1964 brought on the premiere of “Mary Poppins” with Julie Andrews and Dick Van D**e singing, dancing, and racing their way through an animated wonderland. Jerry Seinfeld now joins this esteemed list of human actors interacting with animation, in “Uniform”, where Patrick Warburton voices the Man of Steel.
Throughout all the years of American Express advertisements, who could ever imagine that it would eventually come to this? Led on by the sure hand and mind of Barry Levinson, Seinfeld and Superman have lunch in a diner, where Superman is not pleased with the amount of mayonnaise put in the tuna fish because it makes him queasy.
There’s a lot to be learned about Superman along the way. The duo stops by an advertisement of a musical play called “Oh Yes Wyoming”, which the big S believes is good because of the reviews, especially one by Joel Siegel. Soon, a thief comes up right behind them, grabs Jerry’s new DVD player and runs off with it, satisfying those looking for a little flying action in this. And who knew that Superman is the type that’s in the mood for a Broadway show? “Oh Yes Wyoming” is not a particularly good show, but it’s a fine partial parody of “Oklahoma!”
The banter between Seinfeld and Superman is absolutely perfect, made even better by Warburton’s performance. It doesn’t end here, either. Other parts of the website reveal a tantalizingly tiny speck of a future webisode entitled “Hindsight”, along with teasers for possible future webisodes in which Superman is avoiding any communication with The Green Lantern.
Plus, the song from “Oh Yes Wyoming” is available in sing-a-long form and it’s a wonder that Superman actually wanted the CD soundtrack. If you’re looking for more, there’s also the “Today Show” interview that Seinfeld and Superman did, as well as a behind-the-scenes featurette which is interesting because of how Superman is filmed, before they animated him. And conveniently, you can also sign up for an American Express card if you want, if you’re that inspired to get one after watching this.
Whatever advertising executive came up with this needs to be promoted to as high a position as possible. If all commercials were like this, the only thing left to do would be to drag the fridge next to the couch and plug it in.
