Halas and Batchelor - Automania 2000

[@Suddenlyits1960]

Halas and Batchelor did some great work. This is a stylistically beautiful,very imaginative cartoon satirizing mass consumerism,social status through materialism,and overpopulation. Animation was a true art form back in this time.

[@NetworkDistributing]

They did indeed

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

​@@NetworkDistributing Quite a reminder of what could happen, especially with the rise of AI.

[@pjrt_tv]

One thing that's interesting is the mention of companies bringing you food (Food Inc). Since car dependency makes small businesses hard to start and maintain (you just end up with big box stores) you end up with a few big companies providing you everything. In these places there is, in fact, a Food Inc, a Tobacco Inc, just has a different name.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

You can see allegories in this.

[@debralerner8298]

and this was done in 1964 amazing how they have foretold the future

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Impressed to see such a clean, decent copy for once! This one was always very grainy and slightly worn out due to duplicate prints being used over the years.

[@Anjwl7104]

Little they knew that the growing size of cars were determined by oil price just a decade later

[@quex0549]

And now it's being reversed again to bigger and better SUV's, luxury trucks and minivans!

[@samshaw3657]

my absolute favourite animation. amazing quality upload guys! thanks so much.

[@GMCartoons]

That was amazing cartoon from the lads of John Halas and Joy Batchelor!

[@ukpropaganda]

I remember H&B's brilliant cartoon series of 'The Count Of Monte Cristo', with one of the best tv themes of all time.

[@pjrt_tv]

atm, parking spaces are cheaper than housing, and many ppl are living in their cars. So this is turning out to be pretty accurate.

[@revinhatol]

All of this was somehow true, and now it's the year 2020.

[@Suddenlyits1960]

This isn’t true at all. People aren’t living in cars stacked up to the skies,nor are helicopters delivering drivers alcohol and we aren’t eating food pills and don’t have cars that reproduce themselves. It’s just a very imaginative cartoon satirizing mass consumerism,social status through materialism,and overpopulation.

[@EugeneTan233]

the work fromn halas and bachelor is awesome! because i know now building too much automobile may cause the earth to feel really madder!!

[@cousinmerl]

wait? is this the prequel story line to disney pixars film 'Cars'

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Oooooh, maybe!

[@alexmacleod3728]

haven't seen this since 1982

[@aiishataal]

what were the 90s like?

[@garyhufford9983]

Haven't seen this since early 1967 !

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

I remember watching this in primary school and that must’ve been around 2009-2011 since I remember it!

[@GEOindustries0]

Looks like the car Homer designed.

[@GEOindustries0]

Bit of a dig at Scientists.

[@paulietteburnett7270]

Princess Lavengra

[@MarkMcCluney]

Sounds like Ed Bishop doing the voice over.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

It's always a little odd when they don't credit for narration sometimes (an earlier Halas & Batchelor short "The History of Cinema" would credit Maurice Denham for commentary).

[@MarkMcCluney]

Christopher Sobieniak i think Maurice would have been a 'name' - wasn't he in Much Binding in the Marsh? Ed was just a jobbing actor with an American accent and not worthy of credit perhaps. He had a good voice and did a fair bit of v/o work, even The Two Ronnies at least once!

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Yes, that's correct. I'm sure that was the reason.

[@TheJnatch]

It is him, I came here looking for this because of that

[@alexmacleod3728]

@@ChristopherSobieniak he sounds like billy west for some reason

[@borediideath6526]

Is there suppose to be a message here because I am just lost on what that could be.

[@fredrogers4717]

It’s essentially a criticism/satire on consumerism

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@fredrogers4717 And a bit of a concern for the future as well (assuming where we go with A.I. for instance).

[@tpop7981]

Materialism. Everyone wants more than they have we have become a culture of consumers that does nothing but buy stuff just to have stuff.

[@Anime-Trash]

??? The point of the short is that society does things without examining the results of their actions. Scientists and big business sit in literal ivory towers designing items without thinking for themselves (computer does the work) and people down below buy and do things without thinking about the greater consequences outside themselves. Instead of cleaning up the cars and solving the issue, they refuse to change their worldview and instead put more cars on top of the pile. Consumerism/materialism is a tangential point.

[@mrsolarsun7174]

Imagine Thanos trying to look for The Time And Mind Stones in that mess of Cars.

[@A-x3Wh]

القڦ نحڤعڻ گالاراجڪھ

[@A-x3Wh]

ازتم ۽ گٕط دٓھگ

[@IAmSoMuchBetterThanYou]

Ludicrous. As if parents in the 21st would allow kids out on their own.