John the Bull

1930
Sound
5m

Cartoon animation propaganda film promoting National Mark Beef.

John the Bull wins first prize at a cattle show. Title: "The Welcome Home". Back at the farm he is greeted with jubilation and dancing by the other animals. A postman sticks a poster marked, "Your Country Need You" on a nearby tree, before handing a stack of unpaid bills to the troubled farmer. John the Bull learns that the problems are caused by the importing of foreign meat. Title: "Massing the Forces!". John the Bull sends mobilisation forms to all the cows; title: "Forward March!" and then marches them to Trafalgar Square. Posters spell out to crowds lining the street: "National Mark Beef - Is the best beef - Because - It is home killed - Of Choicest quality - And finest flavour". John the Bull addresses crowds at Trafalgar Square, telling them to look for the mark on cows' joints. The crowds string up a carcass of foreign meat from a lamppost, and threaten a butcher selling it. The butcher desperately calls for National Mark Beef, which arrives down the telephone line and kicks out the foreign meat. John the Bull is given a medal. End titles: "England expects every housewife to do her duty and - Look for the National Mark on the Beef. Select Home Killed. Prime Home Killed. Good Home Killed."

Note: sound version has musical track and animal sound effects, no dialogue. There is no extra footage.

Animation Goes to Work

For those with an official message to get across, animation is the perfect messenger

Animation has an almost magical ability to charm and captivate. And those same qualities also make it a strikingly effective communication tool. It grabs attention, speaks to all ages, and can distil complex messages into simple and appealing visual metaphors. For government or other august bodies, cartoon antics have often been the perfect jam to sweeten the pill of official communications, whether to explain sweeping change or impart health and safety messages. And for the inventive animator, even the most utilitarian brief is no barrier to the most outlandish of treatments.