The Rise of Parnassus Needy

1966
Sound
13m

From rhymes to riches - Parnassus Needy finds success thanks to his Barclays bank manager

Parnassus Needy is a poet and he knows it. What he needs is a little financial investment to set his DIY poetry business in motion. This sponsored short for Barclays Bank benefits from Richard Taylor's progressive design work, but also his insightful script ideas. He was aware that 'The Swinging Sixties' was a brand as much as anything else, and pop culture could turn as much profit as a medium sized business.

Animated sponsored film. The story of a poet who borrows money for a do-it-yourself poetry shop and finally becomes a film star is used to illustrate how a bank can assist its customers by loaning money.

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.