The East Anglian Film Archive, the UK's first regional film archive, offers a unique record of the East of England's social and cultural history. As part of the University of East Anglia, we continue to lead moving image heritage research and inspire audience participation through community projects and events. Our collections represent a broad range of amateur and professional creativity, from 1896 to the present day.
Little Johnny Head-in-Air
Bill Blinky, a mansize Belisha Beacon, teaches daydreamer Little Johnny head-in-air the Green Cross Code - a song with a road safety message.
This educational short film, a mix of colourful cartoon animation and live action, demonstrates the perils of not looking where you're going! Little Johnny day-dreams of one day becoming a hot air balloonist or a test pilot, and pays little attention to the dangers of the road. So human puppet Bill Blinky Belisha Beacon teaches Little Johnny head-in-air the Green Cross Code song.
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.
