The Right Spirit

1931
Sound
10m

Don't judge a book by its cover but do judge a political party by its garage in this Conservative cartoon from the height of the depression.

The Conservative and Unionist Film Association were so pleased with their metaphor of Labour-led Britain as a broken-down car in need of a Tory MOT, that they made not one but two cartoons on the theme in short succession. This second film features better animation, with more depth to the backgrounds and characters, and includes a patronisingly cute and cuddly caricature of David Lloyd George.

Propaganda cartoon. After poor service from the garages of Ramsay MacDonald & Co. and Lloyd George & Co., John Bull takes his car to Baldwin's Prosperity Garage, where he is given the right fuel: a mixture of Empire unity, safeguarding and reduced taxes.

Animated Ads

British animation won great success as an entertainer, but it has long had a lucrative second career in sales

In cinemas and on TV, animated adverts have frequently outshone the main attraction. In the early days of the cinema, animated ads were often relative epics, with five-minute comic encounters leading to a pack-shot punchline. The arrival of commercial television in 1955 brought the animated ad down to bite-size, but if anything they packed an even harder punch. Advertisers found that animation could soften the edges of a hard sell approach, and bring cartoon brand characters to life.