In this industrial film produced for British Petroleum, we get to watch the evolution of the oil tanker, from a sailing ship carrying wooden barrels to a steam ship purpose built for no purpose but to carry oil. There's some discussion of the problems involved with the enterprise, from the volatility of petroleum to limitations on size due to draft and strains on the hull.
In other words, it's an intelligent cartoon, typical of Halas & Batchelor. Nowadays they are best remembered for production of 1954's ANIMAL FARM, but hand-drawn animation has long been the film industry's most expensive form of production. This meant that industrial movies like this and commercials have long been the support of animation.
In other words, it's an intelligent cartoon, typical of Halas & Batchelor. Nowadays they are best remembered for production of 1954's ANIMAL FARM, but hand-drawn animation has long been the film industry's most expensive form of production. This meant that industrial movies like this and commercials have long been the support of animation.
