What the 200, a Celebratory Animation
This animation, created in 1975, is closer than almost any other depiction to how I see America—a hypersaturation of trite symbolism, a cornucopia of consumption (automobiles, burgers, TVs, hotdogs, baseball), a frenetic pace capable of inducing seizures; but all of it completely ecstatic—psychedelic, even.
Surprisingly, this presentation was produced by the United States Information Agency—an office pro-American propaganda. It was funded by a Bicentennial Project Grant and animated by one Vincent Collins. It’s pretty clear—to me, at least—that it is a sly jab at American values of the time, but this was probably lost on the folks at the Information Agency, who were probably just given a recommendation about Collins (who was known to be a psychedelic animator). It’s not dissimilar to what happened with Stephen Colbert and the Press Corps dinner.
Anyway!
What the heck is Whistler's Mother doing in there (at the :40 mark)? Whistler was American, but lived, worked and died in England. Kinda ironic to throw something British into a Bicentenial cartoon.
Unless Collins is ripping off/paying homage to the use of the image as "Mother Neccessity" in the Schoolhouse Rock cartoon.....