Here’s the first of what will hopefully be many more posts with videoclips. This is a Heinz 57 commercial (ca. 1954-55) produced at John Hubley’s Storyboard studio, while he was still based in Los Angeles. Discussion follows below the spot.


Hubley’s studio turned out one great spot after another, and even this one, which isn’t a classic by any means, is still an amazing piece of work. One of Hubley’s trademarks was his ability to integrate the product pitch into the storytelling which is what he does here; note how seamlessly Hubley tells us that Heinz 57 is made with 17 ingredients and that the sauce tastes good on a variety of meats. A lot of other commercials might have cut to a live-action shot of the product with an explanation of these points, but Hubley makes it part of the story.

Hubley embraces the UPA sensibility and reduces the graphics to their barest essentials. Backgrounds and props are kept to a bare minimum, and the animation is efficient, yet moves beautifully. In the night scene, only the king’s face and hands are shown, yet the character still comes across. In the last scene, the princess is designed as a held cel; only her arm moves when pulled (the accompanying sound effect is funny too). It’s refreshing to see well-designed animation like this: appealing full-animation in the acting scenes alternating with stylized bits of animation. It’s the type of smart animated acting that one rarely sees nowadays.