This hilarious explanation of quantitative easing by two straight-talking cartoon-characters questions the wisdom of relentless money supply expansion. It has been viewed on YouTube more than 6 million times. [6 min/ Econ 101, Incompetent government] "Any system which gives so much power and so much discretion to a few men, [so] that mistakes — excusable or not — can … [Read more...]
The Kronies: Heroes Of Crony Capitalism | Short Films
Who are the Kronies? Animated heroes of crony capitalism, who use super-powers like regulation and tariffs to fight entrepreneurs. No competitive force is too much for their awesome ability to invoke government power for their own ends. Per Reason, John Papola of Emergent Order backed the Kronies animated films. "'I really believe that it's fundamentally the unique nature of … [Read more...]
Government Explained | Short Film
An ordinary person tries to explain the concept of government to a freshly-arrived alien visitor from another planet, in this humorous animated short. [9 min/ Law & the individual] … [Read more...]
The Lego Movie (2014)
An ordinary Lego character joins a team of heroes to fight a government-backed crony capitalist, who intends to destroy the creative potential of the Lego world by gluing everything into place. [ The Lego Movie credits: Dir: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller/ Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks/ 100 min/ Animated, Comedy/ Anti-Regulation] External Reviews “There’s one … [Read more...]
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)
WINNER: TOP 25 LIBERTARIAN FILMS In the name of saving the children from obscene language, the parents of the South Park kids go to all extremes—including censorship, mind-controlling implants, executions, and finally war on Canada. [ South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut credits: Dir: Trey Parker/ (voices of) Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Mary Kay Bergman/ 80 min/ Comedy, … [Read more...]
Antz (1998)
An individualist ant saves his colony. [ Antz credits: Dir: Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson/ (voices of) Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman/ 87 min/ Animated, Action-Adventure/ Individualism] Ants are collectivist by nature. Throughout their lives, they work and die for the colony, mindlessly sacrificing themselves for the greater good. However, the protagonist ant at the … [Read more...]
Yertle the Turtle (1992)
Desire for greater power drives Yertle the Turtle, "king of the pond," to elevate himself on a tower made of his turtle subjects. Based on the Dr. Seuss story. [Dir: Ray Messecar/ Narrator: John Lithgow/ 8 min/ Power corrupts] Long before Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, wrote childrens' stories, he was a political cartoonist. His early cartoons mocking fascism … [Read more...]
Animal Farm (1954)
An animated adaptation of the George Orwell novel, in which farm animals overthrow their owner and adopt socialism — with predictable results. [ Animal Farm credits: Dir: John Halas, Joy Batchelor/ 72 min/ Animated, Drama/ Britain/ Anti-Socialism, Power Corrupts] Note: the full film can typically be found online via YouTube or Google search. George Orwell, like most … [Read more...]
I, Pencil
The spontaneous order of the marketplace is illustrated in the simple example of how a pencil is created. Based on the original I, Pencil essay by Leonard Read. [6 min/ Econ 101, Pro-capitalism] Awards for I, Pencil Grand Prize, Manning Centre and the Free Thinking Film Society Reason Foundation Video Prize 2013 Anthem Film Festival, Short Documentary, Best … [Read more...]