“The Story Of Anyburg USA” is a 1957 Classic Disney Short directed by Clyde Geronimi.
The town of Anyburg, U.S.A. has a traffic problem. It's gotten so big that the citizens have decided to put the automobile on trial. While the prosecution brings up a lot of damning evidence, the defense withholds all cross-examination, instead presenting to the jury who the real criminals are.
Tropes:
- Alcohol Hic: One of the incidents in the footage shown by the defense attorney involves a trio of men drinking and driving and crashing into a telephone pole.
- Alleged Car: One of the cars on trial is a decrepit, broken-down wagon.Prosecutor: He’s got only one eye, and no brakes at all, and just enough power to creep. Just hear how he rattles. Observe his worn tires. (Kicks a tire causing it to deflate)
- Blaming the Tools: The citizens angrily blame automobiles for the road accidents they have been experiencing. Hence, they sue the automobiles. During the trial, the defense attorney convinces everyone in the courtroom that they as the drivers are responsible for causing road accidents with their cars.
- Book Ends: The short opens and closes with a road map of the United States and cars speeding all over the place.
- Crocodile Tears: The accused in the Police Lineup make themselves appear innocent with their sad looks before revealing their true nature as mad criminals.
- Drives Like Crazy: Road accidents keep occurring because of some careless drivers who speed about and drive recklessly.
- Everytown, America: The story takes place in Anyburg, USA.
- Evil Redhead: One of the criminals in the Police Lineup is a redheaded woman armed with a handgun.
- Ignored Aesop: At the end of the short, the people of Anyburg appear to have learned their lesson and are on shown driving safely through the streets... only to start speeding just as they were in the beginning.
- Large Ham: The prosecuting attorney, who punctuates his emotive presentation with shouts of "the automobile HAS GOT TO GO!" He is voiced by Hans Conreid, known for playing such larger-than-life characters as Captain Hook and Snidely Whiplash.
- Manly Tears: Highway designer Cyrus P. Sliderule bemoans how car traffic makes his highways a mess. He then breaks down into crying.Defense Attorney: I think we all know who the criminal in this case really is. It’s you, and you. And it’s me too.
- Police Lineup: The last portion of the defense attorney’s footage has three people accused of various crimes (mainly road safety violations).
- Racing the Train: One of the drivers in the footage shown by the defense attorney attempts to beat a train to the railroad crossing only to be hit by that train.
- Rhymes on a Dime: Nearly all the dialogue is in rhyme, which is typical of Disney educational shorts of the time.
- Scary Symbolic Shapeshifting: The prosecutor briefly turns into a Big Red Devil as he declares the automobiles guilty.
- Sentient Vehicle: The cars brought up to the witness stand have faces and can move and speak. So it's somewhat odd that the defense's case hinges on them being controlled by their drivers and not acting on their own volution.
- Too Dumb to Live: Part of the defense attorney’s footage shows a mad driver was foolish enough to race a train and crash into it. This person survives but is hospitalized.
