Destination Earth


Destination Earth is a 1956 promotional cartoon created by John Sutherland. The short explains the fundamentals of the petroleum industry and how petroleum products enrich everyday life in the United States of America, as well as the benefits of a free market economy.

Plot

Destination Earth begins with the emperor Ogg sending a bumbling subordinate Martian on a mission to Earth to find a better power source for his royal limousine. The Martian sets off and lands in the United States. He ventures into a nearby city and becomes awestruck when he sees average citizens with "powerful and reliable automobiles" that make their daily lives easier. The Martian then enters a library and researches the "secrets" the remarkable power source. The Martian triumphantly returns to Mars with stolen library books on the oil industry. After reading from them the population of Mars deserts Ogg and sets up their own oil companies. The short ends with the slogan "destination unlimited" written across the screen.