From their experience with animation on Sesame Street and Free to Be . . . You and Me, Bruce and Carole Hart knew how animation could help reach children and convey messages. Consequently, Hot Hero Sandwich had animation integrated throughout the show from the opening credits, bumpers, music videos, short film — this wasn’t our parent’s cartoons. Some of the animation was traditional, other experimental, and others just absolutely trippy — and I mean TRIPPY! This was animation made by those in tune with the post-countercultural zeitgeist and pushed visual imagery well-beyond the bonds of traditional Saturday morning TV fare.
The animation on Hot Hero Sandwich is very stylistic and at the same time embraces a variety of styles, from more traditional anthropomorphic animals to rotoscoping to outright psychedelic imagery. The animation didn’t try to just zone children out between live segments with nonsensical cartoon schtick. It was also meant to engage us and and our imaginations with a sense of wonder. It wasn’t animation as much as it was art and the Harts trusted us kids to figure it out on our own.
Their trust was well-placed.
Jerry Lieberman Productions was responsible for translating the Hart's messages into sight and sound. The following article includes all animated short film clips and animator credits.
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