Line #15 WesternAnimation/HellBentForElection


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f492031e_5f0f_49d3_8097_549ae6162469.jpeg]] [[caption-width-right:350:"Here's a way to win the war, you gotta get out and vote!"]]
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3	''Hell Bent for Election'' is a 1944 FDR-approved campaign film commissioned by United Auto Workers, inspiring viewers to register and vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the Democratic candidate at the time of the 1944 presidential elections. The film was Creator/{{UPA}}'s (which at the time was Industrial Film and Poster Service) first ever animated movie. The director was none other than Creator/ChuckJones, moonlighting from his regular job at Warner Bros.
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5	The plot revolves around two trains headed to Washington, both are nearing Track 44[[note]]a metaphor for the year 1944[[/note]], and only one train can cross it. A stationmaster named Sam[[note]]Uncle Sam[[/note]] tells Joe that he needs to sidetrack the Defeatist Limited. The ''Defeatist Limited''[[note]]an oil-burning steam train with the caricature of Thomas Dewey[[/note]] pulls train wagons representing the current problems with America. The ''Win-The-War Special''[[note]]a caricature of FDR[[/note]] pulls war supplies such as battleships, tanks, and crates. A wrecker named Horace tries to get Joe to fail his job by whacking his head and making him smoke until he passes out. Joe then has a dream about Dewey passing the ''Win-The-War Special''. He eventually snaps out of his dream, switches the tracks, and the ''Defeatist Limited'' (violently) crashes, letting Roosevelt head to Washington.
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7	In recent years, the film has had a steady cult following, mostly by railfans and animation buffs alike.
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9	!!Hell Bent for Election includes examples of:
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11	* [[TheAllegedCar The Alleged Train]]: Thomas Dewey, FDR's opponent in the 1944 election, is portrayed as a cranky old steam engine that can barely pull his ''Defeatist Limited'' freight train.
12	* AndThisIsFor: As Joe uses Horace to switch the tracks.
13	-->'''Horace:''' This is treason!\
14	'''Joe:''' ''This'' is for Uncle Sam!
15	* BerserkButton: When Horace hears the mention of "winning the war", he flips and morphs into Hitler's face for a split-second.
16	* CoolTrain: FDR is depicted as a sleek, streamlined steam engine pulling a high-speed freight train full of war supplies.
17	* TheDogBitesBack: Horace attempted to foil Joe by putting him to sleep using wine, cigar smoke, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking quiet music]], but after having a dream on what would happen if the Defeatist Limited won, Joe immediately woke up and placed Horace on the X on the switch lever.
18	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Sam mentions the switch that Joe has to pull, and later in the film he succeeds in pulling it.
19	* HumanDoorstop: In the end, Joe uses Horace as a lever to pull the switch.
20	* LimitedAnimation: This short offers a glimpse of the revolutionary style that UPA would develop in the following decade. While the treatment of the characters is conventional, the settings are sparse and abstract. The dream sequence has Joe as a white outline against a dark blue background.
21	* MetaphoricMetamorphosis: Horace briefly turns into Hitler while ranting against "Roosevelt's war."
22	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: After Horace put Joe to sleep, Joe had a dream on what would happen had the Defeatist Limited were to make it to Washington. The narrator was able to help Joe wake up by telling him to vote for Roosevelt. This allowed the Win the War Special to make it through the points and go to Washington.
23	* NoodleIncident: At one point, Joe fell asleep on the job in 1942.
24	* NoSell: Horace tried to use a mallet to knock Joe out to no avail due to Joe having a strong head.
25	* OhCrap: The Defeatist Limited had an epic one the moment he saw Joe switching the points.
26	* PropagandaPiece: Produced by a labor union in favor of Roosevelt, with the Republicans depicted as shady villains, or at least misguided and clueless.
27	* RailroadTracksOfDoom: Inverted. Thomas Dewey's track is switched to Roosevelt's line and causes the ''Defeatist Limited'' to derail.
28	* RunawayTrain: The ''Defeatist Limited'' tries to stop but he’s a barreling runaway once the track is switched. Naturally, he crashes violently and winds up a jumbled mess.
29	* RunningGag: The ''Defeatist Limited'' tries everything in his power to overtake Roosevelt in cutaway scenes.
30	* SentientVehicle: The 1944 presidential candidates are depicted as trains: Roosevelt is the sleek, modern ''Win the War Special''; while Dewey is a ramshackle steam engine, the ''Defeatist Limited''.
31	* TakeThat: A very early political example, particularly towards Republican candidate Thomas Dewey (better known for claiming a premature victory against UsefulNotes/HarrySTruman in the 1948 election that earned him national mockery). While FDR's ''Win the War Special'' is depicted as a modern streamliner, Dewey's ''Defeatist Limited'' is depicted as a ramshackle old freight full of cars exasperating America's problems (i.e., high inflation, HeadInTheSandManagement from the government). The locomotive's number is 1929, in reference to the start of The Great Depression, and when Horace appears trying to get Joe to fall asleep on the job, he morphs into Hitler when Joe mentions "winning the war", suggesting anyone trying to stop the war effort would only help the Axis win.[[note]]And this isn't a violation of GodwinsLaw either; it was happening right in the middle of the war against the actual Nazi party.[[/note]] Furthermore, in Joe's nightmare, Roosevelt is at least able to stop when he can't get onto Track 44; when he pulls the switch in Roosevelt's favor in the real world, Dewey can't stop and smashes into a smoldering wreck.
32	* WartimeCartoon: Made to encourage the reelection of FDR in the hopes that he would win the war.

Context WesternAnimation / HellBentForElection