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Lift Off: Why do two-footers eat more?
Title:
Lift Off: Why do two-footers eat more?
NFSA ID
214905
Year
1992
Rocky the frill necked Lizard observes and records the activities of the humans, or ‘two footers’, commentating throughout each Lift off episode. Occasionally the viewer will glimpse him with his camera, and at the end he reports back on what he sees, creatively interpreting the strange behaviour of the ‘two footers’.
In this clip Rocky shows people measuring their food and then themselves, and decides that they do this so they don’t burst. When a lizard complains that it’s not fair that ‘two footers’ get to eat so much, Rocky uses his convoluted logic to prove that that lizards are actually smarter. Summary by Annemaree O'Brien.
This is a charming and funny segment of Lift Off. Rocky, the frill necked lizard anthropologist puppet is the David Attenborough of the lizard world, giving his own highly creative interpretations of their behaviour. Rocky is designed to show children that every action, including everyday human behaviour is open to interpretation. The logic of his interpretation of human’s eating habits in this case is not too far off the mark and there is a lot to explore in this topic.
Lift Off synopsis
This is part B of the episode That’s Not Fair, and has the usual Lift Off mix of live action, animation, puppetry, music, documentary and fantasy. The main storyline is about the Lift Off kids, interspersed with the other elements.
Poss (Erin Pratten) wants to win a pony by eating enough ‘Bonza’ cereal to win the competition. She fights with her friend Kim (Maria Nguyen) over eating the awful ‘Bonza’ and eventually realises her hopes are unrealistic. Poss finds a solution that all the family enjoys together.
Lift Off curator's notes
Different elements explore this episode’s theme in some interesting ways. The three clips have been selected as examples of the richness, the depth of ideas, and the creativity underpinning the Lift Off series. While each segment works in its own right, together they provide different perspectives on the theme of 'it’s not fair’.
The program’s aim was not to be didactic, or even always logical. Its goal was to challenge, intrigue and encourage children to think for themselves and to make connections. Lift Off's multi-faceted nature was also designed to ensure appeal to audiences of mixed ages. In this episode, the story of Poss wanting a horse leads to Lotis’s wild view of ‘riding’, and then to Rocky’s totally bizarre anthropological observations about unfairness from a lizard’s perspective, a good example of the overall scope and depth of the program.
That’s Not Fair – Part B first aired on the ABC at 4.30 pm on Wednesday 8 July 1992. It was repeated at 6.00 pm on Saturday 7 November 1992.
Notes by Annemaree O'Brien
Production company
The Australian Children's Television Foundation
Producers
Patricia Edgar, Margot McDonald, Ewan Burnett, Rob Pemberton, Susie Campbell
Executive Producer
Patricia Edgar
Directors
Paul Nichola, Steve Jodrell
Animation story
Nick Donkin
Writers
Jeff Peck, Rick Maier
Music
Paul Grabowsky, Michael Atkinson
Acknowledgements
Produced in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Made with the participation of Janet Holmes a Court and the Australian Film Finance Corporation
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.