It's a Wonderful Loaf - A Whimsy on Economics

Watch with wonder at our very latest project for the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, It’s a Wonderful Loaf, an animated poem written and narrated by economist and educator, Russ Roberts.

The almost 7-minute animation, created in a painterly style, evokes the watercolor paintings of artists, J.M.W. Turner and John Singer Sargent. The piece is nestled within a colorful, dreamy, richly textured pre-WWII Europe illustrating a host of working men and women – porters, bakers, millers, farmers, dockers, waiters and more - going about their daily life.

This extraordinary poem by EconTalk pod caster, Russ Roberts, is his ode to the hidden harmony that is all around us. The lyrical verse explores the seemingly magical ways that we anticipate the needs of others without anyone actually orchestrating things.

Primarily devised as a teaching tool, the animated video is partnered with a website that encourages economics students and teachers alike to delve deeper into the ideas of Russ Robert’s economic doctrine. Roberts is the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. It's a Wonderful Loaf, is a Hoover Institution, Policy Ed, project.

The original score, penned by the talented duo at pop Tuna, Monica Pasqual and BZ Lewis, fits the animation like a silk glove. The 60-second teaser has it's own variation on the original theme.

Little Fluffy Clouds produced, designed and animated all three versions. LFC is a multi-award winning, full service Bay Area animation production studio headed up by the multi-talented twosome of Jerry van de Beek and Betsy De Fries.

Dive deeper into Russ Roberts’ teaching and philosophy, read the poem with annotations, get connected to more on this subject or play all three versions at: http://www.wonderfulloaf.org

Credits

Written and Narrated by:
Russ Roberts
Executive Producers:
Chris Dauer
.
Shana Farley
.
Russ Roberts
Production, Design, Animation:
Little Fluffy Clouds
Director, Designer, Animator:
Jerry van de Beek
Director, Designer, Producer:
Betsy de Fries
Music and Sound Design:
pop Tuna
.
Monica Pasqual
.
BZ Lewis
Voice Over Recording:
iCastAudio
Sound Engineer
Rich Goyette
Production of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University