from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Created by Director: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller; Produced by: Pam Marsden
Posted by Dirk Mateer
The mayor of a remote island with a declining sardine fishing industry creates a theme park called Sardine Land ostensibly to attract tourists.
We see the principle of public figures using public funds to curry favor with their constituents illustrated in “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," an animated film from 2009. The mayor of a remote island with a declining sardine fishing industry creates a theme park called Sardine Land ostensibly to attract tourists. His real motive, as he tells us in the clip, is bolstering his public image because he aspires to be "one big mayor." The mayor’s desire for self-aggrandizement can foster a discussion of non-remunerative gains such as power or prestige that self-interested politicians might seek.