Presented as a documentary by the National Film Board of Mars, the film shows Earth from the view of an orbiting Martian spaceship. The spaceship did not land (Earth's oxygen atmosphere is toxic to Martians), but it did use cameras to capture footage of intelligent life on earth: the humble automobile. A subject is shown at his carefully-regulated dinner (a
gas pump), before returning to shelter for the night (a garage). The next morning, he is seen traveling on a local highway before getting stuck in a traffic jam at the road's abrupt end. The earthlings apparently enjoy a life of "all play and no work" and tolerate nothing that impairs their "smooth, fast life"; the slowdown causes significant complaints (honking) until workers (
construction vehicles) arrive to extend the road, namely by demolishing a mountain in the road's path and building a bridge over a chasm. The presence of many earthlings in traffic is presumed to come from a need for companionship, as well a desire to dance and play games with each other. While they occasionally stop to chat, lag is regulated by social directors (
traffic signals). This fun also creates exhaustion (accidents and pile-ups), leading one subject to be towed to a medical center (
repair shop) and spa (
car wash). Libraries (road signs and billboards) and audio-visual centers (
drive-in theaters) are readily available. When they get too old, earthlings move to retirement parks (used-car lots), where they perform their final act: they instruct a worker to perform euthanasia (using a
car crusher) so that they can reproduce. Earthlings have eliminated sex altogether; instead, they are recycled at breeding centers (car factories), which newborn Earthlings emerge from, fully grown. The Martians were unable to get footage inside a breeding center, so the audience is instead shown a version created by Martian scientists: a
Rube Goldberg machine which converts crushed cars into a putty-like substance and then re-shapes them into new cars. The Martians are perplexed by one aspect of earthling society: despite their advancement, the earthlings have not eliminated parasites (humans and pets). In addition to infesting the earthlings, the pests also build elaborate hives (buildings and cities) which slow down the earthlings' travel. The film ends with the Martians' hope that they will soon be able to send visitors to meet with the earthlings. ==Production==