This Is Hormel is a short in the grand tradition of David and Hazel and Setting Up A Room, where you look at the time remaining on your media player and think “Clearly that has to be a mistake.” But no! It’s a half hour long Hormel infomercial masquerading as an educational short that must be seen to be believed!
In theory, this short is about Brad and Greg, two boys who while apparently attempting to set a world record for boredom on summer vacation, write a letter to the Hormel factory asking if they can take a tour. To their surprise, they do not receive a letter back asking “What the hell is wrong with you, go play outside!” but instead an invitation to serve as a thinly veiled framing device for a solid half hour of meat footage.
And oh, the meat footage...You’ll witness the creation of a mysterious substance known as “ingredient meat.” You’ll visit the hide cellar, a place that makes Gary, Indiana look like Disneyland combined with the beaches of Maui. And you’ll witness the creation of Spam, a substance that evidently is at times purchased unironically.
It’s a meatfest of the highest order, and we feel like even Upton Sinclair himself would begrudgingly approve. Just don’t touch any machines operated by guys with less than four fingers. Join Mike, Kevin, and Bill for This Is Hormel!
