Walt Disney\'s Propaganda Contribution in the Second Word War

Disney Propaganda

Walt Disney Company and its Contribution to Propaganda Usage in the United States

During World War II, the U.S. government retained the Walt Disney Company to create a series of videos about various issues. These issues included everything from paying income taxes, dealing with gas or tire shortages, military training, as well as several that portrayed Germans and Japanese figures in vilifying situations (Higgins, 2011). The videos were animated cartoons that contained many of the company's most recognized characters and could be easily watched by adults and children alike. The animations were entertaining and produced in the same style and quality as many of their hit feature films of the time.

The government commissioned Disney studios to create the films shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was thought that having the Disney characters could make some items such as military training more enjoyable for soldiers as well as lessen some of the anxiety that there were feeling in their military roles. As an American iconic brand with deep roots in the U.S. culture, the Disney characters were used to represent the United States on several occasions. For example, Frankin Roosevelt used Mickey Mouse as an international symbol of piece in the U.S.'s Good Neighbor Campaign.

In Disney's Film "The New Spirit" Donald Duck is portrayed as an American character who receives fifty dollars a week (Time Magazine, 1942). The film focuses on Donald as he learns about how he is funding the war through his income taxes. The film is under six minutes long and is unabashedly propagandized to make views feel guilt for not paying their share of income tax. For example in the film a tax representative states "Just remember: every dollar you spend for something you don't need is a dollar spent to help the Axis… And every dollar you sock away for taxes is another dollar to sock the Axis."

Despite its obvious biasedness, the film was successful in its intentions. It was estimated that over thirty six million people watched the film. Furthermore, a Gallup poll conducted a survey in which thirty seven percent of the film's viewers stated that the film had played a factor in their willingness to pay taxes (Disney Studio at War, 1942). Other films target different alternatives to help with the war funding issues such as films dealing with the purchase of War Bonds; which was especially effective with younger audiences.