ABSTRACT I decided to write an essay about Why Animation was used in Propaganda videos because I am very interested in history, especially the second world war, and I have always found Propaganda to be interesting and I thought it would be interesting to see how the second world war and Animated propaganda videos affected each other. In order to understand why animation was used in Propaganda videos I looked at United States animated propaganda, such as work created by Walt Disney and Warner Brothers, I looked at animated propaganda created by the soviet Union and also North Korean animated propaganda, I wanted to look at different cultures and countries interpretations of animated Propaganda in order to see if there was a common use for it, even in different cultures. By looking at these different interpretations of Animated Propaganda, I found that Animation was used in Propaganda videos in order to create WHY ANIMATION WAS USED characters that would make the enemies of those who created the videos look a lot less scary, by showing these films to the citizens who were not fighting in the IN PROPAGANDA VIDEOS. wars and to those fighting in the wars it would create morale making it easier for them to fight and support the war, it was also used to sell necessary items such as war bonds. Student Name: Keiran Brynnink Student Number: 1315644
Contents Why Animation was used in Propaganda Videos...... 2 References...... 5
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Why Animation was used in Propaganda Videos. “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history”, George Orwell (1984). By Definition Propaganda is information, Ideas or rumours deliberately spread to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation etc., this description is provided by dictionary reference.com. Propaganda can be created using any kind of media format, videos, radio, posters, and even books. The ‘Dr Seuss’ series of books is one that has been theorised to have been written based around the author, Theodor Seuss Geisel’s political and environmental views. This can be seen in the book ‘The Butter Battle Book (1984) where Huskies in wonderland (2013), writes “This can be used as an illustration to the arms race between the U.S. and Russia, perhaps Dr. Seuss was noting on the ridiculousness of what we were fighting about. Just as foolish as fighting about bread and butter. This book has been banned from libraries in Canada and multiple schools around the country because of the books position.” It is clear that Propaganda is still being used currently, hidden without us realizing it is even there.
The most widely known Propaganda animation is tilted “Der Fuehrer’s Face” Walt Disney (1943), Between the times of 1942-1945, Walt Disney was hired by the US Government and Military to create Propaganda animations for the public, but also for the US troops in order to increase their morale. At this time over 90% of Walt Disney’s staff were devoted to creating a series of these Propaganda animations, and in turn it was these animations that saved Walt Disney from bankruptcy, and they had created over 400,000 feet of educational war films. This can be supported by Yasmin Alexandra Nysten (2014). Der Fuehrer’s Face depicts the well-known Disney character ‘Donald Duck’ suffering in Nazi Germany, finding it difficult to eat their rations, and finally gong insane due to the over working he was put through, only to wake up to see a replica of the statue of liberty and saying with relief “Oh Boy, am I glad to be a citizen, of the United States of America” . Throughout the film, the emblem for the Nazi army, the ‘Swastika’, is carved into or displayed in everyday items, such as tree, clouds, and even Donald’s coo-coo clock is dressed as Adolf Hitler. This was a way to make the viewers of the films to think that the Nazi’s were obsessed brain washed fighters who adored Adolf Hitler. There are also stereotypical creations of the Axis Powers, Germany, Italy and Japan. These are seen at the beginning of the film, as the band members behind the German Leader, the Japanese man as a stereotypical looking man with yellow skin, and the Italian member is seen as obese, but also extremely flamboyant , both are seen to be created in a comedic way whereas the German character is seen to be very strict . This is a reflection of the treaty between the three countries called the ‘Axis Powers’, and in the film Japan and Italy are seen to be following Germany obediently. This is the give the viewers the idea that Japan and Italy were not as strong as Germany, and were just following Germany’s orders aimlessly. Information about the Axis Power is supported by the Holocaust encyclopedia (2014).
Walt Disney created Propaganda animations against not only Adolf Hitler and the Nazi army, he also created Propaganda against the Japanese. The film ‘Commando Duck: Donald Duck against the Japanese’, Walt Disney (1994), is a Propaganda film created to increase morale in the ongoing fights against the Japanese, the film continuously uses the yellow faced, squinted eyed stereotype familiarly used with a character of Asian heritage. The film also refers to the Japanese culture stating “Japanese custom says always shoot a man in the back please”. The over use of the word ‘please’ is also a stereotype created by the American culture. The film is based in the Pacific war, which went on between 1937 until 1945. The war was in order to stop the Japanese invasion, as they had already taken a lot of the Asian countries. The war mostly took place in a jungle terrain, this is referenced in the film due to
2 the film taking place in a jungle. The pacific war later went on to be the first use of Nuclear weapons being used, leading to the nuclear warhead being used to destroy Hiroshima. The information is agreed with by the Holocaust encyclopedia (2014). Why animation was used for this Propaganda film was to put a comical effect on the Pacific war, by using stereotypes created by American culture, is makes the enemy look less threatening, not only boosting morale, but also reassuring the families with people fighting in the war that there is nothing to worry about, creating comfort for them.
Although Der Fuehrer’s face is the mostly widely known Propaganda animation, “The Ducktators” created by the Warner Brothers (1941), was one of the earliest Propaganda videos created. The story is based around the life of Adolf Hitler, as a personified duck, it can be argued that this was to communicate more with children and also to the parents watching the film with their children. The story ends when the ‘dove of peace’, most likely an interpretation of the United States, defeats Adolf and the Axis powers easily. Although this is clearly a Propaganda film, the true purpose of the film is to sell war bonds and stamps in order to support the US Military and Navy. “A war bond was both an investment in one’s country and an investment into one’s own financial future” The National WWII museum (2015).
The United States were not the only country that have used Animation to create Animated films. Soviet Russia created a propaganda film, using both animation and life action footage called “Capitalist sharks: Prophets and lessons, directed by Vyacheslav Kotonochkin (1967). The film is an educational video depicting the rise and fall of the soviet government and slandering the capitalist regime. The capitalist agenda is all animated, personifying it as a group of obese men constantly concerned about money, whereas the soviet union is all live footage, showing how it is constantly rebuilding and is working towards a better future for the soviet population. Why animation was used to depict capitalism is to create the idea that capitalism is childish, and is also gives the artist to exaggerate certain aspects of characters in order to get there point across, such as the obese gentlemen seen to be the capitalists, this creates the idea that the capitalist regime is one of gluttonous, selfish and non-caring people, and if an individual were to watch this film being brought up in a soviet environment it would create a stereotype that they would not be able to agree with. A stereotype is “A widely held but fixed and over simplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing”, Oxford Dictionaries (2015).
Another example of Soviet Russian animated propaganda is: Fascist Barbarians: Fascist boots will not trample our motherland, created by Ivanov and I. Vano. Soyuzmultfilm.(1941). This propaganda refers to world war II, like a lot of other propaganda videos created. The film depicts Adolf Hitler as a horrible beast who is trampling the neighboring countries around Russia, until they are beaten by the Soviet army, in the background of the film, a song is playing repeating lyrics such as “When Stalin calls us forth to battle, when our first marshal our brave men does lead”. The film also shows Stalin’s army opening the heavens in their victory. Why animation is used for this Propaganda video is to create morale. The art style used for this animation is very Disney inspired, bringing me to the conclusion it is meant for children. Parents would watch this with their children and be given hope for their future and also their children’s. The use of the song is to create a catchy jingle that the audience will remember and sing proudly, boosting morale. It is also an educational film, keeping the viewer’s up to date with the current events of the war. Depicting Adolf Hitler also enforces aggression towards the Nazi army, reaffirming the belief that they are doing the greater good fighting against him and keeping the population safe.
Other regions that use Animation to put forward their ideals or to discredit other nations through Propaganda, In 1950 the Korean government created a propaganda film titled ‘DPRK anti US imperialism invasion’. The film is an Propaganda film used as a way to keep North Korean children in education, in order to defeat the enemy which has been seen to be the United States. It is apparent that it is directed at
3 the education of children due to the main child having to use degrees on a protractor in order to correctly fire a pencil, which is a metaphor for a missile at the enemy and defeating them. For their hard work the children are given promotions within the military, which is indirectly informing the children watching the film that if they earn an education they can be awarded ranks higher in the North Korean army, encouraging them to have an education but to also join the army, so not only is this film a propaganda film against the United States government, it is also a recruitment video for the North Korean army. Why Animation was used for this propaganda film is to create a fun and educational way to recruit the younger audience into joying the North Korean army, at the time Kim Jong Il was the dictator of North Korea, meaning he needed a large army in order to enforce his rules on the rest of his country, however the majority of North Korea is still in poverty, so only the more wealthy children would have been able to view this film, unless the poorer families were forced to watch these films in order to get the poorer population to still believe in their dictator.
In conclusion, there are many reasons as to why Animation is used for Propaganda videos and films. In my opinion I believe that Animation is an ideal tool for creating an effective Propaganda film that does not scare away their audience with aggressive and gruesome scenes, and it can also create an impact on the younger audiences they can watch these animated propaganda videos, keeping the opinions and ideals wanted to be reinforced by these propaganda videos for future generations as the individuals watching them will most likely pass on these ideals to their friends, children and so forth. As for their impact on war, using animated propaganda videos to sell items such as war bonds help fund the army they are trying to build for their war. Creating animated propaganda such as ‘Der Fuehrer’s Face’ is a morale boost for the military and navy soldiers, but also for their family at home, who become confident after watch these kinds of propaganda that they are fighting on the right side of the war. The final point I have realized as to why animation is used for Propaganda videos is for an easy way to discredit a nation or belief easily. In the majority of the animated Propaganda I have mentioned within this essay, the use of stereotypes have been used, mostly by the United States, but also used by the Soviet Government. These kinds of stereotypes discredit a nation or a movement by making them look stupid and childish, and in the same way as other Propaganda animations create morale by talking of victory over the enemy, this also boosts morale but making the enemy look childish and foolish, making the wars or ideals of others look simpler than they are increasing support and the ideal of an easy victory. “All art is propaganda. It is universally and inescabably propaganda; sometimes unconsciously, but often deliberately, propaganda.” Upton Sinclair (1925).
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