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Mickey Mouse and the Nazis: The Use of Animated Cartoons as Propaganda During World War II Jason Lapeyre A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Program in Film and Television York University North York, Ontario May 2000 National Library Bibliothèque nationale I*I ofCanada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Librq of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loaq distniute or sell reproduire, prêter, dis~buerou copies ofthis thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique- The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. 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Abstxact During World War II, the governments of both the United States and Germany heavily regulated the production and distribution of popular films. One of the outcornes of this regulation was the production of animated cartoons as propaganda by both nations, due to the popularity of the medium during the war years, The thesis attempts to explain how this unique historical moment, during which cartoons were used as war propaganda by Nazi Germany and the United States, came about. The historical development of the relationship between state and film industry before and during the war is investigated, with particular attention paid to the place of animated cartoons within this relationship- Both Hollywood and the large production companies in Germany such as Ufa and Tobis- Klangfilm were-intenton maintaining the monopolistic practices they had become accustomed to, and cooperated with government agencies in return for being allowed to dominate the industry. Animated cartoons were hugely popular during the late 1930s and 1940s, and the work of Walt Disney was popular worldwide. Disney's studio was recruited by the American govemment to produce training films for the military, and funded by the Coordinator for Intra-American Affairs to produce propaganda films to turn South Arnericans against Nazi Gerrnany- In 1943, 94% of the Disney studio's output was for government contracts, In Germany, Joseph Goebbels es tablished a production company, Deutsche Zeichenfilm GmbH, to produce German animated cartoons in the style of Walt Disney. The venture was a failure, with only one short produced in the companyrs three-year history, although other production companies in Germany produced several cartoons, Textual analysis of the American and German cartoons is used to show how both sides used propaganda cartoons partially as escapism for audiences and partially to enact wartime policy regarding attitudes towards the enerny, The thesis concludes that looking at the similarities between the U.S. and Germany regarding the production of wartime propaganda cartoons complicates the straightforward morality surrounding the history of the Second World War. Acknowledgment a Janine Marchessault, for guidance; Irmgard Steinisch für deu tsche Geschichte; Lynne Hunter, for translating Nazi cartoons; Ron Cunnane, for the idea; al1 of the authors whose work 1 amalgamated into rny argument- Most of all, thank you to Lorraine Hardie, for kindness and for being real . Table of Contents Introduction...........-,.,. ,,.. .........-.. ..............-...............-........................................-..... -...................... 1 Chapter One : The Culture Industry Goes to War .......-............ .......... -10 Chapter Two: The 'Special Valuer of Entertainment ...... .. ......... 47 Chapter Three : Rabbits and Ducks ..................................................................... 78 Chapter Four: Foxes and Rhinoceroses............................. ., ...-. 118 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................... 154 Bibliography...........-...... .... .................................................................................... ................ 167 vii ~istof Illustrations Page 01: Mickey Mouse Gas Mask issued by the Sun Rubber Company Page 10: Mickey Mouse comic strip produced by the Walt Disney studio during World War II Page 47: Animation ce1 £rom the Walt Disney short Der Fuhrer's Face starring Donald Duck (Academy Award 1943 - Best Animated Short) Page 78: Animation ce1 £rom an animated cartoon produced by the Walt Disney studio for the Canadian government before Arnerican involvement in World War II Page 118: Animation ce1 £rom the Dutch animated cartoon Van den vos Reynaerde depicting the character Jodocus the Rhinoceros Page 154: Photograph of a pocket watch found in the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, stopped at the exact time of the bomb's detonation (8:15 a.m. ) Introduction One of the most interesting uses of a Disney character during World War II was the creation of a Mickey Mouse gas mask by the Sun Rubber Company of Barberton, Ohio. This was not a toy but a real protective mask made under the auspices of the Armyr s Chemical Warfare Division and the Disney Studio and designed by Bernard McDermott of Sun Rubber . The intention, said a company spokesman, "was an attempt to lessen the fear of a gas attack for children by taking the conventional, gruesome looking gas mask and turning it into something fun. Introduction This thesis was triggered by an article in the Sunday Times of London; an article that turned out to be untrue- Under the headline "Nazis stole Disney tricks for anti-Jewish cartoonsw,Michael Woodhead reported that German film historians searching the archives of the former East German Republic had uncovered "more than 100" cartoons produced by the Nazis that "used techniques copied £rom the works of Walt Di~ney".~1 was unable to confirm this story with either the ombudsman of the Times or Woodhead himself (neither of whom would retum my email) , none of the scholars or archivists 1 spoke with over the course of researching this thesis had heard of this discovery, 1 was unable to contact any of the people mentioned in the article, and finally subsequent research established that such a volume of Nazi animation simply could not have been made. Tt was a bad start. However, Woodhead was right about a few things, even if most of his facts were questionable. First of all, the Nazis did make cartoons. And secondly, those cartoons were certainly influenced by the work of Walt Disney - as most animation of the time was. This kernel of accuracy in the article led me dom a path of research that revealed that anirnated cartoons were produced during World War II with the approval of the National Socialist party, and that those cartoons sought to further the political and cultural aims of the party. Furthermore, 1 knew £rom my own lifelong interest in animation that Arnerican animated cartoons £rom World War II were also used as propaganda for the Roosevelt administration's war aims- This unlikely similarity between the United States and Germany provided the foundation for a comparative analysis of the relationship between govexnment and film industry during World War II in Germany and the United States, and the cartoons produced in each country for the purposes of propaganda. AS mentioned, one of the reasons for undertaking this thesis is my own lifelong interest in and love of animated cartoons, but another consideration was the disturbing gap in film studies regarding animated films. Disturbing because of the importance of animation to film history: £rom a technological point of view, cartoons were the first films to achieve perfect £rame-by-frame sound synchronization (Steamboat Willie, Walt Disney, 1928 - the technique is still referred to as "mickey-mousing") and the first to use three-colour Technicolor (Flowers and Trees, Walt Disney, 1932 and The Three Little Pigs, Walt Disney, 1933)3. Also, the use of digital technology in contemporary filmaking was pioneered by cornputer animators such as John Lasseter (Toy Story, 1995). From a cultural point of view, cartoons were a staple feature of the film bill along with newsreels and coming attractions £rom the mid-thirties until the mid-sixties, and their immensely popular humour