1942 Donald Duck cartoon
Donald's Decision
is a four-minute educational
short
animated film
made by the
Walt Disney Studios
, for the
National Film Board of Canada
. The film was released theatrically on January 11, 1942 as part of a series of four films directed at the
Canadian
public to buy
war bonds
during the
Second World War
.
Donald's Decision
was directed by
Ford Beebe
, and featured the voice talent of
Clarence "Ducky" Nash
as "
Donald Duck
" and
Thelma Boardman
as the "Angel" (1942) as Donald wrestles with his conscience, to do the right thing.
[Note 1]
Although in production prior to the
Attack on Pearl Harbor
, the film is an example of a
World War II
propaganda film
.
[2]
Donald's Decision
re-uses animation from the Disney cartoon short
Donald's Better Self
(1938) and
Self Control
(1938), that also featured Donald's struggles between an angelic and demonic version of himself.
Plot
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]
In 1942, as Donald is relaxing in a hammock, a radio program encourages purchasing
war savings certificates
but he merely yawns and says "Tomorrow". His guardian angel immediately propels Donald out of his complacency and urges him to get his piggy bank out to buy war savings certificates that will ensure the
Allied Powers's
victory.
On hearing this plea, Donald's other side, a demonic version lurking in a mailbox, that features a
swastika
created by the spinning mail semaphore, challenges his angel, telling Donald to "have a good time and spend his money on himself." When the angelic side argues that "everyone must do his share", the devil "blitzes" the angel and boots Donald's good side into the nearby lake. Furious, Donald's angel storms into the sky and dive-bombs the evil devil, sending him to an early grave like in the original
Donald's Better Self
.
Steering Donald on his rightful path to the post office, the angelic side makes Donald buy his war savings certificates. Immediately, a series of posters and war messages reinforce the message to "Invest in Victory".
Voice cast
[
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]
Production
[
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]
In 1939, with the outbreak of a global war,
Walt Disney Studios
felt a great pinch in their finances due to the loss of much of their European markets. This was further limited with the
invasion of France
by Nazi forces in 1940, which meant that the next Disney release
Pinocchio
(1940) was only dubbed in Spanish and Portuguese, a great deal less languages than previous Disney works.
[4]
Due to this loss of profit, and losses on recent films, Disney studios faced a bleak outlook of a deficit of over half a million dollars, layoffs and pay cuts for the first time in the studio, and a $2.23 million ceiling on their credit allowance.
[5]
With bleak prospects, the studio was made into a corporation in April 1940, which raised $3.6 million to help pay off debts owed by the studio.
[4]
To enable his studios to keep afloat and producing films, Walt Disney sought out external funding to cover production costs, which would allow him to keep employees on the payroll and keep the studio working.
[6]
On March 3, 1941, Disney invited over three dozen different representatives of various national defence industries to a lunch meeting, in an attempt to solicit work from them.
[7]
He followed this luncheon with formal letters offering work "for national defence industries at cost, and without profit. In making this offer, I am motivated solely by a desire to help as best I can in the present emergency."
[8]
Four Methods of Flush Riveting
(1941) was first training film that was commissioned by
Lockheed Aircraft
.
[9]
[Note 2]
In response to Disney's efforts,
John Grierson
, the head of the National Film Board of Canada entered into a co-production agreement for four animated films to promote the
Canadian War Savings Plan
. The films, in order of production were:
The Thrifty Pig
(1941),
7 Wise Dwarfs
(1941),
Donald's Decision
(1942) and
All Together
(1942).
[11]
In addition, a training film for the Canadian Army, that eventually became
Stop That Tank!
(1942) was commissioned.
[9]
Reception
[
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]
While intended for a theatrical audience,
Donald's Decision
along with the other three films in the series, was effective in delivering its message to Canadians through their local
War Savings Committee
.
[12]
When America entered the war, these shorts were later released as part of the eight
bond drives
in the United States.
Home media
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]
The short was released on May 18, 2004 on
Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney on the Front Lines
.
[13]
See also
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]
References
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]
Notes
[
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]
- ^
Although a character voiced by a female, the angelic side of Donald is referred to as a "he".
[1]
- ^
Disney Studios would eventually make 200 wartime training films, predominantly for the United States military.
[10]
Citations
[
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]
- ^
Harrington 2015, p. 174.
- ^
Shull and Wilt 2004, pp. 221, 225.
- ^
Scott, Keith (3 October 2022).
Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2
. BearManor Media.
- ^
a
b
Barrier 2003, p. 272.
- ^
Van Riper 2011, p. 27.
- ^
Cheu 2013, p. 27.
- ^
Stillich, Sven.
Donald versus Hitler: Walt Disney and the Art of WWII Propaganda
.
Spiegel online
, August 10, 2009. Retrieved: March 7, 2016.
- ^
Barrier 2003, p. 360.
- ^
a
b
St. Pierre, Marc.
"70 years of animation, Part 1 ? When animation marches off to war".
NFB.ca
, 2011. Retrieved: March 7, 2016.
- ^
Telotte 2010, p. 128.
- ^
Maltin 2000, p. 16.
- ^
Gabler 2007, p. 383.
- ^
"Walt Disney on the Front Lines DVD Review"
.
DVD Dizzy
. Retrieved
14 February
2021
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Barrier, Michael.
Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age
. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
ISBN
978-0-1951-6729-0
.
- Cheu, Johnson. (Ed.).
Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability
. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2013.
ISBN
978-0-7864-4601-8
.
- Gabler, Neal
.
Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination
. New York: Vintage, 2007.
ISBN
978-0-6797-5747-4
.
- Harrington, Sean J.
The Disney Fetish
. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2015.
ISBN
978-0-8619-6713-1
.
- Maltin, Leonard.
The Disney Films
(4th Edition). New York: JessieFilms Ltd., 2000.
ISBN
978-0-7868-8527-5
.
- Shull, Michael S. and David E. Wilt.
Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945
(2nd ed.) Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2004.
ISBN
978-0-7864-1555-7
.
- Telotte, J. P.
Animating Space: From Mickey to WALL-E
. United States: The University Press of Kentucky, 2010.
ISBN
978-0-8131-2586-2
.
- Van Riper, Bowdoin A.
Learning from Mickey, Donald and Walt: Essays on Disney's Edutainment films
. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2011.
ISBN
978-0-7864-5957-5
.
External links
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