How Cartoons became a medium of Allied Propaganda during the Second World War?

When it’s 1941, animation can be much more than just means of entertainment, take a look at how it helped Allied propaganda during the second world war.

What flashes into your mind when you think about Disney or Warner Bros.? Maybe, sweet childhood memories or that quick serotonin boost you used to get watching them? We all love to watch animations that take us somewhere new from our boring lives but if it’s 1941, cartoons had so much more to do than that. 

During World War 2, many Americans were sent to the battlefields, while Americans at home were being encouraged to help the military through voluntary sacrifices and contributions. U.S. Government used propaganda to promote patriotism and to encourage citizens to invest in War Bonds. They used Movies, songs and even cartoons for that purpose. For those few years, Patriotism became the central theme of everything. Not only that, these mediums were used to instigate antipathy for the enemies. 

Comics of that era showed many famous superheroes combating Axis propaganda. After Pearl Harbour was attacked in 1941, U.S. Army began working with Disney. They made animation whose ultimate aim was to shape the opinion of Americans. Cartoons of that Era mainly contained political commentary on Axis power and subtle racism. Examples of this kind of animation can be “Der Fuehrer’s face, The Ducktators, Tokio Jokio etc.

They also made animations on military training and presented them in a humorous way. Private Snafu, Rookie Revue, Commando Duck, Education for Death are examples of this kind of animation. 

So, how well does this technique work? 

Cartoon like “Bugs Bunny Bond Rally” And “Foney Fables” encouraged viewers to buy War Bonds, Animations like “The Spirit of ’43” inspired viewers to pay taxes while “Scrap Happy Daffy” pushed viewers to donate scrap metals and the list can go on. So, yes it did work.

We may not have the exact clue of how much media contributed to the win of Allied power, but we do know that media can influence the way we think. 

Also Read – List Of All The Winners Of Golden Globe Awards 2023.

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