During World War II, some of the greatest living filmmakers put aside their commercial aspirations and directed propaganda films for the Allies. Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, John Ford, John Huston – they all made a cinematic contribution to the war effort. (More on that here.) And so did Walt Disney, big time. 90% of Disney employees produced propaganda films for the American government, creating 68 hours of continuous film, including this short film for the Treasury Department. The Spirit of ’43 puts Donald Duck in the always unenviable position of asking Americans to pay high taxes to fund their wars. (Imagine doing that today!) Some 26 million Americans viewed the short film, and apparently 37% of those interviewed in a Gallup poll later admitted that the film affected their willingness to pay Uncle Sam. You can find this Disney film and other wartime propaganda films (among other goodies) in our collection of Free Online Movies.
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It’s funny, the contrast between this and Bush’s message following Sept. 11, when he said, “Get down to Disney World in Florida. Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be enjoyed.”
Which proves what we’ve already known: D Duck is smarter than G Bush.