World War II

World War II The day after Pearl Harbor, the military moved onto the Disney Studio lot in Burbank, utilizing the soundstage and parking sheds for automotive maintenance and ammunition storage facilities. But they also turned to Disney for the production of training and propaganda films, and for the duration of the war, 93 percent of the company’s output was war-related. The films did not feature the normal Disney characters, but rather used graphics, maps, diagrams, and simple animation to get across their points. To help entertain those on the home front, the Disney characters went to war too, with such cartoons as Donald Gets Drafted, The Old Army Game, and Private Pluto. Films were also produced for other agencies, such as The New Spirit for the Treasury Department, and as his contribution to the war effort, Walt had his artists design 1,200 insignias for military units at no charge to the units. Many ships, planes, and the jackets of soldiers featured decals and patches with illustrations of Donald Duck, Pluto, and other characters.