For such a dark period in American history, World War II inspired memorable music, motion picture features, and even cartoon shorts. In 1942, Disney released its first war-themed featurette—about Donald Duck getting drafted—and in subsequent stories audiences got to revisit with the duckbilled draftee to share a laugh at his Army antics, including the short …
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In this landmark Disney short, Pluto plays a private who’s been assigned to guard an Army pillbox. But as his guard dog duties begin, two chipmunks using the pillbox’s cannon to store their acorns harry poor Pluto. The short marks the first time Chip and Dale — yet unnamed at the time of this cartoon …
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“Down where the mighty Amazon winds its way through the heart of Brazil, we meet the playful armadillo… ” as the narrator explains in the Mickey Mouse cartoon short Pluto and the Armadillo, which rolled into theaters on this day in 1943. “Another strange creature often found in this region is the turista Americana, or …
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“Saludos amigos, a fond greeting to you!” Those lyrics were sung in the 42-minute feature film Saludos Amigos, which was released in theaters on February 6, 1943. Four mucho entertaining animated segments were introduced, “Lake Titicaca,” “Pedro,” “El Gaucho Goofy”, and “Aquarela do Brasil,” which featured Donald Duck and a newcomer to Disney animation, Brazilian …
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In the Donald Duck cartoon short Donald’s Tire Trouble, which drove into theaters on this day in 1943, Donald is recklessly driving along until he finds himself with a flat tire. Throughout most of the cartoon, Donald attempts to fix his tire with little success. Suddenly he becomes a lucky duck when the tire pops …
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There was neither Mickey Mouse nor Donald Duck to be seen in this special cartoon featurette which tells the story of one of “Hitler’s Children,” as adapted from the anti-Nazi book, Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi by Gregor Ziemer. Ziemer was an American author and educator who lived in Germany from 1928-1939, …
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Saludos, amigos! It was on this day in 1942 that the 16 mm film South of the Border with Disney was delivered to the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. That’s my business, I can do that. As Walt Disney once explained, “I was asked by the government to go to South America . . . and …
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In May 1942, Donald Gets Drafted became the first Disney war-themed cartoon released during World War II. In this hilarious short, Donald Duck finds himself in the army with that villainous Black Pete as perhaps the toughest drill sergeant of the war. At the end of that short, our poor hero found himself peeling potatoes, …
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On this day in 1942, America’s Mousekesweetheart Annette Funicello was born in Utica, New York. Just a few years later she become the last of the initial 24 children selected to appear as Mouseketeers on the Mickey Mouse Club, quickly becoming a mouskefavorite. In fact, by the end of the first season of the show, …
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2,716 years after the first Olympic games, a champ was born. A courageous, well-rounded individual who on this day in 1942, in the debut of The Olympic Champ, demonstrated to audiences the fine arts of foot racing, the hurdles, the pole vault, hammer throwing, and the javelin. The dashing, demure, debonair, dauntless, darling is none …
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