Reason and Emotion is Released

During World War II, Walt Disney Productions published “Dispatch From Disney’s” for Disney employees in the military. In the first issue, Walt wrote, “Here is news of our effort to back you up, along with glimpses of familiar faces and happenings.” He explained how Disney’s animated war film work, on behalf of U.S. forces, was proving the important role it could play to help solve major problems. One of these films was the Academy Award®-nominated Reason and Emotion, which was released on this day in 1943. The cartoon takes viewers inside the animated heads of various people, to depict the primitive and caveman-like “Emotion” and the proper and intellectual “Reason.” Inside the man, we see Emotion literally get behind the wheel of the driver’s seat when he sees a pretty woman. The film concludes that Reason and Emotion can work together and will work best with Reason seated firmly in the driver’s seat. As animators Joe Grant and Dick Huemer wrote, “If we can get people to think about those two little fellows up there in their heads, and have them ask themselves, ‘Wait a minute—who’s driving?’ Whenever a crisis comes along, we will again feel that we have contributed something to the war effort. Perhaps something that no other medium could have managed so well.”