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, who wrote the book after fleeing Germany on the eve of World War II. Focusing on the main character, Hans, the film depicts his life from birth until his demise, conveying how from his earliest years his mind is molded in the Nazi way of thinking. In the successful Disney style of educating while entertaining, Education for Death intersperses lighthearted moments with the dark subject matter. One of these moments occurs when Hans is in kindergarten and learns the story of Sleeping Beauty. This humorous interpretation of how the Nazis communicate the classic fairy tale depicts the wicked witch as democracy. The brave knight in armor who comes in to save the princess turns out to be Hitler, who causes democracy to flee. The Disney artists had some fun with keeping the characters from appearing far from dignified, including the generously proportioned sleeping “beauty” who represents Germany. Although the entertainment helped the subject matter from getting too intense for audiences, the facts were a grim reality. Time magazine described the film as “a sort of Pinocchio in reverse. Little Hans is educated into a heiling, marching puppet, and at last becomes a wooden cross marker in a vast military cemetery.”
