Cartoons Go To War (1995)

Synopsis: American artists join the war effort against racist, violent, hyper-nationalistic enemies by pumping out, um...racist, violent, and hyper-nationalistic cartoons.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “On the eve of the Second World War, as patriotic men and women across the nation were lining up to do their part in the fight against fascism, the US Signal Corps inducted some unlikely civilians: a rabbit and two ducks.”

What Did I Learn?: Cartoon animators wear some truly hideous shirts.

You Might Like This Movie If: Deep down, you know that cartoons can also be used to convey positive messages. [Oops – this is the real PSA]

Really?: Was it really possible to purchase a home on money saved up in the Army? Did it ever occur to the propagandists in the War Department that many of these men were never coming home, and that gambling, booze and loose women might have made a bad situation at least barely tolerable?

Rating: Cartoons Go To War is a 50-minute A&E documentary look at the men and women who produced wartime propaganda classics such as Private Snafu, Mr. Hook and Der Fuehrer’s Face. Interesting stuff. 7/10 stars.

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